There are people it would help, for sure. I'll bet lots of people on assistance would be helped by $1000, but for some reason they are excluded. I just don't see any reason why I am more deserving of $1000 than somebody who is currently on assistance. Especially considering that I can afford to pay the extra tax that funds the $1000 handouts, and they can't. barfo
Something new on Yang's website I hadn't seen. Must have provided more clarification. https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-freedom-dividend-faq/
It's called getting nominated by your base. Then you have to defend those positions in the General Election and that's where it gets complicated.
The average monthly price for insulin is $450/month and you know that half the diabetics are paying more. Then there's all the medicines that go along with that. Hepavitis C treatment is about $84,000 for a three month treatment. I have to take several injections of Lovenox before each operation. The cost is $268 per shot. There are lots and lots of medications that can run up the cost.
It was an honest question. I've been thinking a lot about UBI lately, and I'm intrigued by the concept. But every time I consider the concept of a VAT to pay for it, my thoughts always go back to the idea that it's just going to get passed down to those whom the UBI is most intended to help. But percentage-wise, how much impact would it have? Would a 10% VAT cause a 10% increase in basic expenses, or would it multiply as levels of transactions are stacked on top of one another? Or would that be lessened by excluding food/necessity purchases from taxation? I don't know. Yang says he's done the math; I certainly haven't yet. I also wonder if $1000/month is enough to make a real impact. Or if we have enough low-income housing available for the hordes of currently homeless who would endeavor to translate their UBI into roofs over their heads. Or (as you indicated) if it would be severely limited in its effectiveness by being reduced by the amount of benefits already received by those in need. I wonder if it would be possible to implement on a statewide scale (separate from Alaska which is unique with its oil money), as an experiment of sorts.
Stop means testing. It's smarmy. $1000 a month PREVENTS people from becoming felons in the first place.
Exactly Lanny! And at present there is no cap. It's like people just wanna take swipes at Elizabeth Warren.
It could be that. Or it could be done differently. Perhaps certain necessities could be excluded. Food. Clothing. Rent. Home utilities. It is possible for a sales tax, or even a VAT, to not be regressive.
Yes, if it only applied to yachts and yacht parts, for instance. But, I haven't seen where Yang has proposed any exclusions/limitations. barfo
Hopefully his platform isn't set in stone. I'm more thinking about this at a theoretical level rather than about Yang's proposal specifically. Maybe I should just create a completely separate UBI thread rather than talking about it here.
