Yang withdrew from the presidential race in February after failing to gain ground in the New Hampshire primaries, but managed to become a political celebrity – and shed light on universal basic income. In many ways, the concept has been implemented in small pilot programs across the country, one of which its non-profit organization, Humanity Forward, is helping to fund in Hudson, Columbia County, NY.
The general idea of guaranteed income goes back centuries. Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent and early supporter of the idea in the 20th century, and his son, Martin Luther King III, continued to defend it in his father’s place.
“It is really immoral for us to have people living on the streets in the United States,” said King, co-chairman of Yang’s campaign.
A new group, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, is pushing for guaranteed federal income and has more than two dozen mayors as members, including Ras Baraka from Newark, NJ, Eric Garcetti from Los Angeles and Keisha Lance Bottoms from Atlanta.
According to Foster’s accounts, there are more than 10 laws in Congress that would guarantee an income for families until the current economic crisis is over.
“And that is political warp speed,” she said.
One of the most prominent universal basic income pilots in the United States – the first program led by a mayor – is now ending in Stockton, California. Since February 2019, the private financing program has given 125 Stockton residents $ 500 a month. Recipients like Tomas Vargas Jr. will receive their last payments on January 15th.
Before joining the program, Mr. Vargas worked as a UPS supervisor. Monthly checks have given you enough financial security and confidence to start looking for a better job. Now he works as a case manager at a nonprofit organization at Stockton. Instead of living from salary to salary and constantly looking for other ways to make ends meet, he has time to read stories to his children at bedtime.
The untethered approach is “the beauty” of the program, he said. “He treats you like a human.”