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How many studies that boil down to giving people money with no strings attached that always result in "well it improves their lives it seems" are we gonna have before people finally decide it's worth doing that stuff universally?
The trouble is, the people doing the studies and the people in charge of deciding where public money is spent and acquired, are different groups.
Even Milton Friedman, the Nobel winning economist credited for libertarianism and neoliberal economics was in favour of UBI.
He specifically advocated for simplifying the tax code, and abolishing the welfare state in favour of progressive tax rates which included a negative income tax, which is a more extreme UBI.
Right wing policy makers just heard the simplify tax code and abolish welfare state part.
For some, life has to be suffering. I think that people can't get past that way of thinking.
Many people are driven by feelings. We all are to some extent. But for many people feelings are primary. This comes up all the time.
You can show charts and studies and everything, but they don't care. You have to make them feel good about it.
Frankly I'm kind of sick of pandering to overgrown toddlers, but there's no escape from it.
i mean this is true but also the natural state of humans isn't to be filled with hatred, if it was just that people are ruled by emotion then the world would be an amazing place since most people have empathy.
It's the combination of "all feelings no thinkings" and "in-group good, out-group bad" that's really the problem.
Just one or the other isn't a disaster.
Never, so long as there's the notion that you have to "earn" or "deserve" it.
What? You mean without the cruelty? Why even bother?
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As a mother of an actual human I gotta say $1,500 for a lifetime is a ridiculous figure that wouldn’t even last a week when covering basic necessities (stroller, bedding, diapers, lotion, etc.)
The entire point of living in a society, of following the collective social contract, is to assure everybody's basic needs are met.
To suggest otherwise is contradictory to the very core of what a society is, and at that point, its better to have no society at all.
Given how having "no society at all" is impossible with 8 billion of us around... Either provide for everybody's basic needs, or people need to break the social contract until they enforce their needs are met.
Being egoistic and wanting society to pitch in at the same time is a core tenet of the US republican party. Privatise the gains, socialise the losses is a big thing there. There are millions of people like that and unfortunately they are influencing the world-wide discourse on the issue.
$1500, once
$500/month for the first 12 months
That helps, but that's a far cry from "born into poverty" solutions
For people on the edge, this would make all the difference in the world and allow them to sleep at night.
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Still amazing and I'm sure incredibly helpful to the families.
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Wow a whole 1.5k
Plus $500/month for a year. It's to help with diapers, food, etc. it's a start, but needs a lot more if they don't want the population to drop off the Mariana trench.
My copay on each of my kids births was over $2k, one was $7k. A couple of those bills were close to $30k, not that we paid that much, but still.
The US: “we need to be making more babies! Also fuck you, here’s a bill for the amount of a very nice new car! Get fucked, loser!”
Multiply that figure by at least 10, and it might actually be meaningful.
EDIT: Ah, there's a continuing payment aspect to it.
Well, that's actually fairly impactful then.
I had no idea the only thing keeping me from escaping poverty is rent for a month
This is normal in all the developed countries.
Having and raising children is not a concern only for the mother, the whole community needs to be involved.
Flint, MI
Cool that they took the lead on this
I see what you did there.
In Germany you get 250€ every month per child until they are 18. Even after, if they remain in education. If they move out they can get it directly for themselves.
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They should give out free birth control as well.
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So ~~6500~~7500 over the course of the first year. That is good stuff.
$7500. $1500 at pregnancy + $500/month for first year = $1500 + $500 x 12 = $1500 + $6000 = $7500
Which juuuuuuuust might cover the ride in an ambulance to go give birth (not the birth itself, just the ride).
If you're being facetious: this is a good thing. It doesn't solve all problems but it's a damn good start. No need to get critical about a pretty damn big step in the right direction, especially considering those starting this initiative in a local setting can't change the healthcare system nationwide.
If you're serious: admittedly (and thankfully) I haven't had to take an ambulance, but when my daughter was born the deductible on our high-deductible plan (after which point all care is covered for the calendar year) was a fair amount under that. The system sucks, but that's not how it works either.
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this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2025
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