#134 - Is Universal Basic Income the Safety Net of the Future?

Open to Debate

Education, Society & Culture, News, Government, Politics

4.5 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2019

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Presidential contender Andrew Yang wants to give every American a monthly check from the government, just to cover the basics. And he's not alone. Business leaders, particularly those in Silicon Valley, and some Democratic politicians are warming up to the idea of a universal basic income as a means to offset the impacts of automation in the workforce. In this episode, we take a look back at our debate on the motion, "The Universal Basic Income Is the Safety Net of the Future." Receive your free 7-day trial at blinkist.com/debate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm John Donovan, host and moderator of Intelligent Squared US Debates.
0:09.3	And in this episode, we're going to take a look back at one of our best debates ever.
0:13.5	In 2017, we brought four exceptional thinkers to the stage for a contentious and thoughtful
0:20.4	debate on a novel idea, the universal basic income.
0:24.8	The UBI, it's called, would give every American regardless of who they are and how much
0:29.4	money they have, a check from the government, say $1,000 or so every month.
0:34.7	No strings attached.
0:36.7	Sound radical?
0:37.7	Well, it has a lot of supporters, including a lot of people in Silicon Valley who think
0:42.2	that the UBI will alleviate poverty and help our country thrive in the era of automation
0:48.3	in particular.
0:49.6	But not everybody's on board for this.
0:51.3	UBI has a lot of critics who see an impractical policy here that's going to cost taxpayers way
0:56.9	too much and not actually do very much for our nation's workforce.
1:00.7	So now in 2019, with an election coming up, the idea of a universal basic income is gaining
1:06.4	traction on the campaign trail, especially among the Democrats.
1:10.3	Notably, Andrew Yang is strongly advocating for a UBI right now.
1:15.7	Others including Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, are also
1:21.0	eyeing policies that would expand government-backed benefits for some, if not everybody.
1:26.1	Is America getting ready to take on a UBI?
1:29.3	Well, let's go to our debate, which we recorded live at the Kauffman Music Center in New
1:33.5	York in 2017.
	...

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