Fairfax county pilot program to give 750 a month to low income families

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This program seems like an old idea. I am not sure what the point is.

The point is helping people improve their lives.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-28/for-more-than-20-guaranteed-income-projects-the-data-is-in

It’s not scalable to everyone who would be eligible, and I’m not sure how fair it is to help some and not others. If we “help” everyone, then nobody is helped.

We can't help everyone, so we should help nobody...

The pilot programs are not scalable and are not designed to be scalable. They are designed to be pilot programs. The policies suggested by the results from the pilot programs certainly are scalable. What they probably aren't, is politically feasible. That's because we're a country where policies favored by large majorities of the population are somehow politically impossible to implement.

The reason these programs are “successful” for those in the programs is because the same money is not being extended to everyone else. If everyone were getting this money, then prices go up, and they are stuck competing with everyone for the same amount of housing and resources, just with more money in the mix. In the end, the ones who win are those who own the capital, just as it has always been.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This program seems like an old idea. I am not sure what the point is.

The point is helping people improve their lives.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-28/for-more-than-20-guaranteed-income-projects-the-data-is-in

It’s not scalable to everyone who would be eligible, and I’m not sure how fair it is to help some and not others. If we “help” everyone, then nobody is helped.

We can't help everyone, so we should help nobody...

The pilot programs are not scalable and are not designed to be scalable. They are designed to be pilot programs. The policies suggested by the results from the pilot programs certainly are scalable. What they probably aren't, is politically feasible. That's because we're a country where policies favored by large majorities of the population are somehow politically impossible to implement.

The reason these programs are “successful” for those in the programs is because the same money is not being extended to everyone else. If everyone were getting this money, then prices go up, and they are stuck competing with everyone for the same amount of housing and resources, just with more money in the mix. In the end, the ones who win are those who own the capital, just as it has always been.

The programs are not intended to extend the money to everyone else (unlike, for example, Social Security and Medicare), o We Can't Make Anything Better And We Shouldn't Even Bother Trying PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cambridge, MA is doing something similar:
https://www.marketplace.org/2023/07/24/cambridge-expands-guaranteed-income-program-to-all-eligible-families/

https://www.cambridgema.gov/riseup

So if 2 people with 1 kid each live together - share rent- both can apply and each gets the $500. Total $1000. If a 3rd with kid is in the house its $1500.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a dumb idea. Must be election time soon. Let’s buy all the votes we can.

It works. Every jurisdiction that has done it, has been a success. People end up working more and being more successful. The reason is that it takes just a little help to get someone out of poverty. What hurts poor people is that unexpected expense that pushes them back. This helps with that.

[Anonymous]

Liberal here, I do not approve.

Give them food stamps. Health insurance.
Subsidize housing.
School Supplies. Clothes. Gas.
Education - skills, ESL, whatever is needed.

But not cash. I want to know exactly what my taxes are being used for.

[Anonymous]

To the tune of U2’s Desire:

“Infla-a-aation”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Liberal here, I do not approve.

Give them food stamps. Health insurance.
Subsidize housing.
School Supplies. Clothes. Gas.
Education - skills, ESL, whatever is needed.

But not cash. I want to know exactly what my taxes are being used for.

With guaranteed income programs, you know exactly what your taxes are being used for: extra income for low-income families, to do what they believe will provide the most benefit for them.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-mississippi-a-long-running-guaranteed-income-program-is-helping-black-mothers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This program seems like an old idea. I am not sure what the point is.

The point is helping people improve their lives.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-28/for-more-than-20-guaranteed-income-projects-the-data-is-in

It’s not scalable to everyone who would be eligible, and I’m not sure how fair it is to help some and not others. If we “help” everyone, then nobody is helped.

We can't help everyone, so we should help nobody...

The pilot programs are not scalable and are not designed to be scalable. They are designed to be pilot programs. The policies suggested by the results from the pilot programs certainly are scalable. What they probably aren't, is politically feasible. That's because we're a country where policies favored by large majorities of the population are somehow politically impossible to implement.

The reason these programs are “successful” for those in the programs is because the same money is not being extended to everyone else. If everyone were getting this money, then prices go up, and they are stuck competing with everyone for the same amount of housing and resources, just with more money in the mix. In the end, the ones who win are those who own the capital, just as it has always been.

The programs are not intended to extend the money to everyone else (unlike, for example, Social Security and Medicare), o We Can't Make Anything Better And We Shouldn't Even Bother Trying PP.

Donate your own money then.

[Anonymous]

Virginia turning into Maryland. Yay. 👎🏽

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a dumb idea. Must be election time soon. Let’s buy all the votes we can.

It works. Every jurisdiction that has done it, has been a success. People end up working more and being more successful. The reason is that it takes just a little help to get someone out of poverty. What hurts poor people is that unexpected expense that pushes them back. This helps with that.

How are you measuring success?
When you are looking at only those people who received it, of course it is a success.
Does it help people who didn’t receive it?
Would it work if everyone received it?

[Anonymous]

Cut back your work hours if you are so jealous of this benefit.

In case you missed it, prices are high due to lack of competition, not wages. Corporate profits (and your stock portfolios) are way up.

I'm happy to have the government spend tax money paying people who actually work for a living and don't post on DCUM all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a dumb idea. Must be election time soon. Let’s buy all the votes we can.

+1000

[Anonymous]

None of the supporters on this thread are addressing the “pilot” aspect of this program vs. the implications a larger scale rollout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Liberal here, I do not approve.

Give them food stamps. Health insurance.
Subsidize housing.
School Supplies. Clothes. Gas.
Education - skills, ESL, whatever is needed.

But not cash. I want to know exactly what my taxes are being used for.

With guaranteed income programs, you know exactly what your taxes are being used for: extra income for low-income families, to do what they believe will provide the most benefit for them.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-mississippi-a-long-running-guaranteed-income-program-is-helping-black-mothers

I understand and I read the article.

It also could be used for mani pedis, cigarettes and booze. Never mind anything illegal.

This is not what I want from a poverty relief program. If we want to keep our poverty relief programs, they need to be palatable to some majority of taxpayers. If even I can't get behind this, I can only imagine what conservative people think.

[Anonymous]

For a deep dive on this policy, I’d recommend the book “Give People Money” by Annie Lowrey.