“This guaranteed income pilot is about celebrating residents who do much to strengthen our community but are still struggling to make ends meet,” said Kristin Seefeldt, Poverty Solutions assistant director, during an announcement of the program. “Pilot participants are vital to the success of the research study, which will allow other communities across the country to learn from Ann Arbor’s approach to guaranteed income.”
Me? While I wouldn't exactly spit on an extra $528 monthly, I feel this is small potatoes. The idea is valid — yes, I am a proponent of UBI — and will become moreso the more LLMs create more unemployment, but there's something about A^2^'s execution and their wobbly eligibility requirements that bother me. Well, I suppose ya gotta start somewhere, though.
Further reading:
Ford company official: “How are you going to collect union dues from these guys [Ford factory robots]?”
Walter P. Reuther: “How are you going to get them to buy Fords?”