Chicago has more than $9 billion in unpaid bills and pension liabilities that have put each city resident more than $10,000 in debt, and is facing an outstanding bond debt of well above $37 billion. Even so, the city aims to become the first major metropolitan area in the United States to offer all its residents free cash.
The home of former President Barack Obama currently intends to try out a Universal Basic Income scheme with 1,000 select families. If successful, the program will be expanded throughout the city. The bill proposing the UBI trial run was proposed by Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, and has already received backing from other city alderman as well as Chicago City Council members. If the bill passes, it would head to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s desk, and there is a very real chance that he would sign it.
Alderman Pawar, who at one time attempted to run for governor of Illinois, has made it clear that he feels providing Chicago residents with basic income would solve a number of problems. He points out that many poor and even middle-class people do not have the savings needed to tide them over in the event of an emergency. He notes that many people could lose work in the near future as automation takes over jobs that used to be done by humans.
Pawar is especially concerned about the development of autonomous vehicles that would render trucking jobs obsolete. He also brings race into the equation by pointing out that widespread joblessness would exacerbate both political and racial tensions. In recent comment, he has clearly stated that, in his mind, the question is not whether the city of Chicago can afford to give all its residents a universal basic income, but whether the city can afford not to. He has also eagerly stated his intentions of scaling the UBI program should the trial run be successful.
At the same time, there are those who caution that Chicago’s flirtation with providing all its residents with a universal basic income isn’t going to work out well. The founder of the People’s Policy Project is an advocate for universal basic income, but has expressed skepticism of Chicago’s proposed UBI experiment noting that the city only has a limited capacity to collect revenue.
Other critics are far less positive about the proposed program. As one astute journalist recently noted, providing each person in the city of Chicago with a $500 check every single month would add more than $16 billion to the city’s annual budget at a time when Chicago is faced with a serious pension crisis and other financial challenges. Furthermore, the fact that the city is dealing with a crime wave and serious problems with its public school system clearly indicate that the money that would be spent on a trial UBI scheme could be used for better purposes.
Perhaps one of the most important reasons why universal basic income is a bad idea is that it creates government dependency. If the government is paying every single citizen in a particular area, it could control what these people do and don’t do by simply threatening to withhold needed cash. While UBI advocates make it clear that the idea of providing UBI income is that it could be used for any purpose, there is no guarantee that a government would allow its citizens to have that freedom forever. Furthermore, it is hard to see how any city, state or national government would obtain the money needed for such a scheme without drastically raising taxes in some way — which would undermine the entire point of the project.
By forcing innovative companies and hard-working individuals to pay large portions of their income to those who cannot or will not work for one reason or another, a government would in essence be destroying the foundation for the program as UBI beneficiaries quickly learn that there is nothing to be gained from working and overtaxed individuals and companies leave the area in search of a more favorable tax rate.
~ Conservative Zone
Did you say creates dependency? Well you moron, what do you think it’s for. To really “help” someone? Uh not hardly. It’s to insure the democratic vote in the future.
It’s time to pack up and move out of Chicago…Do Chicagoan’s really want to delve over 80% of their pay check to those who can’t or will not work when city, county, state, and federal already takes 40% of their gross pay…There is no light at the end of this god forsaken tunnel for Chicagoan’s…It’s time to get the hell out of Dodge (Chicago)…so to speak.
Cool! Free money to buy drugs, booze, guns and hookers….
The LEGALLY owned guns make more sense in Chicago right now than anything else!
Of course this article cannot be “shared” on FB because some people found it to be objectionable, imagine that happening.
Cut and paste it.
They got the wrong name for this for it should not be called “socalism but rather communism for the government would have complete control of their everyday life’!! Has anybody thought, “are we, the American taxpayer’s across America , going to have to bail the city of Chicago out when they go bankrupt with this crazy idea for then you will have a Civil War in America if you even try it”???? You are on your own Chicago and we will let you drown rather than bailing you out because of your stupidity!!!……
Hell, even the communists don’t provide a “universal basic income.” If you don’t work, you don’t eat, period, end of story! Besides, they can’t afford it, just like chicago can’t afford it. Wait and see, they’ll be asking for federal $$ to fund their stupidity.
Dumbascrap Party cabal insanity prevails in Shitcago…
Don’t forget obumba was a mole from Kenya and the rest of Chicago will surely uprise
Spread the knowledge! Money is a “medium of exchange”. One of the things that means is that when money is moved and exchanged in any direction, cost is moved and exchanged in the opposite direction. It is a natural impossibility for a government to transfer and redistribute an amount of prosperity (money) without at the same time transferring and redistributing an even greater amount of poverty. (cost)
The primary problem with a government UBI program is that it is a natural impossibility for it to work as envisioned. The situation would be made worse simply because a UBI in action dictates that things must be made worse by the UBI cost and cost flow.
Governments, as a collective bunch, are poverty generating organizations and in the United States, local municipal and county, state and federal in aggregate we have more than 27,000 of them. That’s a lot of poverty (cost of governments) that must land on someone’s back.
Where are they going to get the money??working class are tired of working day and night and people like Chicago take half what they era and give it to people that think they are special and do not need to work for their keep.Chicago already has a huge debt . So, they do not have any funds to back this program. I see working people leaveing the city if they can.
It will be funded the very same way all dreams of ‘Fare and equal’ utopia are funded throughout history. Bringing inflation to astronomical rates, such as the fast approaching ‘One Million percent’ for Muslim Maduro ruled Venezuela. It is a well kept secret. For obvious reasons only the ‘fake News’ media can reveal… some day.
