At the present technological level tough choices have to be made to divide the scarce resources we have. In my view this necessitates means-testing and a conven

At the present technological level tough choices have to be made to divide the scarce resources we have. In my view this necessitates means-testing and a conventional welfare state. A UBI only makes sense to me when there is so much wealth in society everybody can be gifted a subsistence income, without having to cut other necessities such as healthcare, infrastructure, and so on. As for the example: Rural poverty is a huge problem, and not everybody can live in cities. Without a car you're stuck in the house because you can't leave your kids unattended. You need to drive miles just for groceries. People around you live in squalor and substance abuse is ubiquitous. Finding a sitter on short notice? Forget it. Move? With what money? Living on a tight budget is easy when you're young, healthy, educated, etc. In the real world poverty doesn't look like that. You can make a back of the envelope calculation where 10k a year is sufficient for a one parent family of four, but I don't think it holds up in the face of all the struggles poor people face.