Tag: guaranteed income

Advocates say guaranteed basic income programs work

Advocates say guaranteed basic income programs work

In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was called a radical for preaching about a guaranteed basic income. Now, in 2024, the concept is being tested and evaluated as a potential solution to ending the poverty cycle.

Advocates for guaranteed basic income gathered at the WBUR CitySpace on Wednesday for a United Way-sponsored event to discuss pilot programs across the Greater Boston area, the challenges in implementing them, and what the future holds.

Jesús Gerena, CEO of the national social justice organization Up Together, said guaranteed basic income works. “Poverty is a policy choice,” he said. “We are continuously creating these […]

Guaranteed income: A solution for the future of work in the face of AI

Guaranteed income: A solution for the future of work in the face of AI

In the face of mounting concerns over poverty and economic inequality, particularly with the looming threat of artificial intelligence displacing jobs worldwide, the actions of leaders like Michael Tubbs, former mayor of Stockton, California, stand out as a beacon of courage and determination.

Growing up in Stockton, a city plagued by poverty despite its proximity to the technological hub of Silicon Valley, Tubbs was no stranger to financial struggles. Raised by a teenage mother juggling multiple precarious jobs, he questioned how such hardship could exist in the wealthiest nation on earth.

His election as Stockton’s first black mayor in 2016 marked […]

Americans will receive a new $500 monthly stimulus check: Here are the requirements to receive it

Americans will receive a new $500 monthly stimulus check: Here are the requirements to receive it

Stimulus check Americans will receive a new $500 monthly stimulus check: Here are the requirements to receive it Social Security benefit update: Seniors and disabled people will receive a new payment within hours

Social Security announces new benefit changes: Alert for US seniors and disabled people

Alert if you receive SNAP and Social Security benefits: here’s how to keep your payments from now on Americans will receive a new $500 monthly stimulus check in Evanston, a city in Cook County, Illinois. The federal and local governments in the United States offer different resources to help their […]

Universal Basic Income Pilots: Evaluating the Economic Impact of Guaranteed Income

Universal Basic Income Pilots: Evaluating the Economic Impact of Guaranteed Income

Laser 247 , Laser Book : Guaranteed Income Pilot Programs are experimental initiatives aimed at providing individuals with recurring cash payments to support their financial well-being. These pilots differ from traditional welfare programs by offering unconditional income to recipients, emphasizing trust in their ability to make decisions that best suit their needs. Through these programs, governments and organizations seek to explore the potential impact of providing a guaranteed income on reducing poverty, enhancing social equity, and fostering economic stability.

By offering a guaranteed income through pilot programs, policymakers and advocates aim to challenge conventional notions of employment and welfare. The […]

Exploring the Promise of Guaranteed Income in the Age of AI

Exploring the Promise of Guaranteed Income in the Age of AI

In Stockton, California, a stone’s throw from the cradle of the tech revolution, former Mayor Michael Tubbs witnessed two starkly different realities: the promise of progress and the persistence of poverty. Understanding these parallel worlds, Tubbs, guided by the vision of social pioneers like Martin Luther King Jr., implemented a bold financial experiment aimed at bridging this divide: a guaranteed income pilot in 2019.

Stockton’s unique approach, providing 125 residents with $500 monthly without any stipulations, was not merely an act of charity, but a strategic move in anticipation of the forthcoming artificial intelligence (AI) upheaval expected to reshape the […]

Is AI putting Americans’ jobs at risk? Could implementing guaranteed income offer a safety net?

Is AI putting Americans’ jobs at risk? Could implementing guaranteed income offer a safety net?

Michael Tubbs, who grew up in Stockton, California near Silicon Valley, experienced poverty firsthand and wanted to find solutions to help alleviate it. As the first Black mayor of his hometown, Tubbs introduced a guaranteed income pilot program in 2019, giving free money with no strings attached. This concept of guaranteed income is gaining interest as artificial intelligence threatens to disrupt the job market, potentially leaving millions unemployed. Tubbs and other proponents see guaranteed income as a way to provide a safety net in the face of AI-induced job losses.

Stockton’s pilot program provided 125 residents with $500 a month […]

Stimulus check payment update in April: Schedule of remaining confirmed payments by state

Stimulus check payment update in April: Schedule of remaining confirmed payments by state

Stimulus check payment April brings new stimulus check payment initiatives to be distributed in the coming days across the United States. Some states will offer guaranteed income programs, while others will provide food and dependent tax credit refunds. The COVID-19 epidemic exacerbated economic insecurity, leading to job losses, especially for low-income workers and workers of color.

Federal Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) , also known as stimulus checks, and expanded unemployment insurance (UI) softened the financial blow . Still, they ran out of fuel before many could get back on their feet. Recognizing these difficulties, local and state governments have responded […]

Guaranteed income programs spread as more cities expand the anti-poverty safety net

Guaranteed income programs spread as more cities expand the anti-poverty safety net

Just weeks after Kiki Ramos received her first $500 monthly payment from the Richmond Resilience Initiative, her car was stolen.

“It would have been a big domino effect if I didn’t have this extra money,” she said.

Her damaged vehicle was soon recovered, but without the additional cash, the 33-year-old pharmacy technician couldn’t have afforded to get it fixed or secure a rental in the meantime, given her $1,000 insurance deductible. That would’ve meant figuring out car pools or public transportation to and from work, and little ability to shuttle her boys, ages 12 and 3, to doctor’s appointments and recreational […]

Savers aim for a £250k pension fund, but typically end up with a huge shortfall at retirement

Savers aim for a £250k pension fund, but typically end up with a huge shortfall at retirement

Pension saving: People are falling far short of the average target of building a £250k pot, a survey finds Savers aim for a pension pot of £250,000 on average but end up with just over half of that in reality, new research reveals.

People have £131,000 on average by the time they reach retirement, a massive shortfall in the amount they hoped to have available to buy an annuity or invest to generate an income.

A £250,000 pot can buy an annuity – which provides a guaranteed income for life – worth £12,091 a year at today rates, according to Standard […]

Texas AG Paxton attempts to stop guaranteed income program

Texas AG Paxton attempts to stop guaranteed income program

Texas AG Ken Paxton seeks to halt Harris County’s ‘Uplift Harris’ guaranteed income program before it gets started. Credit: Eric Gay/AP. In a case that can only be described as “reverse Robin Hood,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was indicted on two counts of securities fraud (stealing), a first-degree felony with a punishment of up to 99 years in prison, and who had a “pro-Paxton group” that paid $3 million to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick who presided over Paxton’s impeachment trial, took steps to block Texans existing at or below the poverty line from receiving potentially life-saving funds.

Reminiscent […]