Thank you New York Times for writing about Andrew Yang’s surging. Finally, the mainstream media is paying attention. I was thinking about unsubscribing to NYT and I was happy to read this objective report. You guys never fail my expectations. Thanks. I was not an active participant in politics, though having a consistent voting history, but I am a committed YangGang now because I believe Andrew Yang is the only candidate who can save normal American people and unite the country.
35
We do need an intelligent person to take the place of our current Russian-infused fake president.
16
If only mainstream media would stop #andrewyangmediablackout
18
@Brian. Yeah, even this article was on the front page/homepage of the NYT for about five minutes this morning. I had to search the "Politics" section when I tried to return to it tonight.
9
Ok I’m a Warren voter but I’ve been listening to this guy lately and I have to say, he is impressive.....He is about so much more than the $1,000.
I was also thinking that here is something any honest Democrat must admit.
This guy is the biggest sure thing in the history of mankind if you put him up against Trump.
So if the biggest factor for most Democrats is “ability to beat Trump” well....
41
“There’s a sucker born every minute”, apparently as per PT Barnum. Yang’s another candidate who believes that merely thinking it makes it possible. Forget reality, just think it up. He promises everything to everybody which logic tells us is impossible.
1
After hearing Andrew Yang speak on some television news show earlier this week, I thought: "Dang, I like this dude Yang. Where can I send some campaign money?" https://www.yang2020.com/policies/
I am very interested in the future of this candidate.
23
Yang represent the best type of East Asian style governance. I read NYTimes (obviously), WSJ, Forbes, Bloomberg and one thing that stands out to me is how universities, researchers and tech companies are all talking about the effect of AI and automation in the short and mid terms but there is no policy at the state and national level to address them. We got an entire government filled with lawyers and career politicians whose’s only specialty is debate and bickering. None can see pass the next reelection and their party lines.
By contrast, look at East Asia in the order of Singapore, China, Korea and Japan. All these counties have laid out long term policies for research and coping with AI, automation, gene editing, cyber security and green technology. The leaders understand the importance of these technology and their successors continues these long term goals.
Xi is a chemical engineer from China’s best engineering school. Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong have a BS in computer science from Cambridge and MA in public administration from Harvard. Korea’s Moon Jar-in is a human rights lawyer that was expelled from university and imprisoned for his activism. Japan’s Abe studied public administration in Japan and public policy in USC.
12
As far as I can tell he’s American, not East Asian. I don’t understand how his race comes into play here. He’s just a good guy with some good ideas running for President. No need to point out his racial background (even though the NYT felt the need to point out his Asian-American supporters). I wish him the best of luck and hope he wins. He’s a refreshing breath of fresh air.
24
Every time I listen to Andrew Yang I learn something new, something useful. It's not just a politician giving some folksy quote that supports my already existing viewpoint. Yang is one of America's greatest thinkers and a true leader. Let's not screw it up this time, America.
24
I’ve been an early Yang supporter. He’s the real deal, Gen X’er who is articulate, caring and provides actionable items that just.make.sense.
UBI is one of those items.
We are at a critical level here in the US that we can solve and uplift all. $2K in my household would create so much. We could sleep at night, finally be able to save something for ourselves, choose better food to cook, go out to restaurants more often, get tutoring for my son, sign him up for the local activities, see a broadway show, a concert, buy a newer car, a smart TV, finally take some vacations, volunteer, donate to charity, save for a house...and that’s just year 1...
Point is - my life and ALL the lives I’m now able to positively impact have been lifted up!
Why are we against this?
103
Where can I buy that hat? Go Andrew
11
I just want to say thank you NYT for writing about Andrew Yang and his campaign. I encourage anyone reading this to look into his long form interviews if you want to learn more about his campaign. A quick google of Andrew Yang can do the trick, but some of his podcasts would be a goof place to start.
One complaint, you make him seem like a one policy candidate concerning UBI or the newly coined "freedom dividend", but if you look at his website yang2020.com, he has over 100 other policy ideas i.e. "Democracy Dollars" and updating GDP.
He has earned my vote. I believe if you look into the policies and the person he will earn your vote too. And yes, he would beat Trump in a general election. I believe if the MSM and DNC keep pushing Biden & Warren we will all be reliving 2016 in 2020. "Not Left, Not Right, Forward". #yanggang #trumpkryptonite
21
A good place to start*
Embarrassed by my grammar, just too excited for the yanggang.
7
Andrew Yang is a refreshing and authentic candidate. America needs someone outside the Right and Left Doctrines that stalemate our govenment time and again. His policies seek to ferret out the deepest causes for so much divisiveness, apply solutions to heal and lift the American people in the present, and open the doors to groundbreaking research to save us in the future. His policies are wide-ranging, allow for all points of view to coexist, and are impervious to labels. He is the most exciting candidate I have seen in my half century.
27
But who would be his allies in Congress?
1
The first debate I thought, who is this clown? During the last debate, however, he nailed it when he said, in response to what to do about climate change, “first we need to start getting people the resources to move to higher ground”. Amen! Finally someone who is telling the brutal truth — that in the near term (or ever), 8 billion consumers aren’t going to radically alter their lifestyles and have a cumbayah moment to “solve” it. He won my admiration for having the courage to say that on stage with the “same old, same old” crowd.
27
I'm a millennial husband of a SAHM, and Andrew Yang is the first politician I've heard in my adult life say that stay at home parenthood is valuable and good for society. In addition, he has a cogent policy proposal which would acknowledge that value.
I also think a flat UBI (unadjusted for area median income) would encourage millennials to repopulate some of the abandoned parts of America, as they find that their freedom dividend, and perhaps a trade job in the household, provide a better life than two people serving executives coffee/alcohol in a major city.
In summary, our generation faces a devastating crisis of meaning (as evidenced by depression/anxiety/suicide rates), and I believe Andrew Yang actually has a policy proposal to address it.
377
@MP The first politician? I don't know, I really think many, if not most, Republican candidates imply that SAHM are "more natural" and "better." It's hardly a minority opinion, and I think many working mothers can talk about lingering stigma.
9
@spiderbee Huge difference between suggesting that a woman belongs in the home (GOP) and recognizing that women who *choose* to stay home with kids are doing valuable, important, and difficult work (Yang). Let’s not confuse the two.
96
@MP
Well said! "a devastating crisis of meaning"
I couldn't agree more
17
King of the Panderers.
I'm an open minded millennial who supported Bernie in 2016, but gladly voted for Hillary in the general election. I am voting for Andrew Yang because he is speaking to the issues that no other candidate will talk about, namely, how the most common jobs in our economy may not exist in a decade. Perhaps the issues are too large and too potentially devastating for any typical politician to openly discuss...
Yang is probably one of the most intelligent, most genuine and authentic candidates to run for president in my lifetime. Even if he doesn't win the nomination, I hope he sets a standard for the things we ought to expect of our presidential candidates in the longterm future. The world would be a much better place.
566
@Scott
Sanders/Yang
brilliant
19
@Scott
So well said, Scott. I, too, have hopes that his message will inspire others to go deeper and reach higher. What a contrast to the man, currently in the White House.
33
I couldn't agree with you more. Yang is my choice also. It's astounding to me that no other candidate is addressing the AI elephant in the room as they promise higher wages for all. The AI mass loss of occupations is closer to us in time than anything else, and is exactly where the universal income idea comes from, for obvious reasons. Make America Think Again, indeed. Senior here.
53
Andrew Yang is our last best hope. Former Republican voter here, now registered Democrat thanks to Yang.
He’s the only candidate I hear making sense about the issues that matter – especially in the rust belt states that put Trump in power. It’s deindustrialization that’s poisoned the economic well. It’s the 4 million manufacturing jobs traded away under NAFTA. It’s the robots are running our factories now, not the immigrants, who are displacing us as workers. Andrew Yang understands this.
Biden, Harris, Warren, Buttageig, O’Rourke - they are all the same old same old. Just political division and hatred that’s getting us nowhere. The future is here. We need to wake up. Andrew Yang can get us there.
20
“Think harder”? How about think at all?
5
A smart, thoughtful candidate? Policies supported by knowledge, data and analytic thinking? You have got to be kidding. He has a snowball's chance in you know where. I mean, this Yang character is positively unAmerican!
2
I am a boomer for Yang. First time in my life I’m passionate and enthusiastic about a Politician. Please check Andrew out on the Joe Rogan podcast to learn more.
17
Great to see positive press to a non-establishment candidate who encourages us to think beyond oppressive political conventions. Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie (of course) also open our minds to what is possible for us and already happening in other developed countries.
