
Why UBI Ought to Appeal to Conservatives - paulpauper
https://quillette.com/2019/11/20/why-ubi-ought-to-appeal-to-conservatives/
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amayne
“The basis for this argument is that big government has two major problems.”

UBI skeptics would suggest that there’s a much bigger third problem – and
that’s the inherit tendency of government programs to grow beyond their
intended purpose.

If politician A says a $1,000 a month UBI makes sense, then politician B
doesn’t seem too irrational to say that it should be $1,100. Pretty soon you
have politicians justifying $10,000 a month based upon economic models that
seem reasonable to some and fantasy to others.

While simplifying benefits into one basic payout may make sense in a simple
economic model where all our needs are similar, reality is more complex. I
don’t need a UBI, but my neighbor looking after her adult disabled son could
certainly benefit from a lot more than $1,000.

I’m not personally for or against a UBI. I just don’t feel like the proponents
have answered the larger challenges. This essay, while well-intentioned,
avoids the biggest problem pointed out by skeptics – keeping the UBI from
becoming bigger and bigger until it collapses and or forces massive austerity
measures. Self-restraint when it comes to spending is a trait we’ve yet figure
out how to encourage in politicians.

