I mostly agree, with a few caveats: > In fact, they'll never take away existing welfare programs in favor of UBI--they'll just add UBI on top of it. Think of t

I mostly agree, with a few caveats: > In fact, they'll never take away existing welfare programs in favor of UBI--they'll just add UBI on top of it. Think of the children, they'll say. They won't even have to say that. The idea that the poorest among us have the financial literacy to be simply given money, budget appropriately, and spend with proper prioritization is empirically false. That's a big part of the value of food stamps, subsidized housing, Medicaid, and similar programs: They only apply to a very specific thing. You can't plan poorly and spend too much on your food stamps and be unable to come up with rent. With UBI replacing those programs, it will happen, so I expect the "you won't need those programs with UBI" premise to be dropped pretty early on. > No one is happier NOT working. People are happy when they are productive members of society. I think people can be happy as long as they think they are contributing to society, even if they are actively making it worse. For a lot of them, I think there will be plenty of union power and political activism among this large group of bankrolled, but unemployed people with plenty of free time. Those people will be able to find happiness and meaning through activism.