I say "go for it!" Test the hell out of it, but be fair, and report the results honestly.
The original idea for universal basic income was that it would save money by doing away with welfare and other entitlements. This article about it doesn't really spell out how it will be implemented, other than it that the amount would be $500 per month and it would involve "Several-dozen families." But we'll get details eventually. Post-bankruptcy California city tests ‘universal’ income for residents.
If implemented correctly, i.e., in the manner proposed by Charles Murray, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, housing subsidies, welfare for single women and every other kind of welfare and social-services program would be replaced by the UBI. In the Stockton experiment, the UBI will likely be in addition to all that.
Nevertheless, the only way to know whether the one proposed in Stockton will accomplish anything is to test it on a small scale and wait for results.
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9:15 AM 2/8/2018
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