Maybe change the title cause I thought this was going to be an opinion piece but it's actually just a thorough summary of history of basic income. Two things I

Maybe change the title cause I thought this was going to be an opinion piece but it's actually just a thorough summary of history of basic income. Two things I don't necessarily agree with: 1. You can get rid of the "welfare cliffs" without basic income. Just get rid of means testing. In Europe there are various welfare services that are not means tested. I believe various European countries have child allowances for everyone. 2. It is not at all clear to me that it will be cheaper and more cost effective to replace any given welfare service with a direct cash payment to the recipients. The government can negotiate prices from a much better position than single individuals can. Just look at how much cheaper drugs are in places where the government forces a monopsony.