Universal Basic Income is Socialist Welfare
It should be simple and non-controversial to stop socialism in Iowa. However, this bill has met some resistance and apparently does not have the support to move forward.
Should local governments in Iowa be allowed to unconditionally give hundreds of dollars each month to some of their residents?
Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties already give $500 per month through the Uplift program. It’s old-school welfare – just cutting checks to people. Proponents say it’s one-time money, but let’s be clear: taxpayer resources are funding a monthly stipend for people.
A bill that would ban cities and counties from participating in Universal Basic Income (UBI) or Uplift-style projects is trying to move through the Iowa House.
It should be simple and non-controversial to stop socialism in Iowa. The Iowa House has 100 members, and 64 are Republicans. However, this bill has met some resistance and apparently does not have the support to move forward.
One reason is the belief that cities and counties have the right to do whatever they want.
The cry for local control is terribly overused. Local control is only claimed when they want to tax you more or take away your freedoms. It is never asserted in a way that stands up for the individual.
Local officials do not have the power to do whatever they want. Both legal precedent and a governing philosophy apply. Cities and counties only exist because the state-sanctioned it. Yes, they can manage their affairs if the legislature does not provide a framework for it. But it is absolutely up to the state, as the sovereign, to decide what local governments can and can’t do on this issue.
The legislature should move full speed ahead to ban UBI programs.
UBI is socialist wealth redistribution and counterproductive. In the 1990s, Speaker Newt Gingrich forced President Bill Clinton to reform a welfare system that rewarded people for not working. The work requirement eliminated more poverty than the previous welfare system of handing out cash.
Local UBI is an example of the left failing to advance policies at the State Capitol, so they take them to cities and counties. Suburban city councils stacked with liberals will continue to promote their leftist agenda. What’s next? After local UBI might be local minimum wage and environmental activism.
It is how they chip away at traditional Iowa values. In these situations, conservatives in the legislature have to wise up and act. Because it’s not just about the Central Iowa Uplift program, it’s much bigger than that.
Uplift claims to use one-time funding. Will the program end when the funding runs out? Not likely. They will look for the state to fill the hole, and taxpayers will be on the hook because the rug can’t be pulled out from the UBI recipients. It’s liberal local government officials’ fault for making the commitment, but they know exactly what they’re doing.
So, ITR encourages legislators to take a second look at the bill and get it done.