My primary concern with Mr. Yang is that he seems to be too "modern" - a futurist, i.e. a "better living through chemistry" guy (or digital electronics, in this case). He's pro-globalization and just thinks we can do it better, slicker. Maybe so. But should we expect to do it better than, say, the Chinese? I don't think, over time, we Americans would do it better (just do the MATH) - and nor should we expect to. IMO, each country should protect their intrinsic natural and human resources, their cultures, from the homogenizing and institutionalizing forces of globalized capitalism. The "think globally - act locally" viewpoint is popular, but people don't understand that NOTHING will be done locally if the market isn't restricted, to a degree. Protectionism is NOT necessarily absolute (i.e. the iron curtain) or regressive. In biology, it is BARRIERS that accelerate adaptive evolution. Thinking that economic protectionism is retrograde, inefficient and xenophobic is the dogma that protects globalization. True humanists should be alarmed at the destructive, blending and hollowing out of endemic cultures throughout the world that has occurred along with globalization.
6
My top candidate is Elizabeth Warren but Andrew Yang is third (after Cory Booker). For people who are citing his lack of political experience, check out his website — he has a lot of innovative policies and seems to be a candidate of substance, not just riding on his previous popularity like a few other candidates I won’t name. And, like Warren, he is a great communicator, so he can get his ideas across in a way that is easy for Americans to grasp and see how it would affect them. We certainly will not be as bad off with this unconventional candidate as we are with our reality TV persona.
5
Finally, some well deserved exposure in main stream media. Thank you, NYT, for this article.
22
How come no political experience is good when it comes to Andrew Yang and bad when it applies to Marianne Williamson?
3
Being able to laugh at oneself is a sign of mental health. That seems to be a quality in short supply in government. We need Yang. If not the White House, the cabinet. Thank you for wanting to improve our country, Mr. Yang. And NYT, we need more in depth coverage of his ideas and plans. This seems to be a pretty skimpy article.
24
As The Dude explains in the The Big Lebowski, “This is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you's. And, uh, lotta strands to keep in my head, man.”
One thing Donald Trump’s incompetence makes clear is that we live in a complicated world requiring a leader who has some experience in dealing with all of the “strands.” Despite Yang’s sincerity and intelligence, we cannot afford to take a one-issue candidate seriously. Guaranteed basic income will be an extremely important issue in the future, so his one issue is not trivial. But does he have more? If so, he needs to start broadcasting his thoughts on all of the issues relevant to being the leader of the free world.
If, on the other hand, he is only running to get publicity for his one policy, then he needs to get one or more of the candidates to promise to make him the Secretary of Whatever in order to implement guarantee basic income. Then he needs to drop out of the campaign so we can focus electing someone capable of being the whole President, not a one-dimensional shill for a singe idea, no matter how good an idea it is.
1
@Marshall Doris He's got 110+ policy proposals described in detail on his website. He leads with the Freedom Dividend as a campaign strategy, and it is working...it identifies and differentiates him...but there is clearly a lot more there.
20
@Marshall Doris
You are mistaken. Yang's web site lists his more than 140 policy positions, all clearly spelled out for anyone without a "sound-bite" attention span.
He covers the Economy, Jobs, Labor, Environment, Civil Rights, Health Care, Education, Family, Foreign Policy, Immigration and even has a Miscellaneous/Fun heading.
You ought to read further before judging from one skimpy NYT article. But I applaud you (and others) for scrolling to the bottom of the Times to find this Yang article.
To the NYT - I am past middle-aged, female, and listening intently to Yang's presentations, and am ready to step on the bandwagon. So - Get going with more prominent coverage on this fellow's campaign!
19
@Marshall Doris he has a lot of well thought out policy proposals that go the the heart of what is wrong in our country. Check them out on his campaign website.
12
Envision this man against Donald Trump in a debate. It's a pleasant thought.
27
That UBI would allow me to retire and gleefully hand over my job to a younger person.
18
Indeed, think hard, America. Or better, listen to Andrew Yang.
His UBI proposal is a simple but incredible solution to many complex things. It is amply called the "Freedom Dividend." If implemented it will immediately impact the more than 40M who live in poverty in America (2018 estimates).
15
Wow, what positive support for Yang in the comment section.
I wondered whether there might have been more made of his decision to restrict UBI to U.S. citizens, excluding lawful permanent residents, other Visa holders, and the undocumented.
His discussion of this point on Preet's podcast was woefully naive - bizarre even given the number of foreign nationals working in his industry and paying big taxes. At one point he states: "only citizens should receive some of the dividend from our shared progress" and when pressed on the scope of the exclusion stated that he didn't "think there are tens of millions of legal residents in the U.S." (Just counting green card holders there were about 13.2 million in 2015.) He also didn't know that non citizens are eligible for Social Security.
@NSR Can you give the link and or the time where he said this? Yang is very good with facts and I have listened to most of his interviews and I don't recall slips.
9
I believe that universal basic income is in our future when more and more jobs are automated. Of course, the devil is in the details, in who would receive this stipend. For example, would those already retired be eligible or those already well off too? I look forward to Andrew Yang explaining his vision of how it would be paid for during the Democratic debates. Who will be paying income tax when the jobs are done by robots?
1
@Just paying attention You can also look on his website - he explains that and a lot more policy ideas.
8
@Just paying attention Yes, all American adults are eligible. The top 10% of earners wind up paying more into it than $1k/month. It reduces poverty by 74%, income inequality by up to double digits.
1) https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-freedom-dividend-faq/
2) UBI interactive calculator: https://www.ubicenter.org/plans
3) Gory details by a 3rd party Google analyst: “Distributional analysis of Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend” by Max Ghenis https://link.medium.com/VzgBw5iNsZ
7
@Just paying attention Yes, the retired and well-off will receive the dividend too. The "universality" of the Freedom Dividend is one of its main draws: it's hard to argue that it's unfair and no one needs to feel a stigma for accepting it.
There's a lot more info here:
https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-freedom-dividend-faq/
6
For all the talk of how many policies he has written out on his website, Elizabeth Warren has just as much if not more, and she also has relevant job experience. I'm going with her.
7
@Lisa Warren is an automation denialist. She said it's "a nice story, but not true". Yang is the only candidate truly addressing automation and the problems in communities on the ground. At the last debates in Detroit, he was the only one that mentioned the problems there and hence according to the Root was considered the winner of the debate by locals.
To compare one policy in response, Yang got an A+ by Equal Citizens for democratic reform policies, ahead of all candidates. Warren got a B. https://equalcitizens.us/andrew-yang-views/
Also, Yang is clean and takes no corporate money. Warren said she would take PAC money for the general.
16
I was all for Warren until I listened to Yang. The most recent town hall on CNN showed that she leveled attacks to corporations without offering solutions.
5
The consequence of UBI is not that difficult to fathom: it's social security for all. This is a very good thing for Americans. Fundamentally, UBI will provide a floor for Americans so that we will no longer have to tolerate so many Americans living in squalor and desperation. With considerable purchasing power, unemployed (and unemployable) Americans could secure basic services through the private sector that can leverage economies of scale to deliver everything from housing, food, and health care. As is the case with the elderly who rely entirely on social security, while these basic services aren't luxurious, they will allow people to live with dignity. Before social security, the face of the American poor was the elderly and it shocked the nation. UBI is our best hope to save the largest number of Americans from being hopeless and dispossessed.
19
Universal basic income is but one component of what we need for our nation if it will continue as a democracy. You also need the component of a Sanders and Warren and O'Rourke to end Citizens United and unlimitted money in politics. We also need Buttigieg's reform of getting rid of The Electoral College. I would like you to publish more on Yang's platform. Universal health care? Publish more details - do not send me to his site. Provide critique.
3
@1blueheron Yang wants Medicare for all. It is one of his 3 pillars, including UBI and a human centered economy which would lead away from GDP as national focus toward a national scorecard of well-being that would focus instead on freedom from substance abuse, quality of drinking water, mental health, etc.
Yang is for overturning Citizens United and also has an extensive democratic reform platform which got him highest grade among all candidates, an A+. https://equalcitizens.us/andrew-yang-views/
One example policy: $100 for every voter to go toward a vote in an election that would wash out lobbyist influence by 8:1 ("democracy dollars"). He also is for ranked choice voting to get rid of the 2-party monopoly on elections.
6
@1blueheron I'm not sure why you do not want to go to his site but he is for universal healthcare, reversing Citizen's United and damping its impact with democracy dollars. He has a lot of policy proposals - too many to reasonably explain to you in a comments section.
