I think the continued claim that this has "never been done before" is often ignoring interesting situations that might provide some caution against blindly purs

I think the continued claim that this has "never been done before" is often ignoring interesting situations that might provide some caution against blindly pursuing basic income. One could look to Saudi Arabia, flush in oil income, and unable to staff many of its important industries without importing foreign labor and expertise. It can be argued that maybe the culture there has been problematic, where young men grow up viewing it as beneath them to work. I think there's a large chance that basic income is implemented in some form, but it's not guaranteed as a successful policy. I would also like examples like these to inform any discussion and eventual policy that becomes implemented. There are other economic tools and levers that should be exercised today that could make basic income unnecessary or buy us some time to get it implemented correctly, but prevailing politics don't allow this.