Episode Details

Is Universal Basic Income (UBI) more appropriate today than decades ago? Author Scott Santens literally wrote the book advocating for UBI, “Let There Be Money.” He has been researching the concept since 2013 and his work shaped the thinking of former U.S. presidential candidate Andrew Yang. He argues how the decoupling of wages from productivity has driven inequality as the total national productivity have flowed to fewer and fewer people. He considers all the factors: Where does the money come from for basic income? Wouldn't it cost more than the entire federal budget to provide everyone basic income? Should it really go to everyone, or would it be better to target it to those who need it the most? Will it give the government too much power?