Can I just say, Andrew Yang is having a hell of a good laugh right now?

[Recursion]

Senator Cotton, the White House, and Senator Romney have all floated a universal basic income grant in the last 48 hours.

[Claustrum]

1. A one time emergency aid isn't the same as universal income forever n/t

[Recursion]

3. True, but it's a bell that can't be un-rung (nt)

[DrToast]

12. Oh that's nonsense. We've given out cash before to protect the economy

Yang didn't invent that.

[earthside]

16. It is hardly the same thing.

And I'm not so sure that a one time $1000 check is going to accomplish much.

I guess I tend to favor aid that first goes to people who need it (I don't need it).

And later, once we see the waning of this epidemic, then an economic 'stimulus'.

We need income maintenance right now.

For example, rent in Denver averages $1400 a month -- a one time $1000 check isn't going to do much for someone slayed-off or fired. I would favor a more robust supplement to unemployment.

A universal income of $12,000 annual per person is a whole other proposition.

[Pachamama]

2. Irony is not dead

[Walleye]

4. They'll get stingy. I just read they said checks of up to $1000

[Recursion]

6. It's not about the number, it's about the principle (nt)

[Walleye]

9. Well if they actually give out money it proves how desperate they are.

[LizBeth]

5. It took a second to sink in, but fuckin' ya. Lol. I bet he is. And thank you Yang, I have always

utmost respect and appreciation.

[Recursion]

7. Biden said he would call him. I hope that's true

Yang would make an amazing Secretary of Commerce.

[LizBeth]

15. I think so. What I am seeing Biden doing is taking the best of our primary Dems

and letting them shine. I said from the start of all us Dems doing a blue wave vote for Biden. It is not about Biden. I hope he humbly recognizes. The biggest treat for me the last two weeks is all Biden is doing to show me that yes, he recognizes and that appeases my heart so, lol. And gives me a lot of hope. And relief.

[DrToast]

8. He shouldn't be. Yang may be right about UBI, but this doesn't prove it

Yang's proposed UBI was in response to the threat of automation. Not global pandemics.

[BlueIdaho]

10. He deserves it.

Some authority needs to get him on the phone and ask him how to proceed. I’ll bet he’s got it all figured out. #MATH

[betsuni]

13. Well, Hillary describes in her book a fund that would use revenues from national resources

to pay a dividend to every citizen. And if you include financial systems as a shared resource, you can raise money by a financial transactions tax. Once you capitalize the fund you can provide every American with a basic income every year. She was going to call it "Alaska for America." But she couldn't make the numbers work, so had to give up the idea as too unrealistic.

So it's not as if it's a new idea for her.

[Recursion]

14. I loved that sovereign dividend fund idea

Sigh. What could have been.

[Kathy M]

17. From Andrew Yang Twitter

"My statement on the discussed stimulus package. My team has been in touch with the White House and we are offering resources."

the rest of statement at link

Link to tweet

[IronLionZion]

18. The Fed stimulus is in in the trillions

since we are not a socialist country


Fed will help businesses get up to $1 trillion in funding in the short-term borrowing markets amid coronavirus crisis
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/17/fed-announces-move-to-help-businesses-get-short-term-funding-in-commercial-paper-market.html

[flibbitygiblets]

19. OK, that one made me actually laugh.

Thanks!

[redqueen]

20. K&R