> Universal income [...] came out of libertarian-leaning ideology - it's a really, really good method of removing the Government's role I don't think it's mean

> Universal income [...] came out of libertarian-leaning ideology - it's a really, really good method of removing the Government's role I don't think it's meaningful to credit the idea to a single ideology. It's an idea that has popped up many times, in many forms, over time. I first came across it as a tool to ensure basic human dignity for all, which is more important to me than silly discussions about "big" or "small" government. > Socialists support a universal income only so far as it doesn't massively affect various support functions the Government currently performs That, too, is an overly broad statement. The Socialists I know who oppose universal income all do it (a) because they think that labor is a value in itself, and that everybody should work, or (b) because they somehow think that a basic income profits Big Capital. I haven't heard any say that they think five government support programs are better than one government support program. Making everything about government size seems to be a US thing. These are not discussions we usually have in Europe. (Except, sometimes, about the EU itself.)