1/ If this essential lockdown lasts 18 months as some are saying, it won't b enuf to send $2k per mo. just to people earning <$100k. Even people who earned more than that last year could be w/o 75% or more of income within months at which point, prior income doesn't matter...
2/...Some have assets they can liquidate but only in theory as the value of those is evaporating. Even housing equity could tank. Only a shut down of ALL foreclosures and a temporary UBI for everyone will avoid utter catastrophe for millions...
3/...having ANYONE lose their home, or not be able to pay bills will only increase health risks (physical and mental) to the whole nation. AND politically, a solidaristic, universal, non means-tested UBI can create a sense of actual community in ways means-testing cannot...
4/ It can remind every1 that we need to support each other. That none of us are mere "rugged individuals" who can "take care of ourselves," but rather that we are mutually interdependent. That will be a vital mindset to nurture coming out of this...
5/ And for people who are truly wealthy and don't need the UBI, we can set up ways for them to donate directly to funds for folks in greater need, or get it back later when things get back to normal, with tax hikes (which we'll need anyway once things do)...
