Save Our Families
A conservative case for universal basic income
As a conservative, I’ve always loved this chestnut from G.K. Chesterton:
Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.
It’s a lesson in thinking about second-order consequences. A conservative might also add: “Don’t ever enact a government program unless you can foresee the consequences.”
So you might expect me to be opposed to one of the more progressive ideas floating around right now: Universal basic income (UBI). Sometimes called Unconditional basic income, UBI is the idea of the government sending regular checks to it’s citizens with no strings attached.
Think of the stimulus payments of the last year, but every month.
As much as conservatives bristle at the idea of giving people money for nothing, I’m starting to warm up to this idea. Although it has some drawbacks, it actually aligns nicely with many things that conservatives value.
Here are some of the ways UBI could promote the kind of society conservatives want to live in:
The Value of Hard Work
One of the most attractive elements of UBI is its potential to replace the current welfare system as a social safety net.
