The Cake
The Significance of Andrew Yang’s $1,000 Plan
Despite what many may believe, it’s not just about the money
Andrew Yang’s plan to provide $1,000 in government-sponsored payments to every American adult each month — an “allowance for grown-ups,” as some have called it — is being touted as a big, bold idea. It’s not without criticism, however, as others have claimed that this type of universal basic income might incentivize people not to look for work.
Yang counters by saying that people will still be incentivized to get jobs and contribute to the economy — that $12,000 per year is still not enough for most people, and that it is instead a catalyst that will spur people to want to do more. But there is something more to it that even Yang himself may not be seeing the magnitude of, or if he does, may not be placing enough salience on: It is his way of giving everyone the startup capital they need for their “Startup of Me.”
I believe Yang came to this understanding a long time ago. Universal basic income is not a recent revelation of his, nor a big, bold idea. It need not be. Yang already started a dress rehearsal of the plan years ago. And whether he knows it or not, it has already had ripple effects.
