I assumed my skepticism about UBI was doubly irrelevant, but life comes at you fast, so here goes: it’s incredibly politically naive. The moment it’s implemented, it provides a direct mechanism for disciplining everyone who depends on it, in ways ranging from screwing around cost-of-living adjustments to outright threats of canceling it. “BUT FINLAND!!!” you say; we’re not in Finland. “BUT SMALL TOWN IN CANADA!!!”; we’re not there either. More specifically, do you really think the introduction of UBI wouldn’t spur other macro-economic forces that’d basically cancel it out? Please. “BUT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN!!!” Sure, and you know what? Even more studies have shown that anglo austerians take special sadistic delight in torturing the poor. Anyone who thinks broadening and deepening dependency on the kinds of political systems that put people like Trump and BoJo in power is in Lalaland. We’re literally teetering on the edge of a world where the shortest path to normalcy would be to turn the entire economy inside-out and PAY PEOPLE TO STAY HOME until we sort this sh*t out. Think about that. Then think about — and watch — how and why it doesn’t happen.
(YES, of course I support C-19 bailouts — as generous as possible for as long as it takes.)