Michael W. Howard is professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Maine, past president of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network, past co-editor of Basic Income Studies, and co-editor, with Karl Widerquist, of two books on Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend. On 6 January 2023 the prestigious magazine, Scientific American published an article by him entitled “The U.S. Could Help Solve Its Poverty Problem with a Universal Basic Income”.
Click here to read the article.
UBI might surprise many by motivating those with insecure incomes not to have children. If some people still think that having children will ensure that they will care for dear old dad and mom in there ‘Golden Years’, they live in a fool’s paradise.
However, with an UBI secured income that might be a better social guarantee than their kids could provide. They are having enough problems just trying to care for themselves. Having children is a crap shoot. UBI doesn’t have to be as great a risk if it would guarantee a modest life style into old age.
Canada has long had basic income for residents (Old Age Security Income) that is clawed back from those 65+ with high incomes, and the US has a near-universal basic income (Social Security Supplemental Income) for those 65+ who have 10 years of contributions but have a Social Security pension and other income that leaves them in poverty.