8
Y'all have to be familiar with Andrew Yang's "democracy dollars." It's an ingenious way to sidestep lobbyists and Citizens United.
20
The Democratic candidate has to do more than just beat Trump, they have to clean up the complex mess Trump has left behind. Yang is incapable of that feat. No one in the Democratic field is more accomplished at implementing solutions than Senator Warren. Besides, Trump is becoming easier to beat every time he opens his mouth.
The last thing we need is another business man with no governmental experience glibly announcing that he can solve it all. Senator Warren is vastly more needed in the White House than Yang.
Within the first two paragraphs, the Yang candidacy was lauded for the very qualities Senator Warren has been riding with since day one. Yang is not in the least bit original. Senator Warren has all the supporting data and numbers, and vastly exceeds Yang's capabilities with a concrete plan written from the hand of experience in the epicenter of Washington politics.
This next Democratic President Elect will face the exact same situation President Obama faced: stepping-in to repair the massive disaster Baby Bush left behind. Which hopefully will give voters a smack on the head before they ever vote for another republican candidate again.
Of course young men idolize a man like Yang who steps into the game like James Bond claiming he's the only one who can take down Trump. It's like idolizing character in a video game.
6
@KAB Yang would be our first businessman in a long while. Trump wasn't really a businessman, he was just a failed conman who played a businessman on TV.
8
Do MATH, read Yang’s policies, and listen to him. The you can see why Yang is a much stronger candidate than Warren, whom I like and thought I would vote for until I heard Yang’s talks and read his book.
4
For those who think Yang is wrong on automation destroying jobs because all past progress led to new jobs in new industries, I hate to tell you but this time IS different.
Yang’s not the only one saying it. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, among others, are saying the same thing. These guys you’ve heard of. Will you believe them?
This is an example of why this time is different: AlphaZero, the game-playing AI created by Google sibling DeepMind, has beaten the world’s best chess-playing computer program (which beats all human chess players) having taught itself how to play in under four hours. Taught itself. No human input. This is an order of magnitude different from replacing the horse and buggy or telephone operators. This is replacing 90% truck drivers, car drivers, warehouse workers, lawyers, radiologists, accountants...all at the same time.
What Yang is doing is proposing and championing the solution. BTW, Elon Musk has endorsed Andrew Yang.
19
30 years ago my college professors taught us that America was going to become service based. Great, we can all work at MCDonalds while our milling machines, with the Germans the best in the world, were shipped to China. Now those jobs will be gone. But then again the Industrial revolution was to do away with the worker, as was the cotton gin. At least his ideas are not as insane as the squads. And Warren wants to bring back the corrupt unions. I would rather vote for this guy.
8
He seems to be the only Democratic candidate who is reaching out to the white middle Americans in the heartland and rust belt who voted for Trump in a way that is not condescending or blaming. Also, given his proximity to people in tech industries, I trust his macroeconomic perspective related to automation. His interview on the Joe Rogan podcast is a must listen.
I do have concerns about how he would lead around domestic social issues. We're in a cultural and political moment where identity is greatly amplified (for better or worse [I would say worse]) and his status as both privileged and affluent, while being from a racial minority group that doesn't have as long or deep a history as other groups can make for awkwardness at times (in his address to the NAACP he essentially punted on the issue of race and said black people are simply the moral authority in the US).
Foreign policy also seems to be a question mark too. He is clearly an intelligent person, but would he be willing to assert himself on the world stage where more authoritarian leaders are cropping up?
Concerns aside, I like him and I wish him well.
48
@Kevin Thanks for your message. I don't know if that's what he said to the NAACP. Please elaborate.
Yang is seen by many as the uniter this country needs. He is not ideological and focuses on the issues; many notice that he answers questions very directly unlike most politicians. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-andrew-yangs-robot-apocalypse-can-heal-a-divided-nation His foreign policy has really been ramping up. (Not 100% sure this is most updated) https://www.cfr.org/article/andrew-yang
14
@Kevin
I think Asian culture in the United States is plenty deep to have an Asian President. Further, I would extend this to any race and obviously gender. We're all Americans. I'm far more interested in a candidate's policy, vision for America's future, and their ability to implement. Yang has demonstrated enormous promise on all of these fronts.
20
@Kevin I'm not leaning towards Yang for president, but I sure like the idea of him becoming Secretary of Labor or something similar. In fact, a wonderful Cabinet could be put together from the Democratic presidential hopefuls who don't get on the general election ballot.
13
Yang’s presentation this past week on CNN’s candidate’s platform re climate change seemed more cohesive than the other candidates. He had a solid, scientific, well researched plan.
I don’t know who the Dems will ultimately pick but it would be so great for this country if whomever got the nomination; utilized their opponent’s talents in their administration. Yang should be in charge of the EPA, at the least.
9
Yes, visionaries like Yang are inspiring. And, since our political rhetoric is so wearying and dysfunctional and has brought us such abysmal recent results, how can we not respond positively to Yang?
But a president has to work in our government and political structures, for better or worse. I can't see Yang doing that. How do his ideas translate into public policy that can gain support and become law?
1
Mr. Yang seems like a nice guy. But I cannot take him seriously unless he commits himself to a significant overhaul of our tax structure, which the Republicans have made less and less progressive, permitting millionaires and corporations to pay little in taxes, while shredding the safety net for the rest of us.
This is a FUNDAMENTAL underlying issue. Warren and Sanders have faced it squarely, and there is no doubt about where they stand. And Mr. Yang?
8
@Maurice Wolfthal
From Yang's policy page, "A VAT is currently used by 160 out of 193 countries, including every developed nation except the US, because it is a more efficient way of generating revenue with no loopholes. Big companies and rich people are excellent at moving things around to avoid taxes – Amazon, Google, and other companies funnel hundreds of billions in earnings overseas. A VAT makes it impossible for them to benefit from the American people and infrastructure without paying their fair share.
Taxing income is an increasingly ineffective and inefficient way to generate revenue over time. Take a company like Amazon—it can do tens of billions in business and pay no income tax in a given period while storing its income overseas. A Value-Added Tax is a much more efficient way to capture the true value of the American infrastructure and will be increasingly necessary over time as more and more work is done by software, robots and artificial intelligence. With a VAT of half the European level, we can pay for Universal Basic Income for all American adults of $1,000 per month."
8
A European style social democratic approach to labor would negate any need for Andrew Yang's techy-feely prescription for the underclass. Comparing the universal basic income to the comprehensive overhaul advocated by Sanders & Warren reveals it to be only a temporary fix to quiet the disaffected with no plan for the future. A dead end job with long hours & poor working conditions with a few extra bucks to compensate can only satisfy for a very short while.
3
@Apple Jack " A dead end job with long hours & poor working conditions with a few extra bucks to compensate"
Oh, wait. I thought you were referring to the Federal Jobs Guarantee... but that, of course, doesn't even include the few extra backs.
7
This article and especially the comments are excellent to read. When all of the 20 candidates all were announcing, I took the time to read Andrew Yang's policy page and I found the thoroughness of all of his plans, including UBI, amazing. Then I heard him speak and I've been supporting him ever since. He truly deserves far more attention and I'm hopeful he will overcome the odds and become the Democratic nominee. I'd be happy with others, but think Yang's message has the best chance to resonate with more Americans and I think his plans and approach to our problems provides the best path forward.
25
Anyone who uses Alaska as an example of universal income done well, and thinks it can and should be scaled, has not been paying attention to what's going on in Alaska. While Yang doesn't seem to have anything in common with our current governor Mike Dunleavy, (whose budgeting decisions in aid of giving Alaskans a bigger dividend ("free money" check) prompted a record-breaking recall effort), promises of "free money" always come on the backs of someone. In Dunleavy's budget, it was early education, our university system, our Council on the Arts, mental health, and public radio (in most of Alaska, the only news available). Yang probably has other ideas for how to pay for such a thing; it would have been helpful for the article to name them.
6
@Amy, it's a big oversight in the article. Yang is very clear it would be paid for by a VAT tax. High spenders and consumers would chip in more. It would exempt groceries and other staples.
4
Eventually there will be no jobs. Within the lifetimes of people being born today, nearly all physical labor and much intellectual labor will be automated. But that's actually a good thing. The problem is that we need to change our entire socioeconomic system to accommodate, something that Andrew Yang clearly understands. Universal Basic Income is a cornerstone of that new system.
17
For those of you who believe Andrew Yang’s message is singular, I would urge you to look more closely at his policies.
Yes, he does present bad news, but unlike the current president, he doesn’t blame others for it. He offers real, thoughtful solutions.
