Better Life Lab: Is America Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?
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3.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 May 2022
⏱️ 34 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | Michael Tubbs grew up poor, and when he was elected mayor, he decided to do something about |
| 0:14.9 | poverty. |
| 0:16.5 | He was just 26, the youngest mayor of any major city in the United States. |
| 0:21.5 | And what he did in his hometown of Stockton, California, no American mayor had done before. |
| 0:28.1 | He started giving poor people cash. |
| 0:31.0 | No strings attached. |
| 0:32.6 | I'm a data guy, so once someone says this is what solves this problem, it's like, okay, |
| 0:36.4 | well, let's try to implement said solution regardless of the politics will make the politics |
| 0:41.4 | work. |
| 0:42.4 | Stockton's pilot program in guaranteed basic income proved an amazing success. |
| 0:48.5 | Opponents called it an invitation to fraud and corruption, but it started lifting people |
| 0:53.7 | out of poverty. |
| 0:56.4 | They found better jobs. |
| 0:58.4 | Parents got more time with their kids, and it was actually cost-effective. |
| 1:03.2 | Many other mayors and presidential candidates too were inspired to take up Stockton's approach, |
| 1:09.2 | which begs the question, could guaranteed basic income programs radically reduce poverty, |
| 1:15.7 | and in so doing, boost the quality of life for all Americans? |
| 1:21.6 | I'm Bridget Cholte, and this is Better Life Lab. |
| 1:25.1 | Stay with us. |
| 1:26.4 | I'm Bridget Cholte, you're listening to Better Life Lab. |
| 1:44.0 | Guaranteed basic income has attracted many fans in recent years, like Dorian Warren, co-president |
| 1:50.0 | of Community Change, who was my guest last episode. |
... |
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