How does this sound?

The thousand dollars a month, no questions asked.

You don't even have to buy a lottery ticket.

All you have to do is breathe.

Too good to be true?

Well, that depends on your view of UBI or universal basic income.

UBI is an idea that has been kicking around for a while.

The concept goes like this.

Give people enough money to take care of their basic needs and we can eliminate poverty.

In other words, we establish a floor below which no one will fall.

Every citizen is provided for it.

Appealing, no?

After all, we live in the wealthiest country on earth and yet we have people living in

the street.

It's a moral travesty.

UBI solves it.

Of course, there's a small question of who is going to pay for it.

Giving a thousand dollars a month to every American citizen, that's the universal part

of UBI, would cost something like $3 trillion a year.

That would make it by far the most expensive item in the federal budget.

Of course, everyone's taxes would have to go up to pay for this gigantic new expense.

How much?

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