Raw LLM Responses

I’m seeing comments about Andrew Yang running for president and wanting to give every American $1000 a month. I think that’s a good idea even if automation doesn’t displace a lot of workers. That $1000 can completely or partially pay for very basic expenses like groceries, clothing, housing, utilities, car repairs, school supplies, etc. I bet a lot of families would breathe easier with that money being added to the amount they bring home from work. $12k a year isn’t enough to replace work for most normal people, so folks can’t be super lazy, and it’s better than other social programs that trap people into not making more money out of fear of losing their welfare benefits. If the Dividend happens, I hope market competition and the cheap cost to produce many goods will prevent prices from rising dramatically. Rent may get crazy expensive but again, maybe $1000 gives people some ability to move somewhere more affordable or maybe invest in buying a home with others (plus, local governments should shape housing policy to protect tenants). I think Yang wants to fund UBI with a value added tax (VAT). VAT is used around the world to fund many government programs, but I’ve never before heard of a government taking tax revenue and giving it directly back to the people. That’s interesting, especially considering that Amazon, Google, Netflix, and lots of other big companies paid $0 or relatively close to $0 in federal taxes in 2018. UBI is a compelling idea whether automation booms or not. It’s about giving people a starting point that isn’t $0 anymore.