Let's be honest, state basic income bans are virtue signals

 So I've been seeing things about various states like Arizona, South Dakota, and Iowa talking about banning basic income, and I just wanna explain why these bans aren't significant, and why they're bullcrap.

They're basically just virtue signals. Because let's face it, any serious basic income is not gonna come from a local or state government, but from the federal government. Various states can virtue signal about their bullcrap ideas of work ethic and something being "unearned" all they want, but that's what it is, no serious movement for UBI is gonna come from the state level. I mean, we have alaska oil money, but that's only like $1k a year, and that's the point.

To fund a basic income would require large taxes in the ballpark of 20% to fund this thing. Given the max states currently charge is 10%, there's no way this can be viable in any significant way. I mean, it would just cause capital flight from the state or locale that tries it to the surrounding areas. If UBI were viable on a local level, I'd be encouraging pennsylvania, or my city to consider it. But let's face it, it's not. And the most you're gonna have is trials, and at this point, trials are a virtue signal themselves. We know what UBI does, we've studied it for decades and time after time the result is the same, little to no work reduction, a lot less poverty, and people being happier and less stressed. It really does work. And all of the studies in the world at this point wont do anything to move the ball forward, just confirm what we already know. That UBI works, it should be implemented, but we cant just be sure, so let's have another pointless study. 

This is why when people like Dean Phillips float UBI trials I give them a couple points but dont give them full credit. Because its a virtue signal. it's one I like, but let's face it, we know what it does. Let's implement it already.

But of course, conservatives are regressive. They're comic book villains at this point, arguing against nice things on the basis of nice things being bad. We need work ethic and blah blah blah, our lives should be centered around work and we cant give people money or it might make them lazy. What's wrong with that? They rely on the old fears that if we arent all working all the time that we'll become lazy and complacent and society will fall apart. Never mind the fact that we struggle to employ people, even these guys complain about the lack of jobs, and that their concept of work ethic seems very much out of line with modern society. 

So....a-holes are gonna be a-holes, and do a-hole things like ban it at the state level as a complete and utter useless virtue signal. Because that's all it is. A virtue signal. Any competent UBI worth its salt, would have to be done federally, as its the only entity capable of raising the revenue needed to fund such ideas. And honestly, the feds aint gonna care about a state ban of the idea, they'll just laugh and roll it out anyway. All this does is stop localities from experimenting with the idea.

So yeah. That's why I don't give this more attention or be like "those jerks!" I mean, they are jerks, but i kinda laugh at the effort because it's literally as meaningless as the studies themselves, given all the studies do is confirm what we already know, that the idea works. And these guys are just trying to virtue signal against it with their own nonsense.

Honestly, focus on the real threat, which is crap like project 2025, that's the real stuff the basic income movement should be worried about. Because if we fall to fascism or some sort of christian nationalism that opposes this stuff, THAT'S when we're in trouble. As long as democracy is viable, and as long as this stuff isnt banned on a level that requires a literal constitutional amendment to undo, we'll be fine. 

So yeah. Just laugh at these idiots. Focus on the real threat, which is trump and his christian nationalist psychos. Those are the guys who can do REAL damage to the UBI movement long term. These state level statements to ban the concept are a pointless joke.