I first saw Yang on Bill Maher and was pleasantly surprised to find an intelligent, erudite candidate. And although he didn’t get much time in the second debates, he, again, made an impression.
In fact, after those debates, I donated to his campaign. I might add that it’s the first time I’ve donated to any political campaign.
My overarching concern these days is climate change. I loved Jay Inslee’s platform, but Yang is right when he says it’s difficult to get people interested in the future when they’re worried about food on the table today.
I still don’t know for whom I will vote in the primaries, but I can tell you Yang has my attention.
25
@Dunn Arceneaux Maher is a foul-mouthed narcissist.
Andrew Yang does NOT have to be elected to make a HUGE difference. If his idea enters the collective Zeitgeist. First the will laugh. Then they will fight. They they will protest. Then they will arrest the protesters.
Then they will pass Universal Basic Income.
21
The robots-are-taking-our-jobs scare story is old and irrational on its face, but it seems to resonate with people in unsettling times and Yang is exploiting this unfortunately. Automation is just another word for productivity, and it’s something we should welcome because it frees up people for more leisure and other pursuits. The iPhone replaced telephone operators, and streaming services replaced DVD makers, and the automobile replaced the horse and buggy. The point is that in our economy, people are displaced all the time, but they acquire new skills and migrate to other industries. You’ll notice Yang laments automation but doesn’t have any answers for it, because he’s a free market, or corporate, Democrat. His other idea about how we measure GDP is useful. It doesn’t make sense that it counts an oil spill as a net positive because we have to spend money—increase economic activity—to clean it up while ignoring intangibles like a parent staying home to raise a child. The problem with his proposal is that he doesn’t explain how we would value, say, reforestation beyond the money spent on planting the trees. Finally the universal basic income is a fantasy. He should instead be arguing for stronger unions and collective bargaining, as well as more federal spending on infrastructure, public health, education and green energy. But then he’d lose what makes him unique in this race: being the friendly corporate Democrat that Howard Schultz couldn’t pull off.
5
@AINewman
Yes, for the most part we’ve adapted to technological changes, but ask yourself why does Trump still command a strong loyalty among his followers? They all cling to his MAGA rhetoric because change is difficult. He continues to promise what [never] was.
Yang is the flip side of that coin. He’s telling people things are going to change, just as you say. But he’s offering them a path that might make those changes easier and more acceptable.
I don’t believe he’s using fear to garner support. I think he’s just telling the truth (shocker) as he sees it. As for offering no solutions to continuing automation, he does. I would urge you to read a little more about his policies, which include universal healthcare and strong environmental proposals.
20
@AlNewman
Robots taking our jobs may have been an irrational fear in the past but technology has advanced a lot in recent years.
What's sci fi to you is going to be a reality to the younger generations.
3
Despite many constituents genuine interest in his policy ideas, his obvious intelligence, his sensitivity and kindness, his surprising fundraising — the press still presents Yang as a cute sideshow.
It feels a lot like structural bigotry. And it’s a tragic disservice to our country because he’s talking about real issues that will amplify in significance in the very near term.
I don’t feel the need to say I don’t know if he can be elected. I don’t care. He has ideas worth discussing and they are original and refreshing.
He deserves more exposure.
37
I thought Yang was a single-issue guy until I looked at his website and saw a LOT of policy positions, most of which are in line with what Warren & Bernie are proposing, and are NOT in line with corporate-centrist democrat failures of the past 30 years.
19
I like much of what he says, but I'm tired of amateurs. I'd be more comfortable about his if he had been on a school board, or run for sheriff, or run for a city council seat.
7
Contrary to this article, I'm an older voter that enthusiastically support Yang both because of his demeanor as well as message, and the detailed policies he has fleshed out. Simply put, I like what he is doing and proposing. Just hope he can talk to enough people in Iowa and New Hampshire to make a big impact. We need his kind of forward thinking AND actual intelligent innovative policies if this country is going to continue to dive down the bottomless pit of extreme partisanship that it's doing right now.
13
@Craig We are in our 60's and are really interested in Yang.
5
He’s the only candidate, to my knowledge, who is proposing solutions for the inevitable jobs takeover by technology. He’s got my support.
15
Earlier this summer, I saw Andrew Yang campaigning door-to-door with one aide in my home city (Allentown, PA).
I didn't give him too much thought before spotting him around town - even though I liked some of his ideas - but now I know that he's a driven and serious candidate.
Unfortunately, didn't get the chance to meet him :(
5
While I think by now America should have leaned a lesson and never, ever votrs again for a presidential candidate that's never previously held public office, I do hope that our next president offers Mr. Yang either a cabinet position or some other advisory post. He's an intelligent man, with some valuable insights.
6
@liceu93
Donald Trump is an aberration and an anomaly. All of our past presidents had some form of political experience. I’d be willing to bet you believe at least a few of them to be subpar.
Politics can be learned, but intelligence can’t.
5
Yang is forward thinking and seems -- dare I say it?? -- authentic. I want so badly to cast my vote for him. My questions are: Can he rise to the top of the Democratic presidential contenders? Can he garner enough Dem support? If so, I think he could beat trump.
7
@Niki Cervantes
You are absolutely right. He has the ability (I think) to pull some of Trump’s supporters from the quagmire.
5
I keep reading remarks from people that fear automation and/or AI. Afraid that the industrial robots are going to take over and either kill us or take our jobs. They've obviously never worked in a plant with robotic welders or pallet changers and whatnot. It isn't Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet or The Robot from Lost In Space. They do repetitive work, much better than a human, they have to be programmed by humans, the programming will get more complicated and things advance, but they're a long way from taking over your space vessel and destroying the Universe. I build them, somebody has to.
4
@BorisRoberts - Yeah, robots all sound good and safe until someone sticks an emojii chip into Data and then lookout world, the Borg will take us all over!
1
If past is predictive, someone will also have to maintain, repair, upgrade, and eventually replace robots. Will this be done by other robots? Will Evangelicals demand the right to limit what the robots are allowed to do when replacements or additions are needed, or when an obsolete class is slated for the junk Heap?
Given the chance, I'd vote for him. And not because of the free money, but because he understands the jobs are going away. This fear is partly what got Turmp elected but unlike Trump, Yang isn't lying about it. Yang isn't telling anybody not to sell their house because the jobs are coming back.
13
Bread and circuses!
But seriously, even in ancient Rome the emperors made sure that there was the grain dole. This was before automation when slaves took all the work and the patricians took all the land.
Now that machines will be able to do valuable work, do the benefits of all that automation only go to the capital-holding class? Or to the rest of us?
5
Mr. Yang has no professional experience in industrial automation, so why "...is explaining automation to the masses..." ?
Perhaps this is one reason he doesn't understand that most manufacturing jobs in the U.S., over the past twenty years, have not been lost to automation, they've been shipped to China where hand assembly is less expensive because it is subsidized by the Chinese Communist Party. In the video he says: "We automated away four million manufacturing jobs in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin..."
5
If universal basic income is meant to alleviate economic hardship specifically of those affected by automation (i.e., the working poor), it should not really be called “universal,” now is it? And if it is not in fact universal, then we already have a solution for that: welfare (or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or whatever it’s called these days). Why not just make that the core of Yang’s platform? Answer: because that platform would be unelectable.
2
You are comparing Apples and oranges and coming up with fruit salad.
3
We have to be open to the fact that enough voters want something new and different. There's not a lack of justification for the notion. Look around the political landscape and you see politicians like the Turtle, Moscow MItch.
Give the average American credit for understanding that change is afoot in the world and it doesn't have to be bad and standing still is not good enough.
I would also have liked hearing from Tom Steyer who is another one who has not held elected office before.
If a party as staid as the Republicans could nominate Trump then why shouldn't dems do them one better: An outsider who isn't lying about being an outsider.
4
So $1,000 a month would be about, oh, $2 trillion per year. Sure, why not.
3
He is unlikely to end up as the nominee, but if he does I will work hard to get him elected and I will vote for him. Same thing goes for every other Dem candidate because each one of them is an infinitely better option than Trump. Vote Blue No Matter Who.
8
I prefer Bernie; with that said, Yang is a fresh perspective and a needed voice. Delaney, Ryan, Hickenlooper, Klobuchar, Inslee, Gillibrand et al are all milquetoast carbon copies of the typical, little-known, unimaginative, compromised status quo candidate who offer incremental movements for desperate problems. Biden is the known status quo candidate. Harris, Booker are the slightly known status quo candidates.
Global warming, income maldistribution, soaring college costs, money or your life healthcare dysfunction, endless war, growing gun carnage, crumbling infrastructure....these are all huge problems.
