[JohnKreese]

(03-08-2019 04:03 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 03:55 PM)JohnKreese Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 01:04 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 01:01 PM)JohnKreese Wrote:  

I'm not getting how UBI would ATTRACT more (illegal) immigration. If only citizens are eligible for it, there wouldn't be any benefit for illegals for some time (well, minus anchor babies). Instead they would be subjected to a VAT (in addition to existing sales taxes) on everything they bought without any tangible benefit. If anything it would seem like a pretty good deterrent.

That's a good point! Hadn't considered that!

So #YangBucks are a tax on illegals that goes to pay for the natives to have better lifestyles! Every hour some illegal spends working in a hot, shitty factory job, some of that money he earns is going to me, and he sees absolutely nothing for it!

Wow, it's even better than I thought!

I wouldn't get too excited.

In this hypothetical scenario, even if UBI could be kept from the illegals (whether citizenship became harder to obtain, legal status without citizenship was the highest they could go, etc.), give it two or three election cycles before a hard leftist is in, has congress, and by then has a more favorable SCOTUS.

Not only would they roll out UBI for illegals (or make citizenship a snap), but also...well...you think that the calls for reparations are bad now. Wait until, these demands are perfectly quantifiable ("I have been in the country for xxx years, the previous policy blocking my RIGHTFUL citizenship cheated me out of yyy years of UBI...pay me!").

Your head will explode.

Hmm, I can see where you're coming from but I don't think so. #YangBucks are essentially social security rolled out for the entire population. Think of how protective seniors are of their social security. It's the "third rail" of American politics for a reason. In the same way, anything that threatens #YangBucks, like an easy path to citizenship for illegals, would become very difficult to get through congress regardless of what administration there is.

Ohh, I don't think that the UBI would go away. Instead income taxes (possibly the VAT, but that would be too visible to lower-income people) would be raised in order to make up the difference (plus reparations). High earners would see their UBI check eaten up by higher income taxes while also getting squelched by the VAT/sales tax (and others) combo.

Ultimately, it would turn into any other type of welfare state program except worse because everyone would get the UBI check (hence eliminating the stigma associated with welfare programs), except the guy in the new 59% tax bracket would pay it (and more) right back while low-earners would be partying.