Did you know that a guaranteed basic income program gives some L. A. community college students a thousand dollars a month?

[msc545]

One year later, here is how it's going:

https://laist.com/news/education/laccd-guaranteed-basic-income-update?

Updates

5 mo

It turns out that giving people money for their expenses is not the poison the conservatives would have you believe it to be. On the contrary, it turns out to be a significant investment in the future.

[lightbulb27]

I'd have to know more. I could see that being useful around here. I could also see it being a huge waste if run by govt.

I agree that young people need support to get to a better position where they can be successful. That is a problem I'd like to see solved. I have an issue though, fundamentally, with handing out money to people that quite possibly don't know how to conserve money and use it wisely. It should be under the control of someone that knows how to be efficient... responsible mentors required.

Ask me how disgusted my neighbors are about teh social beneift part of $ that goes to pay for peoples electricity... that they don't have incentive to be efficient with, so they leave the lights on.. whereas I turn them off.

Ask me about the SNAP benefits that is a good purpose to [provide nutrition... where over 20% is wasted on sugary drinks... which some states are now banning. etc etc..

Ask me about people taking out loans, then defaulting on those school loans because they screwed up in various ways. what bs. I could say the samea bout businesses though.

I don't like waste...

Responsible people need to control the $ to effective means. Else, it gets wasted...

[msc545]

If I understand you correctly, your position is that since some people waste the money, in your opinion, we should therefore not help anyone. Is that correct?

[lightbulb27]

I said the opposite. We should help people, under fairly strict control mechanisms to ensure highest success. That be the ideal of capital allocation. I see mentoring work in other areas. But when I see people live in their corrupt culture, it's a waste.

[msc545]

Yeah, when you feel like you have to control people to the extent you think it's necessary, it's not worth giving them anything because you will never trust them, and they will never trust you.

[lightbulb27]

I'm ok with that. If someone is in the ditch, they need help. I'd say same about our own kids. With any person developing, have to let the line out slow and give them some freedom.
Fail to address the underlying emotional problems, and it's wasted money if not worse. Seen it too many times. Ask anyone that goes into business with wrong people, or marries someone and discovers the "other" issues.
To be fair, I got free money without strings, but I would have appreciated wisdom on what to do with it.

[Chazmatazz269]

It’s unconstitutional when done that way. It’s just another niche entitlement program. If you’re not giving the same benefit to everyone, then it’s selective application of unnecessary entitlements. Wholly unconstitutional. What else would you expect from California?

[msc545]

It's not a niche entitlement program. Tax money was not involved in this. It was financed through private donations.

[RandomGirl42]

If I wouldn't have to move I might sign up for that since I'm not sure if I even make a 1000 dollars a month. I mean, when I actually do work in the summer. 🤣

(And no, I don't collect unemployment or food stamps when I have the winter off. I am just in a very fortunate situation. Not much money but I have everything I need)

[Agape93]

Just a thousand in california?

[msc545]

These were donated funds. Contrary to what others keep posting about it wasn't their precious tax money.

[Agape93]

Still, just a grand? In california? That's not even rent for a month. The lowest rent I could find in LA was a university dorm at $1,400 a month. Yeah it helps but like, that's not a universal income. Thats basically a stim check.

[blackeagle007]

In these days, $1k won’t last long

[msc545]

@blackeagle007 no, it will not at all, but it's what we had to give them.

[Agape93]

California is one of the worlds largest economies, more than many nations combined. They can do more than just a grand, especially if they trim excess from stupid shit.

[msc545]

If you listen to MAGA on here, they think it's a fortune that we're giving away for free.

[blackeagle007]

Seen maga groups in the state? I’m sure right now they are celebrating getting Maduro.

[msc545]

@blackeagle007 I'm in Southern California. We really don't have too many of these people here, and certainly not in the area where I live. However, in Northeast California, I'm sure they probably are celebrating as you stated.

[exitseven]

So the people that could not afford to go to college or people that went into debt to send their kids to college get to pay for this? How is that fair? This is just a dodge for democrats to buy votes.

If you give free college you will get students that are just there because it was free, Many are not interested in going but have nothing better to do. I work at a state college and have many students that get financial aid from the government. They also ger free Medicaid. One of my students told me on the first day not to expect her to come to class. She told me she was just there for the free healthcare.

[Ariesman81]

Ughh... that was my younger sister. By the way, she ended up getting her Communications degree. She's currently putting it to good use as a cashier at Goodwill.

[msc545]

So, one student tells you something, probably just to piss you off, and you believe it applies to everybody. You probably ought to go back to school and learn some logical thinking yourself.

[msc545]

@Ariesman81 Communications is one of those majors that is not worth majoring in.

[Ariesman81]

@msc545

And yet the Biden administration damn near expunged the debt of her horrible decision. And @exitseven is 100% correct in what he said. Because my sister was the one who was on Medicaid while my Mother sat on her Social Security, Pension, and 401k disbursements while simultaneously paying cash for her $400k lake front home. Hell, she even had to shutdown her dog grooming business because it was becoming to successful and she was running the risk of making too much money to qualify for the Medicaid and Financial aid.