Better to get someone with a vision or clear priorities a la Warren, Gabbard, Bernie or Yang.
4
I’m an Englishman who has been in this country for 12 years....despite picking up a few Americanisms over the years, I never thought I’d say ‘math’ instead of ‘mathS’, but that how into the Yang Gang I am!!
11
As a middle class, white conservative woman, Andrew Yang is a very compelling candidate. I am looking for someone other than Trump to vote for ...he's it. Hopefully the media will give him a chance, but I doubt it...
8
Slogans like MATH are obnoxious and arrogant. If UBI is not implemented with other serious and sweeping adjustments in our economic policies and philosophy, it will be consumed by inflation and market predation faster than you can blink.
Mr. Yang's ideas are not new. The only thing new is they are allowed some air after the fiasco that has been this century so far.
I appreciate his voice, the same way I appreciate Marianne Williamson's. I am hopeful the conversation is changing because of him, but as it stands today, he looks more like a wolf in sheep's clothing to me. Tacit approval of "the fourth industrial revolution" in the current state of the world seems more like adherence to tradition than bold leadership or vision.
3
Human beings need meaningful work not free money and idle time. We should put those dollars to use by creating infrastructure jobs. There’s unlimited need for improved infrastructure. We have thousands of unemployed people in our cities idling next to crumbling buildings!
3
@Voice Of Reason True - Infrastructure jobs would be beneficial to the country - right now ...but the boy in the White House is focused on only one infrastructure - His (stupid) Wall.
Yang's proposed Freedom Dividend adds to a low income family's ability to survive. He is not abolishing work opportunities. Read his proposals.
3
He’s probably twenty-ish years early with his ideas. But I’m glad he’s starting a necessary conversation.
4
America won the 20th century because of John Dewey's pragmatism not through any magic ideology. We can now all see that Carter's acknowledgement of a malaise and its cure was what America needed from its president. America chose Reagan and VooDoo and America and the World are in deep DooDoo.
Carter is a real Christian he is a man a faith and a man of math and science.
There will be no Rapture, every generation generates many Messiahs but God or the gods do not determine our destiny. In 1776 Voltaire and Rousseau were more important in determining America's destiny then the "to think is to stink"
late 19th and early 20th century Evangelicals.
Without evolution there is no science, without understanding math there is no science. This is not about political philosophy is a debate about whether government serves the needs of we the people or it serves the needs of those of whom Voltaire said:"Those who can make you believe absurdities , can make you commit atrocities."
It may be too late but it is time to understand the separation of Church and State means much more than believing in "pie in sky" it is about Voodoo economics and a world that does not evolve, where small government and low taxes solve all problems for all time.
Andrew Yang knows this and I am sure as do other Democratic Candidates. Understanding truth and speaking truth should not disqualify one from the Oval Office but I fear Jimmy Carter was the last great hope. Meanwhile I hope Yang can gather support.
4
How will he work with Congress to make this policy into a law? We need a Democrat with the political skills and experience to actually legislate. Otherwise all the ideas in the world are just worthless promises.
4
@Martha This podcast (https://crooked.com/podcast/andrew-yang-on-the-universal-basic-income-and-why-he-hates-the-penny/), @ 15 min has his response:
"When I’m president in 2021 the Democrats – thanks to you all, thank you Pod Save America – will be so pumped to have gotten Donald Trump out of there will all be dancing a jig, you know in DC. And so everyone will be super excited about the dividend because it’s going to get more money into the hands of everyday Americans and make families and children stronger and healthier.
And then on the conservative side, they’re going to look at this and be like, wait a minute, this is actually a big win for rural areas in red states that have been decimated by automation. And a lot of their constituents will say, what I don’t like is the government making my decisions. But this is actually the Frreedom Dividend. This is pro-economic freedom.
And so there will be at least some conservatives who will look at this and say, well Alaska passed something just like this. And Alaska is a deep red conservative state. That was a Republican governor.
There’s some need of appeal on the conservative side because it feels like it’s somehow increasing people’s economic autonomy. Now, that’s not going to work on everyone. I mean obviously, they’ll be some Republicans that are like, I hate this it’s like, you know, massive government handout etcetera
But we don’t need 81% of Congress really need 51% because this is just a bill like any other"
4
@Meredith He needs to take a political science course.
1
Voted for Ron Paul, then Trump, anyone to put the brakes on the War Machine... Yang would be the first Democrat I've ever voted for. Tell you what, put Tulsi on the ticket (as either President or VP), and that will close the deal for me!
4
I certainly support the idea to "Make America Think Harder"
However, as we all know, no one has gone broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public, so it is a real challenge to do it. Lazy politicians who don't make us think have had a field day lately. Religious beliefs don't help either, apparently a lot of people don't think that God gave us these brains so we can think and observe things for our self
Good luck to Andrew Yang- America also shows that if you don't give up sometimes good things happen.
6
In the age of Trump, lack of political experience is irrelevant.
Both the thoughtful Yang as well as the lightweight Williamson have every chance in the world.
1
Re: Universal Basic Income
The US actually has something like this, and studying and discussing it it would provide valuable data as to whether or not this is actually a workable idea.
It is the yearly payout from the Alaska Permanent Fund. Once a year all qualifying Alaska residents get a payout. The 2018 payout, for example, was $1,600. It waxes and wanes with the price of oil.
I wonder if Yang has looked at it at all. Apparently the day the payout is issued, Costco Anchorage puts big screen TVs and other such items on sale to grab a lot of that money. My sister, wiser than most, put her and her son's yearly payout from his birth to age 18 in an S&P index fund, and he now has enough to pay for a good bit of his college education.
Some people will use the money wisely, and many will just blow it all as soon as they get it.
@The Poet McTeagle
So the wise reap their benefits and the others inject the cash back into the economy? Where is the problem?
4
@The Poet McTeagle, in listening to several podcast interviews, Yang routinely uses Alaska as an example.
Nice piece on Yang. Tulsi Gabbard is also helping make us think much harder about our kneejerk involvement in conflicts the world over. Yet you did a one-dimensional hatchet piece on her in your August 2 issue of the Sunday magazine, asserting she was some sort of doomsday purveyor, when nothing could be further from the truth. I'm glad you're putting so-called lower tier candidates like Yang in the limelight, and in a positive way at that, and hope you will revisit your coverage of Gabbard.
2
@Christopher P., good point. Gabbard offers a compelling and leading voice regarding the military industrial complex. Yet she's been largely ignored.
1
"At his events in New Hampshire, those fans tended to skew largely white, slightly male and very young."
Huge surprise !!!
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of New Hampshire was:
White: 93.42%
Asian: 2.50%
Two or more races: 1.97%
Black or African American: 1.40%
Other race: 0.53%
Native American: 0.16%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.02%
and about 50% male!!!
"Mr. Yang’s big-city rallies can draw thousands and tend to attract more diverse crowds, including an unusually high share of Asian-Americans."
Do you think Asian Americans might be attracted to an Asian-American presidential candidate.???
How unusual!!!
7
The first time I saw a Yang lawn sign I chuckled. Now I'm ready to place one front and center. Go Yang!
15
I am behind definitely. Just like Mr. Yang, I think people should think a little more about everything around him. I support him definitely. I am also a supporter of Mr. Bernie because of the medicare as well as the education when going to college. I have student loans now and trying to get a job that will help me start pay it is definitely a struggle. However, why should I have to suffer just to go back to school. Yes, my loan provider helps by going by my income but the fact that I still have a school loan just hanging around while i am trying to do other things in life that may have me asking for more loans is not something I want in the future. however, I still have many questions about Yang's plan.
3
@Setera
Mr. Yang is also for Medicare for all. Although Mr. Yang doesn't offer free 4-year college tuition, he does want graduates to pay only 10% of their income for 10 years and then it will be forgiven. Why I prefer UBI to free 4-year college tuition or a government jobs guarantee, is that UBI also helps retirees, stay-at-home caregivers, and those unable to work. He has over 150 policies and also has many answers to his UBI proposal on his website. Hope it's helpful!
https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-freedom-dividend-faq/
https://www.yang2020.com/policies/
3
I don’t understand why a guaranteed basic income is described as such a radical notion; wealthy Americans, oil,en, and farmers have been floating along on their guaranteed income for years, and they don’t even need it. A problem I see is the proposal of the flat thousand which might seem very generous in Emporia, Kansas, but would not cover the most basic rent in urban America. An alternative might be that those who do not need the extra income be given the opportunity to earn a nice tax deduction by declining their grand so others could get more according to their cost of living.
