by Dan Mitchell | Aug 13, 2025 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
A few years ago, advocates of a “basic income” seemed to have a lot of momentum on their side. Nations were holding referendums, presidential candidates were embracing the concept, and even some libertarians were saying nice things about the idea. Being a curmudgeon...
by Dan Mitchell | Nov 3, 2024 | Blogs, Education, Taxation, Uncategorized
One of my traditions is that I highlight the most important ballot initiatives every year (see 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, etc). Unlike contests between flawed and deceptive politicians, these initiatives often provide clear-cut...
by Dan Mitchell | May 3, 2023 | Blogs, Taxation
In past columns on the topic of basic income, most of my attention has focused on how universal handouts would undermine the work ethic. To be succinct, I fear that a non-trivial share of the population would exit the labor force if they...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 24, 2023 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
I’ve repeatedly expressed opposition to “universal basic income” and I repeated those concerns as part of a conference at the Acton Institute earlier this week. If you don’t want to spend two minutes to watch the video, all you need to know is that I’m worried that...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 22, 2022 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
Some people argue the government should give everyone a “basic income.” The problem with that approach (and the problem with other types of redistribution) is that some people will choose not to work if they can simply rely on handouts...
