"I’m tired of calling this a pilot. We know it works,” Riverside Democratic Assembly member Corey Jackson said on Wed. “I do believe that guaranteed income is a part of a 21st century social safety net to fill in the gaps that other, more stringent programs aren’t able to meet." Do it, California.

A civilizing idea.

Being in poverty is akin to playing a game of musical chairs: not enough chairs, and people keep falling.

BREAKING: New PBO Report estimates a Guaranteed Basic Income can reduce poverty by 40% nationwide at a net cost of just $3.6B/year and 1% impact on hours worked. Poverty costs Canada $80B+/year.

We should be sending letters companies telling them Ai is replacing workers and we need a UBI because it will come for their job too

Meanwhile, universal basic income has been shown to significantly reduce depression and improve mental health and well-being. No joke.

Extreme inequality and mass chronic economic insecurity are the root forces tearing us apart. Democracy requires a strong middle class, but decades of automation and globalization have eaten away at it, leaving us with a lot of angry people willing to burn it all down. We need a basic income floor.

There's a lot of misinformation out there about the concept of universal basic income. If you want to be well-informed, follow me and learn about what we know from studies in this thread: bsky.app/profile/scot... Here's a UBI starter pack too: bsky.app/profile/scot... And here's a UBI 101 link:

Gen Z's opinion of Trump has shifted dramatically in just 3 months; a massive negative shift of 37 points from +19 to -18. It's too bad it took implementing Project 2025 instead of just reading it or watching a video about it or listening to a podcast about it. www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...

You think UBI is expensive; think again! The price we pay for poverty far outweighs the cost of a UBI program. Poverty costs us billions in medical bills, crime insecurity, and lost human potential from lack of education and opportunity. UBI will save us billions and make us much more.

Wealth is a result of having resources, seizing opportunities, and compounding income over time. UBI provides resources and opportunities for individuals to generate wealth. It enables individuals to gain skills and generate income to invest in themselves and their communities

Another argument in favor of #UBI is the fact that casinos contribute to human trafficking, so eliminating the need for dependence on casinos will decrease human trafficking.

Universal basic income is the answer. It's a foundation. It's a master key that unlocks many doors. It's not everything we need, but it's the one thing that makes everything else we need more possible to obtain.

Just uploaded the latest episode of The Basic Income Show. We talked about Mark Carney and what he has said about AI and the need for "social supports" like UBI in Canada. It is the exact opposite to Keir Starmer's approach to AI in the UK. Also, more UBI evidence! www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzJj...

Interesting fact: the Madhya Pradesh basic income experiment at first was resisted by its participants. Why? Because the idea is such a departure from the norm. Like Sarath Davala explained, "They felt like 'who are you and who am I?' Why would you do this. You'll take my crops, my land..."

With poverty and inequality comes increased insecurity, social unrest, and slowed economic growth. With UBI comes stability, reduced inequality, and capable individuals who can focus on education, entrepreneurship, community development, and economic growth.

Karl Widerquist on Political Philosophy of Basic Income. By Scott Jacobsen, the Basic Income Earth Network: BasicIncome . org, Jan 27, 2025

Now do the unintended consequences of poverty and chronic mass insecurity. UBI isn't just admirable. It's evidence based. It's not about vibes. bsky.app/profile/scot...

Andreesen is vehemently against universal basic income despite it being the one thing that stands between him and the guillotine he insists on personally sharpening.

The US and other capitalist countries are so fucked in the head that when someone says they are starving they think if that person as a threat instead of asking what is wrong with society that allows starvation These guys are fucking villains. You want to be a villain, blame poor starving people

Most corporations are overvalued, and the majority of government projects are inflated—both designed to concentrate wealth at the top. UBI is different; its designed to directly channel resources and opportunities to the working masses at the bottom.

I wonder what would happen if you took the wealthy to see the living conditions of the life of the poor and then told them that it’s not their fault. I spent the last 6 years researching on whose fault is poverty. Surprise, it’s not the person, poverty is created by social policies and neglect

"The Freedom From Want and Basic Income" a section of the new book I'm working on. I'm interested in any useful feedback. @scottsantens.com @michaelalewis10.bsky.social

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis ran a guaranteed basic income pilot and labour supply did not decrease — it INCREASED. "We do not find evidence that GBI payments caused recipients to reduce their labor supply. In fact…is higher among treated respondents than control respondents."