23
@Pottree
You don't seem to know the difference between small- or mid-scale farmers (i.e. what people think of as 'farmers') and agribussinessmen/commodity farmers. Farmers who actually farm their own land without expensive mechanization or a migrant work force have to compete against corporate "farmers", who also do get substantial subsidies. And yet WE get blaimed by the uninformed public for the dividends that our corrupt politicians return to these agribusinesses. (They also like to brand us as xenophobes, bigots, racists, etc., but that's another story.)
1
@Pottree
He is proposing a dividend. Not an income.
I support Pete Buttigieg but I also believe that Yang has ideas that deserve to be heard. They are both refreshing and thoughtful, and I have donated to both.
15
@SYJ except buttigieg takes money from billionaires and has the most amount of billionaire donors out of all the candidates. He's in the pocket of the special interests, whereas yang has the highest percentage of small donors out of every candidate (including warren/sanders). He's not beholden to the lobbyists and special interests, is it any surprise, the establishment media outlets are trying to silence him?
25
@Tony So wait, he made five paid speeches to JPMorgan Chase at 10K per speech, and you say he's not beholden to special interests? We don't need another millionaire lawyer in politics at this point in time. Unlike, Yang, Mayor Pete can talk intelligently and thoughtfully on many topics that affect this country, including health care, climate change, foreign policy, immigration, etc., etc., etc.
4
@SYJ Buttigeig does not have the chops for the job you want to hand him. He doesn't have near enough experience. And while he thoughtfully opines on camera with his fresh face, realize whoever gets the job as President Elect has to clean up the massive disaster Trump leaves behind. And only Senator Warren has the experience and savvy to accomplish Post-Trump leadership.
1
I really like this guy. I don't know if he has the breadth of experience, in particular political experience, for the job but he has the tone, demeanor, and message to unite people.
30
@Larry
The Trump presidency has shown us an important detail: That you don't need political experience to run the country. The bureaucracy will do that for the most part. The president sets the tone, though.
Trump set a tone of narcissism, fear of speaking out, brown nosing, incompetency, and denial.
Yang will set a tone of cooperation, clear policy, and respect. His personality is that of an actual leader, not a playground bully with the richest parents and the most sycophants.
9
@Larry But he is smart to know what he DOESN'T know and surround himself with the best cabinet.
5
@Larry I think our current WH inhabitant showed us all breadth of experience no longer matters.
It'll be interesting to see if Yang continues to gain momentum, how other candidates address his signature UBI policy. If the idea grows in popularity will other candidates, especially those further to the left, entertain or even embrace UBI as a workable policy in their platforms?
Right now it seems like other candidates are content with mostly ignoring Yang and his ideas, but if his popularity continues to grow they'll have to UBI directly at some point.
I hope Yang directly challenges other candidates to comment on UBI during the debates.
19
Just like Medicare for all, he is running on a single message. And his message presented to the nation will be slowly but surely, at the very least contemplated as a possible solution. He is extremely effective. He stays on message and doesn't deviate. He has engaged with real families who he has helped, and held up as proof that his concept is not merely an idea. How he or any of the candidates now or in the future take pieces of his ideas and adopt some into effective legislation is anyone's guess. But his "crazy" idea is spreading into the political vernacular, especially with the youngest voter demographic who will be staking out their political strength as baby-boomers fade.
15
I find his approach refreshing. People are desperately looking for leadership that is not afraid to give us bad news followed by solutions that are thoughtful and doable. Too often we hear politicians blaming others for our problems and then not solving those problems because it would disadvantage themselves from doing so. We deserve better.
38
Yang is not an engineer; he is not a technical expert. He has a degree in economics, and another in law. His business was raising and investing money in Silicon Valley businesses that for the most part are selling hype. Half of what Silicon Valley promises will never come true; the other half will take 2-10 times as long to finish as they claim. Andrew Yang is selling the country fear and hype in exactly the same way.
Yes, automation is gradually decreasing the manpower necessary to carry out manufacturing tasks. "Middle skill" jobs in manufacturing have been disappearing for decades, because we can automate them. Low skill jobs remain, which tend to be those jobs which use a person's dexterity, senses, and little training; they're not worth replacing. High skill jobs remain and are growing, jobs which require analytical and troubleshooting skills.
What Yang is over-hyping is the speed at which these jobs will be lost. Automation is hard to implement; it takes teams of skilled engineers that we have few of. Low skill jobs are low paid and aren't worth replacing. And AI techniques are nowhere near being able to replace most high skill jobs. AI has a finite scope of application, contrary to what you hear.
I automated processes in industry for 25 years before becoming an engineering professor who teaches automation. Yang is a money man who's selling a lot of hype. UBI's are a bad solution to a problem that is not likely to actually exist for decades, if ever.
22
For what it's worth, I have a PhD in machine learning. I do agree that the fear of automation may have been exaggerated. But, his proposed solutions actually could be very good for those low skill workers that you refer to. If you look at his proposals, you may find that it is a much more effective way to achieve a more humane society than a mandated minimum wage would do (for example, a mandated minimum wage may actually incentivize firms to replace workers even faster, or relegate employees to contractors). Regardless, the question is as a society, are we at a level where productions are abundant enough to guarantee everyone a minimum living standard independent of having a job? It is a question worth considering and worth giving him the airtime to discuss.
63
@Juan Le
Since student loan debts are at record highs, it's obvious that many people ARE indeed investing in their education and going back to school.
The problem isn't uneducated workers. The problem is that employers aren't paying a living wage, and UBI just gives them another excuse not to. This is how you wind up like Canada where the sheer number of people with college degrees has devalued them beyond recognition.
Want to be a receptionist working for $40K? Better have a bachelor's for that. Want to work in data science or analytics? Sorry, but only masters degrees and above, and you'll take your $65K and be grateful. Your undergrad in stats, computer science or math is simply not good enough.
1
Your argument is flawed...
From “copy your own key” booths in drugstores to checking out our own products in stores, automation is here.
Our consumer-based economy is driving this. We need UBI to counteract this push. Why wait?
4
Before we hand out free money I think we would do better to address the escalating cost of living in the US, else we risk universal basic income adding to inflation and lining the pockets of the CEO class even further.
Specifically America has a huge problem with
- Healthcare costs
- Higher education costs (basic eduction needs to be K-22 in modern times, and cover everything from 4 yr bachelors through trade schools)
- Housing costs particularly in the coastal cities
- Woeful commuter infrastructure
Unless the above are addressed the UBI will simply be funneled into medical/student/housing debt payment and will end up boosting the Wall St investor class.
21
Yang addresses each of these in his platform! UBI alone would be an iffy policy, but in the context of Yang's greater platform it makes much more sense.
32
@Sean Taylor
He addresses those as well. Check out his policies on his campaign website.
6
What's most compelling about Yang's platform is the recognition of the need to align financial incentives with progressive goals. That is, you have got to put resources (aka money) into people's hand to empower them, be it the Freedom Dividend or Democracy Dollars. Because on the other end of the scale, special interests of all stripes already have got it and dominated many levels of our government.
40
Andrew Yang is able to articulate today's problems and their solutions in a way that everyday people can understand and relate to. He is not undermining anyone's intelligence, but rather, asking them to find ways to better their own lives by understanding abstract topics like automation and climate change. This is the kind of unity we need in a leader and as a nation. Any candidate that can unite those on the right and left gets this reader's vote.
40
Andrew Yang may turn out to be a huge stroke of luck for America.
The 20th century style politics under which we still operate will give way to something new one way or another. Something has to address the income gap and technology.
He could help us do it thoughtfully and intelligently.
He can help move our politics into the 21st century.
45
If he just motivates younger voters to get engaged, pay attention, and turn out to vote (not even necessarily for himself), Yang will be one of the most important candidates since Obama. Compare and contrast his thoughtful if singleminded take, empathy, and intelligence... to Trump, a hate spewing, inexperienced, know nothing blowhard liar - who won anyway.
5
Warren/Yang -- let the good times roll!
23
@Auntie Mame or Yang/Warren, my 2 favorite candidates.
1
Yang is selling his $1,000/month "freedom dividend" as a boon to poor people.
However, those very people would have to choose between the "freedom dividend" or the benefits they currently receive (foodstamps, welfare, disability):
"people already receiving benefits (welfare programs, food stamps, disability and the like) would have a choice but would be ineligible to receive the full $1,000 in addition to current benefits."
https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-freedom-dividend-faq/
But the 1 percenters who don't need $1,000/month....don't have to "give anything up" to get their "freedom dividend".
And people think this is a great idea?
Evidently, Americans are easily deceived.
