California city to experiment with 'universal basic income'

[Fasglas]

More social experiments. Must be something in the water.

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U.S. city to experiment with ‘universal basic income’

The mayor of Stockton, California, is leading an experiment with “universal basic income,” which is set to start by giving low-income residents $500 a month, no questions asked.

Mayor Michael Tubbs calls his city “ground zero” for issues like wage stagnation, rising housing prices and loss of middle-class jobs that affect the nation.

The Central Valley city went bankrupt in 2012, and for decades it has been trying to diversify its agriculture-based economy.

“I feel that as mayor it’s my responsibility to do all I could to begin figuring out what’s the best way to make sure that folks in our community have a real economic floor,” Tubbs said.

Dorian Warren serves as co-chairman the Economic Security Project, which is contributing $1 million to the initiative. He said the goal is to gather data on the economic and social impacts of giving people a basic income.

In addition to tracking what residents do with the money, Warren said they will be monitoring how a basic income affects things like self-esteem and identity.

“What does it mean to say, ‘Here is unconditional guaranteed income just based on you being a human being?'” Warren asked.

The hope is to demonstrate the potential of “universal basic income,” or UBI, as it is being called, and to encourage other places to give it a try. UBI has recently gotten a boost from Silicon Valley moguls concerned about income inequality and the future of society, but the idea isn’t actually all that new, said Michelle Anderson, a Stanford law professor.

“UBI was first pitched by Nixon as an answer to post-industrial job losses,” she said.

With this experiment, Anderson said Stockton may discover it gets more economic stimulus by giving money to its citizens rather than corporations it hopes will bring in jobs and tax revenue.

“The UBI that is being proposed in Stockton now is very small compared to the big corporate subsidies that cities like that engage in,” Anderson said.

Stockton racked up millions in debt on development projects in the past, which got the city into trouble, said Tubbs.

“We’ve overspent on things like arenas and marinas and things of that sort to try to lure in tourism and dollars that way,” he said.

Tubbs thinks the UBI experiment will show that Stockton’s best bet is to invest in its own people.

[DAB]

Originally Posted by Fasglas

More social experiments. Must be something in the water.

-------------------------------------------------

U.S. city to experiment with ‘universal basic income’

The mayor of Stockton, California, is leading an experiment with “universal basic income,” which is set to start by giving low-income residents $500 a month, no questions asked.

Mayor Michael Tubbs calls his city “ground zero” for issues like wage stagnation, rising housing prices and loss of middle-class jobs that affect the nation.

The Central Valley city went bankrupt in 2012, and for decades it has been trying to diversify its agriculture-based economy.

“I feel that as mayor it’s my responsibility to do all I could to begin figuring out what’s the best way to make sure that folks in our community have a real economic floor,” Tubbs said.

Dorian Warren serves as co-chairman the Economic Security Project, which is contributing $1 million to the initiative. He said the goal is to gather data on the economic and social impacts of giving people a basic income.

In addition to tracking what residents do with the money, Warren said they will be monitoring how a basic income affects things like self-esteem and identity.

“What does it mean to say, ‘Here is unconditional guaranteed income just based on you being a human being?'” Warren asked.

The hope is to demonstrate the potential of “universal basic income,” or UBI, as it is being called, and to encourage other places to give it a try. UBI has recently gotten a boost from Silicon Valley moguls concerned about income inequality and the future of society, but the idea isn’t actually all that new, said Michelle Anderson, a Stanford law professor.

“UBI was first pitched by Nixon as an answer to post-industrial job losses,” she said.

With this experiment, Anderson said Stockton may discover it gets more economic stimulus by giving money to its citizens rather than corporations it hopes will bring in jobs and tax revenue.

“The UBI that is being proposed in Stockton now is very small compared to the big corporate subsidies that cities like that engage in,” Anderson said.

Stockton racked up millions in debt on development projects in the past, which got the city into trouble, said Tubbs.

“We’ve overspent on things like arenas and marinas and things of that sort to try to lure in tourism and dollars that way,” he said.