Now, you might call that savvy... I call it corrupt and fraudulent.

Shut welfare down! It incentives crooks.

[exitseven]

@msc545 She was the only one who was stupid enough to tell me. I get two or 3 students every class that do not show up for class and they get their education paid for by the government. These kids are just wasting taxpayer money to hire me to be a babysitter.

[msc545]

A lot of people don't come to school that should, and a lot of people go to school that shouldn't. Nonetheless, that's not a reason to shut the school down, and certainly it's not a reason to give people who can't afford school as hard a time as you possibly can when you could actually help them.

[msc545]

Once again, you're worried about a few pennies going to someone who you don't think deserves them. Whereas you sit on your butt and do nothing about the defense industry ripping us off for a trillion dollars a year. That's okay with you in some fashion.

[exitseven]

I did not say shut down the college. Just make the students have some skin in the game

[msc545]

Yeah, I say you want to take food out of people's mouths or make them sleep in the streets to be able to attend school. Your utter lack of empathy is really appalling.

[Ariesman81]

Yep, fuck em. Secondary education should only be for those that can afford it. Fuck this entire generation thinking they deserve shit just cause theyre this, that or something else.

.

[msc545]

Yeah, absolutely learn to live with an entire generation of people that you denied education too. Based on a little bit of money that you refuse to give them. That should go over really well.

[Ariesman81]

You know who else used emotional manipulation... my ex wife

[exitseven]

@Ariesman81 When I was a kid not everyone could but a Cadillac, not everyone could go to Florida in the winter, not everyone could go to college.

[msc545]

You aren't a kid anymore, and a lot of people who want to go to college can't because they don't have the money to do it. We are trying to help them. If that's a crime, so be it.

[Ariesman81]

Well, my mother and her daughters thank you for all your tax dollars. I'll think about your generosity while I'm putting the dock in this spring.

[exitseven]

@msc545 When i asked the government for help when I was going to college all I got was a blank stare and a bunch of excuses. When my 3 kids were in college we filled out all the forms and got zero help. I found a way ot get through college although it took me 20 years of working a crappy low paying sales job. I borrowed money to pay my kids tuition but I got the 3 or them through and they had no debt. So thanks for nothing but don;t ask me to pay for everyone elses kid. If they want to go to college bad enough they can work hard and make sacrifices too.

[msc545]

Do I detect a bit of jealousy here?

[Ariesman81]

😂😂😂... a f***** would

[exitseven]

@msc545 Do not confuse jealously with outrage.

[msc545]

Those two things are not mutually exclusive. Outrage because somebody else got something that you don't think they should have is really inappropriate. But I've learned to expect that from you, I guess. Whatever they have was not taken away from you.

[exitseven]

@msc545 They werenT? i watched minority kids get full scholarships, free tutors and even had a black student union where white people were told they were not welcome. All the while I could not get a dime because I was not part of a "opressed minority".

[msc545]

How long ago was this?

[exitseven]

it was the 80s -90s

[Ariesman81]

I don't know man. Giving people welfare to get people off welfare seems contradictory to me.

Sure, there's people who just need a nudge of assistance to make positive life changes, but that should be done via individual good will, not mandated taxes.

[msc545]

Helping people to get through school is a very good investment almost every time. This was done mostly through donations and not tax money, but even if it was done with tax money, some of that would be my tax money, and I don't mind. It's a hell of a lot better than investing in wars, corruption, and bribery.

[DryGermanGuy]

Smart. Even smarter would be to have that support for the whole three years of studies.

[slatyb]

In Denmark tuition is free and students do receive a stipend to cover expenses.

[goaded]

It used to be like that in the UK, back in the 1980s (at least for lower income families). Now it costs a small fortune.

[NathanDavis]

great... now give the same graduates 2k to 3k a month, so they can afford to pay rent...

[msc545]

I wish we could afford to do that, but we can't. There's too much corruption in our society, and the people that maintain the corruption are too insistent on having as much money as they can get their hands on.

[NathanDavis]

true that...

[Staximus]

That's great if you make a shitload of money but I don't. I don't want to be taxed into poverty to support bums that need to get off their lazy goldbricking asses and get a fucking job. The money isn't free, it has to from somewhere.

[beefcakebradybatson]

BRAVO, CALIFORNIA, though two thou monthly would be better !!!

[Miristheiss]

After the government steals it from workers... to give away.

[Sevenpointfive]

how many drugs can you buy with $1000?

[Anonymous]

Where does the money come from?

[msc545]

In this particular instance, the money comes from private donations.

[msc545]

I didn't say that, and that's not the case. Stop trying to distort things.

[Opinion Owner]

As long as thd taxpayers aren't funding it then its all gravy.

[blackeagle007]

Won’t do much for rent.

[msc545]

That is correct, it will not. But it's better than not having it at all.