Minnie The Moocher Cab Calloway, The Blues Brothers youtu.be/250MMq0fTrU?... 🎧

Don't forget to join our Alaska team at 5:00 PM local time tonight for their RCV Day call! Hear what it's like to have and successfully use RCV from a state doing that very thing. Don't miss it! To register: home.forwardparty.com/alaska_rcv_d... #Alaska

Universal basic income history lesson: www.scottsantens.com/george-mcgov...

labelling people as lazy, idle, or aimless while you have taken resources and opportunities away from them is just wrong. Ambition, effort, or initiative is never lacking; what's lacking is a system that fairly circulates currency and equitably rewards people for work.

1/3 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights isn't actually a good basis of basic income. Although Article 14 does say, "Everyone has the right to [an adequate] standard of living," if you read to the end of the sentence, it adds...

Observe. Celebrate. Remember. We are stronger moving Forward Together. #MartinLutherKingJr #MLKDay

In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr day in USA, really like this from @scottsantens.com reminding us on all of MLK Jr's most salient #BasicIncome-supporting points zurl.co/ndw6I

Your annual reminder that Dr. King believed in guaranteed universal basic income that gave all people a dignified life, guaranteed housing for all, guaranteed access to a high quality education, and said that “no one should be forced to live in poverty while others live in luxury.”

whenever the wealthy need something, they turn to the common man. For power, they rely on voters; for profits, they depend on consumers; same for labour and taxes. But when the common man is in need, they are not in sight. This is why we need UBI.

UBI is designed to guarantee a basic standard of living for every individual, regardless of economic or social circumstance. This ensures everyone has access to basic needs—food, shelter, and healthcare—creating work and eradicating poverty and inequality.

"The Best Idea We've Never* Tried" by Nick Baird. Optimistic By Choice [Substack], Jan 20, 2025

The implication of harm as a result of saying no is a danger not only to ourselves but also our democracy. Authoritarians rely on the implication. This is one of the reasons unconditional basic income is so important. If we all already had it, it would be so much easier to not comply in advance.

Forward Party was founded by people who believed that real change for Americans wouldn’t come from inside either of the legacy parties. We believe in dignity for all people, as represented through an expansion of the American Dream.

Back where I consider home, they're spending a massive amount of money to hide the homelessness problem from Super Bowl and Mardi Gras tourists. Twice as much as what's needed for existing permanent housing programs and enough to just give each homeless person in the 200 max shelter $57,000 in cash.

Universal basic income would allow artists (and scientists and inventors and everyone else) to pursue their passions without economic or commercial pressure.

If you support universal basic income, I recommend following these accounts.

It's time to reignite hope, bring new ideas to life, and unlock potential and creativity within every individual. UBI is the path towards economic freedom and the foundation for future prosperity. The time for UBI is now!

#UBI because the broligarchy gains capital and power by exploiting wages. Redistribution of wealth is a step towards justice.

This is an argument for universal basic income + single payer as a combo. Single payer is needed but it will displace many people from their jobs and also treat to a large degree the lack of UBI as all healthcare does. The proper demand is both. It's time to prevent poverty vs treating its effects.

UBI is more than a policy—it’s a forward-thinking solution for addressing shared local and global challenges. With the right political, civil, and organisational support, we can build a planet where resources are shared and benefitted by all, not hoarded and wasted by a few.

Call for public funding to rise up and match public support for #BasicIncome from Hartford, Connecticut zurl.co/DNgdD

This is a thread about the results of Sam Altman's OpenResearch US (ORUS) basic income pilot that many UBI opponents claim to show UBI doesn't work. The results were actually really interesting but the op-eds and social media hot takes about them are full of lies of omission and lack of context. 🧵

Explanation of how the myth of the market being "the natural expression of human freedom" is well a myth. As Right-Wing Libertarians enjoy spreading this myth, we thought it's important to share this explanation.

🎯🎯