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Here's the thing though: typically, the market discerns that wages have increased slowly and incrementally, which is why it's only able to incorporate that info

Here's the thing though: typically, the market discerns that wages have increased slowly and incrementally, which is why it's only able to incorporate that information over a period of time. If we passed a UBI in this country, suddenly, my landlord, the grocery store, etc. would all instantly know that my wages have increased, and by what amount. Because housing expenses are generally the single largest expense in any household budget, that means landlords are going to reap the majority of the benefit here. People selling homes also know that wages have gone up and by what amount, so this will impact the sale price of new homes. So, any amount of UBI would end up being a huge cash transfer from renters to landlords and other existing homeowners.

Frondo 6y ago
While land is constrained and should probably be dealt with separately, wouldn't the price increase in consumer goods, i.e. the grocery store to use your example, require collusion between every merchant? Isn't the other part of Adam Smith's supply and demand stuff the idea that competition will drive down prices? Sure, everyone's got another $2,000, but if I can undercut the guy who's trying to mop it all up, wouldn't I? And wouldn't someone else try and undercut me? Wouldn't that bring prices down? And if not, why not? If there's another larger force at work keeping prices high and keeping people in poverty -- and if poverty is something we want to do something about -- doesn't that suggest that we need to constrain sellers' behavior in some ways we aren't really doing now (like laws against gouging)?