The historic conversion from prosperous, conservative Rhodesia, into perpetually dependency addicted, poverty stricken national socialist Zimbabwe [slaughtered approximately 1,000,000 self motivated producers, in the process of forced ‘wealth redistribution’,…their wealth], the UN’s poster boy Robert Mugabe at the helm, is a piker in comparison.
It is really amazing to me that this Communist can not see their policies don’t work.
Let them drown in their own misery. Soon the people will wake up and become Trump supporters, and the one’s that don’t
will go down with their leaders. Ha Ha Ha!
If I lived in Chicago, I would move out in a blink of an eye. UBI stands for unemployed bums income ! This is what Obuma and his cronies in Chicago had in mind . Thank God he is no longer POTUS , otherwise you would be seeing these socialist and communist programs implemented throughout the US. I predict that if this is implemented, then the big businesses will pull out from crazy city and Chicago will become like Detroit “. They are already half there ! People should boot these idiots out and vote for responsible people that protect the city from going further into the hole.
Where are the people that live in Chicago, I don’t mean Hispanics and Blacks. Socialism is a failed system of government that does not work in 95% of the countries using it. It is simple hard work, long hours produce success. Smarter, and gutsier people do even better, most times. Stop selling out. Ask yourself, why do so many people want to come here from Socialist and Communist Countries. If you don’t understand than you’re too far gone.
All socialist programs that I know of have failed. Look at Vensawia , people trying to find food in garbage cans, and try to sell the Garbage bag. Who is going to pay them for this? and how long will that last, then what? Think you need new city management as fast as you can get these socialist out of office.
I though Chicago was a socialist city. If they continue their socialist ways as with gun control what could possibly go wrong. Free money always works. Where will they get free money when they are 10 billion in the hole? I wish the media and politicians would start calling this type of handout what it actually is. Their going to take money(taxes) from someone who has earned it else and give it to someone who hasn’t that “they” feels is more deserving. These type of actions always look at California.
Typical Liberal BS Stealing From The People Who Work Hard Thru Over Taxation Just Like The Thieves They Are Only What Left Of The Middle Class Left Will Suffer And Be Rob Blind
Their is a city in California doing something similar, but its targeted at the gangs there. They think that giving the gangbangers one thousand a month if the gangbangers will stop there criminal violence. Thing is from the reports that have been published the drug dealers in the gangs make more then that in sales each week. In either Illinois or California programs like this are just throwing away the tax paying publics money away.
The private sector creates wealth.Govt destroys wealth.As govt becomes a bigger % of the economy,the average standard of living declines.That’s why the U.S. has been in decline,since about 1970.Three strikes,FDR,LBJ,Democrat Congress and you’re out.
I didn’t see anywhere, where they would delete some programs like food stamps, section 8 housing, etc. One of the European countries tried this just recently and what a failure. People, please get out and vote in the mid-terms and maybe we can get rid of some of this insanity.
Socialism is the American term for communism. All living same level, no matter job or education, is what was done. Ends up you own nothing. Socialism means if you have something someone else doesn’t & they want it they can legally take it. In the 60’s it was called the “love community” , name given by the “love children”. All love it in beginning, but it dissolved when realized they don’t have their own anything, “sharing” is mandatory. It’s what destroyed nations. If education/work don’t matter financially, why do anything? Did little working, sat around, why little food & basics available. History no longer taught.
The citizens of our country have to see that these Democrats and liberals are killing our Republic with their insane policies they have taken so much of our traditions and American values from us it is so unconstitutional most of the things that these Democrats have done and if us the citizens of this country continue to let these people be dictators this country is going to fall!!!
Sounds like shades of the Roman Circus to me
A typical leftist liberal idea. They are already billions of dollars in debt and they want to give money away? That is just about as stupid as it gets. But leave it up to liberal Chicago to try and implement it. It actually is a plan that a councilman proposed in Stockton, California awhile back. Stupid is as stupid does. What part of enabling do these idiots not understand.
I just hope the feds don’t bail them out when the plan fails, and it will. That’s what will happen if the dems gain control of congress…we can’t let that happen!
I suggest Chicago moves ahead with this radical idea. I live in Indiana and we would appreciate the mass migration of business from Chicago to various parts of wealthy, sane, and Republican dominated Indiana. However, any persons moving from Illinois to Indiana must leave the warped progressive Democratic mindset in Illinois or they will bring the same liberal disease that has made Illinois and Chicago a financial hell hole
Simply put, Chicago is run by complete, utter morons. Bad enough that those Chicago morons also run the “People’s Democratic Socialist Republik of Illinois.”
Let them tank. Residents elected the fools and can now suffer for it. The only intelligent democrats I’ve ever met are ex-Democrats. Up to our necks in debt so we’ll waste more money. definitely Demoncrat logic.
So where are all those jobs the Republicans have been touting for years. Where are they?
Good idea give them 1,000 for booze and drugs that way they will be wasted and vote demo-crack-head. Every one needs to send rahm drugs so he will overdose, problem solved.
Gee, I didn’t see anywhere in this “plan” that said these “leaders” were going to give up their wages and be part of the trial. And my guess would be, as always, if they ended up expanding the program, the first order of businesses who be to to exempt themselves.
Democrats freeload off of working people and elect tyrants to take more money from working people to distribute it to bums.
Typical Democrat run city, spending money they don’t have…going (more) broke.
This is so PATHETIC OF THE DEMOCRATS………………………they are great at OUTRIGHT BUYING VOTES, WHETHER THEY CAN AFFORD TO OR NOT.
YOU CAN CALL IT CROOKED TOO!