Thread by @RogueSocialWrkr

@AndrewYang @Zach_Graumann #YangGang
We really need a concise, direct, assertive response to the "people who need it most will lose welfare" question. We shouldn't be afraid to call out the flaws of our current 'blame the victim' system: A Thread...

1. An overwhelming number of actual welfare recipients are traumatized and coerced by the current system. Over 94% of respondents in a recent small survey said they would opt for FD vs. current benefits. Comments on current system were jarring and disturbing...

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d… National survey to come.

2. The Freedom Dividend would expose fatal flaws in the current system. Even a modest $1,000/month would knock many people off their current benefits. Even if we offered both, programs like SNAP and TANF would go into "welfare cliff" mode and be exposed for the shams they are.

3. Current programs aimed at reducing poverty are focused on changing the individual, despite overwhelming evidence that the average person is constantly in a game of financial whack-a-mole, always falling behind, and often left to die in the pit of poverty...

The current programs say: "You put yourself here. This is your fault. You must do exactly what we say or we take your money away." Some programs are needed for individual, non-systemic problems. Poverty, however, is not one of those problems. It's just plain Maslow.

4. I think it's okay to say "We need to reform the current SSI system." Only 20% of applicants are approved. This means up to 80% of fully disabled people never see a penny of help...

And then you have partially disabled folks who are stuck in coercive, abusive situations to pay the rest of the bills. FD would help partially disabled folks...

However, some people are fully disabled before they work enough to receive SSDI, of course through no fault of their own. FD is a good start, but there should be something in place for 100% of disabled folks, not just the current 20%...

To top it off, current SSI recipients can't have more than $2000 in their bank account and get pushed off the welfare cliff if they want to try working again. Let's not cling to something so ineffective, inefficient, and unethical. We're better than this.

Thanks for reading. I know this isn't super concise, but I wanted to get full thoughts written down, so we can better communicate why unconditionality is superior to means-tested, coercive resources.

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Literally tagging everyone bc we need to have this convo on a huuuge scale. Apologies for mass notifications!