UBI is useless - not sufficient for resolving inequality and actually hurts the working class

[Najma, “Universal Basic Income: A Fundamentally Flawed Concept,” Penn Political Review, April 10, 2021, https://pennpoliticalreview.org/2021/04/universal-basic-income-a-fundamentally-flawed-concept/, accessed July 2, 2023, GDS-LL]

As the last few months have proven, UBI is not as disruptive to our normative system of government as one might assume. However, it is not enough. A consistent cash transfer alone will not remedy wealth and income inequality, the lack of access to adequate healthcare, and, overall, the government’s failure to redistribute tax dollars and provide a financial safety net. Our current system offers an overly complicated tax process, yet insufficient social benefits to account for many Americans’ difficulties.

In the long term, UBI is similar to a form of symbolic redistribution. A genuinely universal UBI program would not be ideal for the economy as a whole, as it presents a short-term solution to more long-term problems. Furthermore, without a wealth tax or a modernized form of NIT, UBI could hurt the economy and the working class more than it would help. An alternative would accurately target the least well-off .

Conclusion

In conclusion, UBI has hardly progressed in concept since American revolutionary Thomas Paine originally proposed the idea in Agrarian Justice in 1797. The lack of implementation of UBI and the increasing complexity of the world’s economic systems tell us this: UBI is perceived as an idealistic, symbolic solution to income inequality that fails to address underlying issues. New policy proposals come mostly from former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), who both identify as Democratic-Socialists. These progressive policies cover many aspects of social welfare: climate justice, Medicare, housing, and college for all, and eliminating student and medical debt. Thus, these policies provide a basic social safety net for Americans, while also offering a clear path for funding. All in all, UBI does not meet the same level of planning and support, rendering it a largely unrealistic approach. UBI would be an expensive and virtually useless program for the most vulnerable in our society—the poor, disabled, elderly, and youth.