Universal Guaranteed Income and the Age of the Pandemic
There is simply no denying that the US (and world) economy is poised for a tailspin as work comes to abrupt halt across job sectors. For those living on the margins and paycheck to paycheck, this must be terrifying.
We don’t need bombs and bullets right now. We need food, water and basic income of some sort to help keep us going.
THIS is national security in the Age of the Pandemic.
The public will not stand for anything less. If mass rioting and looting is to be avoid and social order maintained, then the social net must be expanded and strengthened.
One unintended outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic is that this could kickstart a revolution in terms of the government-citizen contract and make the case for a Universal Guaranteed Income for each and every US citizen.
This conversation was on the way in the distant future, with AI automation looming in the horizon and threatening to displace millions of jobs, but thanks to the economic devastation of the pandemic that conversation will now be moved and go mainstream. Is is here to stay.
And this is not a Left / Right debate here. Arch conservative Mitt Romney opened up this debate suggesting that every American get 1000 USD in pandemic relief NOW:
This will be different and the world will be forever changed in the wake of COVID-19.
My thanks to Edward Kann for our conversation and honing the thinking and language that went into this write up. ^_^