Tubbs thinks the UBI experiment will show that Stockton’s best bet is to invest in its own people.

how about the mayor and everyone there work for free, so they can reduce taxes?

[MrPeabody]

In most places in California, including Stockton, $500 a month is not going to really change anyone's life very much. Maybe that's the point. They can then say okay, we tried that, it didn't work.

[Fasglas]

Originally Posted by MrPeabody

In most places in California, including Stockton, $500 a month is not going to really change anyone's life very much. Maybe that's the point. They can then say okay, we tried that, it didn't work.

Or they can say $500/month isn't enough, so let's try $500/week. The libs will never just walk away from this.

(Camel's nose under the tent)

[DAB]

"well, UBI has been a great success, so we're going to expand it to all!"

"yay!!"

"oh, we need to raise taxes to pay for this UBI expansion."



no such thing as a free lunch son.

[MrPeabody]

Originally Posted by Fasglas

Or they can say $500/month isn't enough, so let's try $500/week. The libs will never just walk away from this.

(Camel's nose under the tent)

Still wouldn't be enough for me to move to Stockton.

[MrPeabody]

Funny story about Stockton - during the last recession Stockton was listed as having the highest number of stolen cars per capita in the nation, IIRC. As bad as things are there, no one could figure out why so many stolen cars. Then the drought came and a nearby irrigation canal dried up and there were hundreds of cars in it. People were dumping their cars they were upside down on and collecting the insurance.

[bill_daniels]

Originally Posted by MrPeabody

Still wouldn't be enough for me to move to Stockton.

I'm thinking the way to get rid of the chronic, hard core homeless in Houston is to give them a one way bus ticket to Stockton, CA.

[MrPeabody]

I've got a friend I have known since the early70s. He has a PhD in Psychology and works in Stockton as a drug counselor for the county mental health dept.

Why would anyone want to do that job in that town? Because it was a move up from when he used to do it in Oakland.

[69camfrk]

What could possibly go wrong????

[OddBall]

Stockton will now be a magnet town for illegals, potheads and bums.
Taxes will rise to accommodate the inflow.
Liberals will squeal like stuck-pigs that it is all Trump's fault.
Taxpayers will migrate out of the town as the derelicts move in and taxes go up.
Businesses that are left will migrate out of town also.
Stockton will become a shithole (or more of one).
Liberals will squeal like stuck-pigs that it is all Trump's fault.
Town will appeal to the state for money.
State taxes will go up to accommodate Stocton.
Liberals will squeal like stuck-pigs that it is all Trump's fault.

[boracayjohnny]

Yea, sure, Stockton can do that. The same town that went bankrupt and now has a clean slate. How long before Stockton goes bankrupt again?

[polarbear]

Originally Posted by OddBall

Stockton will now be a magnet town for illegals, potheads and bums.
Taxes will rise to accommodate the inflow.
Liberals will squeal like stuck-pigs that it is all Trump's fault.
Taxpayers will migrate out of the town as the derelicts move in and taxes go up.
Businesses that are left will migrate out of town also.
Stockton will become a shithole (or more of one).
Liberals will squeal like stuck-pigs that it is all Trump's fault.
Town will appeal to the state for money.
State taxes will go up to accommodate Stocton.
Liberals will squeal like stuck-pigs that it is all Trump's fault.

Funny, we used to avoid Stockton like the plague in the 60's and 70's because it was a shithole then. I'm assuming things haven't improved.

[FasterTraffic]

Originally Posted by Fasglas

The mayor of Stockton, California, is leading an experiment with “universal basic income,” which is set to start by giving low-income residents $500 a month, no questions asked.

In other news, Stockton City Hall reports a surge in business permits for liquor stores, vape shops, and fast food restaurants...

Stockton racked up millions in debt on development projects in the past, which got the city into trouble, said Tubbs.

“We’ve overspent on things like arenas and marinas and things of that sort to try to lure in tourism and dollars that way,” he said.

No mention of the pension and retiree healthcare fiasco?