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Mr. Yang quit the presidential race in February after failing to gain traction in the New Hampshire primaries, but he managed to make himself a political celebrity – and shed some light on the universal basic income. In various forms, the concept has been implemented in small pilot programs across the country, including one nonprofit, Humanity Forward, helping fund in the Columbia County town of Hudson, New York.
The general idea of a guaranteed income dates back centuries. Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent and early supporter of the idea in the 20th century, and his son, Martin Luther King III, continued to push for it in place of his father.
“It’s really immoral for us to have people living on the streets in the United States,” said Mr. King, Mr. Yang’s campaign co-chair.
A new group, Mayors for Guaranteed Income, is pushing for a guaranteed federal income and has more than two dozen mayors among its members, including Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ, Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta.
According to Ms Foster’s tally, there are more than 10 laws in Congress that would guarantee an income for families until the end of the current economic crisis.
“And that’s the speed of political distortion,” she said.
One of the largest Universal Basic Income pilots in the United States – the first program led by a mayor – is now ending in Stockton, California. As of February 2019, the privately funded program has given 125 residents of Stockton $ 500 per month. Recipients like Tomas Vargas Jr. will receive their final payments on January 15.
Prior to joining the program, Mr. Vargas worked as a UPS Supervisor. The monthly checks gave him enough financial security and confidence to start looking for a better job. Now he works as a case manager at a non-profit organization in Stockton. Instead of living paycheck after paycheck and constantly looking for more ways to make ends meet, he has time to read bedtime stories to his young children.
The unconditional approach is “the beauty” of the program, he said. “He treats you like a human.”
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