The laboratories for wealth redistribution all have one thing in common: they give some of society’s poorest and most marginalized people cold-hard cash, and then let them spend it however they want
, proponents of cash-based programs feel the tide turning. “This is an inevitable future,” argues Nika Soon-Shiong, the executive director of the Fund for Guaranteed Income.Kovi Konowiecki for TIMEMany of the country’s most significant social reform movements have been provoked by national crises, from the Great Depression’s birth of the New Deal to the 2008 financial crisis paving the way for the Affordable Care Act.
“It really felt like there were not enough people thinking about the solution,” Soon-Shiong, the daughter of billionaire business tycoon and Los Angelesowner Patrick Soon-Shiong, tells TIME from her spacious West Hollywood apartment. “But a lot of people talking about the problem.” Compton's health and economic deficits are compounded by the absence of well-paying jobs and a high proportion of undocumented immigrants who lack health insurance.The Fund for Guaranteed Income hopes these families can use the cash support to offset some of their medical expenses, and that the funds will also improve the recipients’ physical and mental health.
Christine S. puts some of the $1,800 she receives quarterly towards feeding homeless individuals in Compton’s historic Lueders Park, inspired by her own past experiences with homelessness. She wants to purchase a mobile shower so homeless people don’t have to use garden hoses like she did. But the money she receives from the experiment has also helped her take her daughter Alex on a vacation to San Diego, where the toddler got to swim in a pool for the first time.
There are political risks, too. Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, whose small city jumpstarted the recent boom of guaranteed income experiments in 2017, lost reelection to a Republican challenger by 13 points in the Democratic stronghold in 2020 after launching his pilot. Conservative criticism has only intensified as direct cash payments become more mainstream. And if Republicans and moderate Democrats are reluctant to give U.S.
Support from wealthy tech moguls has spurred some of that growth. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has repeatedly given to guaranteed income projects through his #startsmall initiative, including donations of $15 million to the Open Research Lab and $18 million to Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a group founded by former Stockton Mayor Tubbs that is funding many of the cash experiments. In March, New York University used $3.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Inside Strictly's Janette Manrara and Aljaž Škorjanec's winter trip to SloveniaStrictly Come Dancing stars Janette Manrara and Aljaž Škorjanec have given a peek inside their trip to Slovenia
Read more »
Inside Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan's £100k housewarming partyMark Wright and Michelle Keegan are sparing no expense as they plan a lavish housewarming party after moving into their Essex mansion. Read more at heat.
Read more »
Inside Charlotte Dawson's weight loss journey after dropping 4 stoneThe reality star shed the pounds through a total transformation of her diet and exercise regime with incredible results.
Read more »
Inside Soap's costume departments tricks including avoiding any white itemsEastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks costume departments use special tricks when it comes to planning all of the character's costumes
Read more »
Inside Jamie Dornan's family life with beautiful wife and three daughtersThe actor, due to appear in The Tourist, lives a happy home life in Gloucestershire with his musician other half and their children
Read more »