His 2020 Campaign Message: The Robots Are Coming
- 6 years ago
His 2020 Campaign Message: The Robots Are Coming
“Universal basic income is an old idea,” Mr. Yang said, “but it’s an old idea
that right now is uniquely relevant because of what we’re experiencing in society.”
Mr. Yang’s prominent supporters include Andy Stern, a former leader of Service Employees International Union, who credited him with “opening up a discussion
that the country’s afraid to have.” His campaign has also attracted some of Silicon Valley’s elites.
Opponents of universal basic income have also pointed to its steep price tag — an annual outlay of $12,000 per American adult would cost approximately $2 trillion, equivalent to roughly half of the current federal budget — and the possibility
that giving out free money could encourage people not to work.
The Democratic pipeline is already stuffed with would-be 2020 contenders, most of whom already have the public profile and political experience
that Mr. Yang lacks — and at least one of whom, Senator Bernie Sanders, has already hinted at support for a universal basic income.
“I’m a capitalist,” he said, “and I believe that universal basic income is necessary for capitalism to continue.”
Mr. Yang, a married father of two boys, is a fast-talking extrovert who wears the nu-executive uniform of a blazer and jeans without a tie.
“Universal basic income is an old idea,” Mr. Yang said, “but it’s an old idea
that right now is uniquely relevant because of what we’re experiencing in society.”
Mr. Yang’s prominent supporters include Andy Stern, a former leader of Service Employees International Union, who credited him with “opening up a discussion
that the country’s afraid to have.” His campaign has also attracted some of Silicon Valley’s elites.
Opponents of universal basic income have also pointed to its steep price tag — an annual outlay of $12,000 per American adult would cost approximately $2 trillion, equivalent to roughly half of the current federal budget — and the possibility
that giving out free money could encourage people not to work.
The Democratic pipeline is already stuffed with would-be 2020 contenders, most of whom already have the public profile and political experience
that Mr. Yang lacks — and at least one of whom, Senator Bernie Sanders, has already hinted at support for a universal basic income.
“I’m a capitalist,” he said, “and I believe that universal basic income is necessary for capitalism to continue.”
Mr. Yang, a married father of two boys, is a fast-talking extrovert who wears the nu-executive uniform of a blazer and jeans without a tie.