10
He has explained this. Making it universal removes the stigma because everyone is getting it, not unless you are in prison or, as you’ve pointed out, already receiving other benefits. The administration of this program will also be much less than other merit-based programs. Rich people are welcome to donate their UBI, but this is going to make a dent for vast majority of Americans.
I was a skeptic just like you, but now I’m convinced this is a good idea after listening to his thoughtful explanation. Look at all the breaks corporations and the wealthy get because they are perceived as job creators when it’s probably the opposite. It won’t be such a bad idea to give the common folks a break since the money recirculates in the real economy. How’s that for real job creation?
25
@John Andrew Yang discusses this around the 10 minute mark in this interview. Hope you find it helpful! https://crooked.com/podcast/andrew-yang-on-the-universal-basic-income-and-why-he-hates-the-penny/
4
@Sunny Vegas
You did not respond to the part where:
"people already receiving benefits (welfare programs, food stamps, disability and the like) would have a choice but would be ineligible to receive the full $1,000 in addition to current benefits."
Notice the phrase:
"ineligible to receive the full $1,000"
And the phrase:
"people already receiving benefits"
So Yang is telling poor people:
"Give up your foodstamps and welfare and disability payments...and I will give you $1,000/month instead. On top of that, you will pay an extra 10% on everything you buy as part of my VAT (value added tax) to fund your freedom dividend."
Poor folks would be lucky to breakeven under Yang's plan to give handouts to the wealthy (aka freedom dividend).
5
Free everything and social justice has always been the promise of the socialist anti free market totalitarians.
4
@DecliningSociety UBI is very capitalist. Every one gets it. You decide how to use it. Let the people make decisions, not bureaucrats.
@DecliningSociety Profit is theft. Capitalism is slavery.
Perhaps it's time for a "Modern Times" update (NOT a remake).
3
He may be a few years ahead of his time, but the time is coming whereby Yang or his ideas will dominate the American political landscape. His candidacy is a welcome breath of fresh air amongst all the hollering. If Sanders views toward healthcare, once deemed radical, are now dominating the Democratic party candidate platforms, we can hope by 2024 Yang’s will hold a similar sway. Nice article.
20
By 2024 that means Trump gets re-elected. I can’t bear the thought.
2
And what’s the plan to manage the transition to Mr. Yang’s UBI future? His proposition may have some merit but transitioning to it is fraught with challenges and heartache. He may be smart and capable but how will he generate the broad consensus necessary to make UBI a reality especially in light of the daunting inertia imposed by the status quo? I don’t mean to sound defeatist but the same holds true for other dramatic transitions being suggested by other candidates. This is why I support Biden’s “always forward, never straight” approach.
6
@Peabody I read this response to a similar question on the LATimes, from matthewncover "I believe it would be muuuch easier than anticipated. As Yang puts it (I'm paraphrasing):
"Democrats will be so thrilled to have booted Trump out of office and to work with the new Democratic president that rallying them behind a plan for income support for families and the poor will be no problem. And the great thing is that Republicans will look up and say 'wait a minute, this would be a huge win for rural areas and red states on the interior, do I really want to stand in the way of them receiving $1000/mo?' And I don't need two-thirds of congress to approve, I only need 51%."
One thing that I'll add is that if Yang won, it means that his flagship proposal, the Freedom Dividend, will have won over the American people. There will have been many Republican-held districts that voted for Yang, so it would likely be very disadvantageous for those sitting GOPers to deny them the dividend.
If Yang wins the nomination, he will win the general and successfully pass the Freedom Dividend."
Another person mentions how UBI was able to be passed in Alaska, a deep red state. Plus Andrew Yang unites people and has fans that identify as republicans, democrats, libertarians, and independents. Hope this helps!
12
@Meredith
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. You might be right but I’m still skeptical. I think the Freedom Dividend will be a hard sell to the meritocracy, small government types and those already receiving protected government subsidies. The Dems would have to win the Senate by a wide margin and even then it would be slog to get it passed.
1
@Peabody it may not be as hard a sell as you might think for the "winners" of the meritocracy:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/09/meritocracys-miserable-winners/594760/
And many advocates of small government like the idea of UBI for its streamlined, non-bureaucratic approach (one of the only things government does well is send large numbers of checks to large numbers of people on time, etc.)
Those receiving government subsidies would have the choice to continue or switch to the Freedom Dividend. Many would switch simply to be free of the hoops they jump through now to get their benefits.
It's time for new ideas and voices in America. The democrats have failed more than at any time in history. The executive and legislative branches are dominated by Trump's people. It's time for a change, and talking about automation and the freedom dividend is the way to do it
17
Humanity, empathy, and intelligence are optimal ingredients we need in a president of our country at this time. Mr. Yang, upon listening and observing, is composed, practical, and humble at the same time, in an authentic way. Cory Booker is similar in a general sense.
There is no doubt that Mr. Yang would do well on domestic issues in a non-divisive way if he were President. We need that focus. Foriegn policy issues are suspect, and he will need to prove himself as at least safe in this arena, looking out for our national security as well.
I want to listen to him. I am not interested in angry candidates who want to fight. Because that just means more fighting against ourselves. I am tired of that. Very tired. Maybe we should give the smartest candidate in the room a chance.
This ----> "Amid the recession, Mr. Yang moved on to develop Venture for America, a nonprofit entrepreneurship organization for college graduates that created jobs in underserved cities."
35
President Obama, if I recall correctly, warned president-elect Trump that the federal government is like an aircraft carrier, not a speed boat. It is extremely powerful, but it is not equipped to abruptly change speed or direction.
Many candidates, including everyone polling above 1% except Biden, seem well-meaning and capable but have fallen into the trap that Trump was warned about. Pretending that one can make abrupt and massive structural changes to the economy and foresee all of the unintended consequences or a tolerable path for those policies to be reversed if they fail is egomania that makes Silicon Valley seem humble.
Many of Yang's policies seem nearly certain to dramaticallly amplify criminality, and his desire to redefine GDP suggests he knows there are serious problems with them and he does not want them to be measured by an established-if-flawed metric.
I recognize that my assessment, despite my varied experience that includes significant time in systems engineering and economics, may be incorrect. The difference is the downside to my being wrong is that we find more modest policies to address the problems Mr. Yang claims we have, and the downside to Mr. Yand policies are far worse than the problems he hopes to address.
Humility is a necessary part of good government.
7
Finally one candidate discussing the real issues facing our nation and the world.
We are at the point where we can produce all the goods and services that humans need to survive employing less than 50% of the human resources.
So what now? Bring back sweat shops and manual assembly lines? Stop technology?
Or do something like Universal Basic Income so that we can all work for fulfillment and not for survival?
I don't know what the answer is, but we have to start discussing this issue before it is too late.
This could spell doomsday (imagine 50% of people not working...) or a fabulous leap forward for humanity.
Go Andrew Yang!
17
The idea of a no strings attached UBI is compelling. Government subsidies have historically gone to large corporations like telecoms, finance, pharma corps, and oil companies; or to select groups like farm subsidies.
Social security for those that need it for a disability is a constant series of hurdles that requires one to never do even mediocre at practically anything at all. If you seem too successful at something or even too good at taking care of your kid, then maybe you shouldnt be getting this money, in fact, you should have the privilege of paying Uncle Sam back. Even SNAP recipients have to constantly prove their need and provide proof they have worked enough community service or completed the necessary number of job applications.
A strings free UBI is a vote of confidence for the individual, it means being recognized as a shareholder in our nation. We can decide on our own what is best for our lives. I am much more confident in my own ability to spend a UBI to my own benefit than a corporation spending subsidized money or government beurocracies spending tax dollars on what they think I need. Let us get the boots off of our collective necks.
12
What's with this nefarious-sounding sentence, NYT ?
"As Mr. Yang’s campaign has gained relevance, his sources of income have come under increasing scrutiny."
Being wealthy, getting paid $10,000 for speeches and having some capital gains, dividend and rental income isn't a black mark.
You don't have to be poor or be middle class to get voters' respect.
What counts is your public policy positions, your empathy for others and your willingness and passion to fix America's Robber Baron politics so that average Americans can be treated better by their elected officials.
Andrew Yang appears to pass the smell test with flying colors.
He's a progressive with some money in the bank.
America needs people like that in a leadership position instead of Reverse Robin Hoods raiding the national treasury for a living.
47
I've not seen much about how Universal Basic Income thing fleshes out. Other than everyone gets $1000 per month no questions asked. To qualify, must you be 18 or over? What about people with over $100,000 annual income, or even $50,000 income? Will the $1,000 stipend affect what some peop!e already get in the form of health care, or food stamps? It all sounds good, but then it get complicated when rules are applied. Other than that, if Yang truly wants to help lift this country and can convey it well, bring him on.
