Julius Moorman recorded this interview with Scott Santens on March 17, 2026. To see the full interview on You Tube, click here.
Here are the chapters via YouTube to get an idea of what we discussed and when: 0:00 How Scott Got Into UBI 3:22 Did AI and COVID Reignite the UBI Debate? 6:40 What UBI Actually Means 8:08 UBI Is a Floor, Not a Ceiling 13:41 Why UBI Creates Better Work Incentives 17:36 How the Current Welfare System Punishes Work 19:29 What Would UBI Actually Cost? 26:08 Do We Need to Raise Taxes? 31:12 Immigration and UBI 42:32 Alaska Has Had UBI Since 1982 43:08 Elon Musk’s “Universal High Income” Is Just Marketing 52:06 What Alaska Tells Us About Inflation 53:58 Do People Choose Better Jobs Under UBI? 57:51 Will People Lose Their Purpose Without Work? 1:01:33 What Happens to Jobs That Can’t Be Automated? 1:02:26 Is UBI a Left or Right Issue? 1:06:53 Where to Find Scott
The use of “Basic Income” in this article does not meet BIEN’s definition
“The Irish government will give 2,000 artists unrestricted weekly stipends, following a successful three-year basic income pilot program.
Last week, Ireland’s Department of Culture, Communications and Sport announced it would create a recurring basic income program for artists in three-year cycles.
The program, which will begin accepting applications this May, will provide practicing artists with unrestricted weekly installments of €325 (~$383) over three years. Over the course of one year, those payments would amount to roughly €16,900 (~$19,919).”
This version of basic income does not meet the BIEN definition
“The rural and fishing village basic income pilot project began on the 26th. Through this project, which is President Lee Jae Myung’s presidential election pledge, the government will provide local gift certificates worth 150,000 Korean won per person to residents of population-declining areas at risk of disappearance.”
““I believe that millions of white-collar workers are going to lose their jobs in the next 12 to 18 months due to AI,” Yang said in an Instagram video that’s garnered over 600,000 views.
“AI is now able to do the work of a very, very smart human in minutes or even seconds. This is going to displace marketers, coders, designers, lawyers, accountants, call center workers—you name it.”
Yang joins a chorus of business leaders—from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to Ford CEO Jim Farley—warning about the nightmare that could be coming for white-collar workers. However, the economic fallout in reality could reach far beyond office workers.”
To read the full article published in Fortune Magazine, click here.
“A direct cash program for people who are pregnant and earning less than $39,000 a year launched this month in Multnomah County and is still accepting applications.
A similar pilot program run by the county showed success at helping people, mostly women, stabilize their lives so that they could be better parents. A two-year report showed participants used the money to pay off debts, cover costs for their children’s sports and educational opportunities and put funds towards large assets like cars and houses. The program also helped participants climb out of debt, with loans and other liabilities decreasing by $5,000 on average.”
“Let me tell you about a conversation that should scare the hell out of you.
I sat down with Andrew Yang—the entrepreneur who made Universal Basic Income a household term during his 2020 presidential run—and asked him point-blank: How much time do we have?
When Elon Musk tells us we’re heading toward both “universal high income and social unrest,” when do we actually get to UHI and can we avoid the social unrest?
Andrew’s answer stopped me cold:
“Peter, here’s my prediction: We have a brutal 1-3 year window where we need Universal Basic Income as a bridge, then 3-8 years to build Universal Basic Services, and finally—on the other side—UHI and true Abundance where technology provides everything we need.”
Then Andrew quoted Buckminster Fuller: “The race between utopia and dystopia will be decided at the very last moment.”
We’re in that moment right now. And the clock is ticking.”
