RE: What Happened When Liberia Tested a Pilot Program of Unconditional Cash Transfers to the Extreme Poor?
Now, libertarians and "conservatives" (the fake, reflexive haters, open and closeted both, not the few genuine thoughtful intellects in the realm), will start screaming about responsibility, freedumb, and government coercion/the horrors of having to pay any taxes except to cover our global subjugation and genocide programs (the DoD). Their essential complaint will boil down to THEIR sense of entitlement to the best of the US without recognizing the advantage of socially-flatter prosperity, and the fact we benefit directly, but especially the rich, as the children of empire.
We can claim that because this pilot took place in Liberia, there is nothing to learn from the results, but that would be pretending that human beings are different on a fundamental basic needs level. It would be pretending that although the poor in less developed nations are certainly likely to spend cash on food and school and small business creation and consumption, Americans are far more likely to starve in the streets while methed-out, clutching brand new VR headsets.<
The last sentence, though, WOULD hold true to some degree, but they'd probably be rural, old, and white heroin/pill junkies.
https://www.unicef.org/…/Transformative_Transfers_LiberiaCa…
If there was any way to inject this into an aerosol air-horn....
I would have to say there probably WOULD be some Americans that would totally misuse such an opportunity.
They'd be overwhelmingly white, rural (or small-town, anyway), and od'ing on heroin, though.
There was a program in the US to have a basic income in the 70's under Nixon who was in favor of it. As I recall it the bill passed the House but died in the Senate because the Democrats voted against it. The Democrats figured the bill wasn't giving enough, wanted a higher figure and after that it was never revived.
You have unfairly lumped Libertarians in your rant there. Non-agression is a fundamental principle, just as is supporting a large standing military is not supported. I agree that Republican's support of a large military isn't ideal, but liberals/socialists are also keen on using force to oppress and subjugate, i.e., using force to require taxes be paid by a populace, for the 'greater good', as defined by the oppressors.
However, there's decent support for the concept of basic income within the Libertarian circle, as it can be seen to enhance liberty and freedom - though there is the whole challenge of the funding coming from taxation to get around :D A search for 'libertarian basic income' will yield good info.
A great analogy around the thinking of a Libertarian - "Is it worth pointing a gun at someone to force them to fund my plan?" Remember, all governments must resort to force to enforce their agenda.