3
@Steve Those are good questions. Yes, you need to be 18+ years old to qualify. The freedom dividend would be opt in, but if you opt in you have to forego any other government assistant programs such as food stamps or disability. This would be a welcome change for many people currently getting assistance because it means no case workers and no means-based testing. And no fear of losing benefits if you get a job.
There are however 2 plans that will stack with the freedom dividend: veteran disability and social security. These are considered "earned benefits" that you can receive in addition to the UBI.
1
@Steve this link has answers to many of your questions above:
https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-freedom-dividend-faq/
Also, at the 10 minute mark of this podcast, Andrew discusses a few of these items:
https://crooked.com/podcast/andrew-yang-on-the-universal-basic-income-and-why-he-hates-the-penny/
Here is the link to all of his policies as he has over 150 policies listed on his website. I hope you find the info helpful!
https://www.yang2020.com/policies/
The only requirements to receive the Freedom Dividend:
1. Be over age 18
2. Be an American citizen
Not complicated at all.
Elizabeth Warren for President. Andrew Yang for Vice
President...or Treasury Secretary or Labor Secretary or
any other position for which he would be great.
7
Universal Basic Income is the straightest line to an energized economy. There's too much stagnant "green energy" (money) tied up in corporate and 1% bank accounts thanks to trickle-down economics. That money is still going to trickle back up, but as it does so every dollar is going to be spent multiple times in local economies on the way up.
5
@BobG I hope you realize that a $12k tax cut and $12k UBI/stimulus accomplishes the same exact thing. Just different gift wrapping.
I like Yang on many domestic issues. Unfortunately Yang's most notable policy is also his weakest (UBI).
Yang has picked up on the obvious connection that we can agree on. He holds his children up to talk about the future.
It is the biological driving force that unites us. Yang uses the future of our children as the primary objective.
This is how we improve education. This is how we approach climate change. This is how we focus health measures.
10
I want to add that Andrew Yang is NOT a single issue candidate. Universal basic income is his main plank but he has extensive, thoughtful policies spanning healthcare, foreign policy, climate change, criminal justice, education, and more. What I like about him is that he is ideas and evidence-driven rather than ideologically driven. It’s a refreshing change of pace from politics as usual.
39
I love his thinking outside the box. So many of our politicians are so far in the box they can't even find the edges!
12
I don't know if I would ever vote for Yang, but he deserves a lot of credit for running a campaign that isn't about vengeance against political opponents, score-settling, slam dunking the other side,etc. That's the sorry theme of Trump and every Democrat except Yang, and it's grinding this country into the dust. Turn down the heat for a change. Please.
15
I like Andrew Yang. He would make a much better president than the one we currently have. He has some nifty ideas worth serious consideration. Good.
Newsflash: he is at 2.6% in the polls. He is a niche candidate. He will certainly not be the nominee.
Focus!
3
@Will. If you scroll down to 1992, you'll see that early on Bill Clinton only averaged 1.7% in the polls:
https://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/a-brief-history-of-primary-polling-part-ii/
Many Americans still haven't heard of Andrew Yang yet, but his volunteers are working hard to change this and grow his support! I am so happy you like him too!
2
Getting people just to 'Think' would be a game-changer, not nearly enough people do.
2
"Make Americans Think Harder" is much more dynamic and helpful for this country than Trump's lazy and empty slogan "Make America Get Again". Pioneers of USA were hard thinkers. 20th Century Americans like Trump were lazy thinkers, they prosper by standing on their hard-working forerunners.
4
If Yang runs as an independent, I believe he’d have a chance of winning. He’d be a wonderful alternative between the two insanities—there’s no way he’d win the primary of the insane Democrats.
1
@Tired Independent Per this article, he has ruled this out. His volunteers are working hard to make sure he is the democratic nominee. We would love your support!
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/sep/5/andrew-yang-2020-candidate-rules-out-third-party-c/
White House hopeful Andrew Yang said in an interview aired Thursday that he will not run as a third-party candidate if denied the Democratic presidential nomination.
“My job is to help get Donald Trump out of office, and I would do nothing that would increase the odds of him sticking around,” Mr. Yang said on CBS. “And I think a third-party candidacy would do just that.”
1
@Tired Independent he has said the below in regards to a 3rd party run:
“My job is to help get Donald Trump out of office, and I would do nothing that would increase the odds of him sticking around,” Mr. Yang said on CBS. “And I think a third-party candidacy would do just that.”
Hope you will consider voting for him in the Democratic Primary! We would always love to have you join the YangGang!
Andrew Yang is better in every category than all the alternatives. I have yet to see anything negative--except that he does not have any political experience. Is that really bad??? I love his 'Forward' message. I think if he get's a chance, he will crush it.
113
@Paul
Being elected is one thing but governing is another. You seem to be very trusting and risk-seeking by having blind faith in Mr. Yang. I’d be in favor of him in a lesser role like Secretary of Commerce but I want someone with deeper and broader experience as President.
11
@Peabody
I agree.
But that also applies to Elizabeth Warren whose supporters think she walks on water when actually she has zero experience managing much less governing. She was an academic - writing papers, books, and proposing "plans."
At least Yang was CEO of several businesses and his company made millions apparently.
Sanders was a mayor, as was Booker, Castro, and Buttigieg. Harris was an AG, Klobuchar an experienced Senator, O'Rourke a congressman. Warren - a professor in bankruptcy law - not even an economist. Not sure why anyone has any trust in her ability to govern.
11
@Paul Obama also had zero governing experience. It means nothing. We need a president with good ideas and a good judgement, that's all. The cabinet takes care of the rest.
9
Yang is correct about the future vis a vis jobs, the effects of technological change on labor, etc.. Universal Basic Income is an idea worth considering. But, stop using my state, Alaska, as your example. The Permanent Fund allows us a once a year dividend that is nowhere near a UBI level. We are currently at odds with one another on how much should be used to support government programs such as education, Medicaid expansion, the Marine Highway System, our University of Alaska, and vulnerable people in our state. Anti-government folks would be happy to end all support and cash out the PF. They voted for the current governor on his promise to do just that. Yesterday we turned in over 49,000 signatures, gathered in a month, in the first stage of the Recall Dunleavy effort...a bipartisan effort led by former a Republican state senator, the last surviving member of the state's Constitutional Convention - a Democrat, and the local coal company barron. We only need about 71,000 signatures in the second part of the process...a package put together by many good lawyers. We are trying to save the dividend, the fund itself which was meant to support the state and government when oil monies ran out, and most of us see a pressing need to reestablish the old progressive state income tax as well. Yes.We have a dividend. But, it's not a UBI by any means....unless you have a family of 8 and live like it's 1859....
3
Everything from Social Security to unemployment insurance is funded by taxes on employees. If automation replaces masses of workers, those programs will suffer diminishing revenues.
This is something that our politicians have to address. I would suggest that employers be required to pay employment taxes for those jobs slots that are filled by machines. That won't, of course, replace the employee contributions, but would help with the revenue loss.
Somehow, we are going to have to adjust our taxing system to protect programs that protect workers.
8
Bringing in concerns about automation is a real positive because it counters the exaggerated claims of Bernie Sanders of jobs being shipped overseas. Automation has played a big role in job loss, probably more than shipping jobs overeas in recent years and this could be a big problem going forward. The more people are given the real facts about jobs the better.
21
The American population, unfortunately, does not have a strong record of electing intelligent candidates. Paradoxically then, the thing that he depends on most for electoral success (we, the people) are simultaneously the biggest obstacle to his electoral success. Nevertheless, I am intrigued by Mr. Yang and hope his rising star will shine some much needed light on the real challenges facing us today and in the future.
37
Believe it or not, right after winning and then successfully completing a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, I developed and peddled another project to see what 4 recent college grads would do with a living income and no need to work for it. The premise was that automation would eliminate jobs and society would be compelled to support individuals who were not employed in order to remain civilized. A secondary hypothesis was that it would lead to increased creativity and innovation.
I never found funding for that one and my 3 friends went on to professional careers. But I think I was just too far ahead of the curve, and our society's ability to address these issues has decreased since the 1970s, due in large measure to conservative voo-doo economics.
16
@Beth . I hope you share what you came up with and the data!
I heard him on Preet Bahara's podcast a while back, and was very impressed with his proposals and thoughts on what we need to do as a country. When we get rid of the mistake that is currently in the White House, and hopefully get a majority in the Senate, to be rid of Moscow Mitch, we have a LOT of work to do to address the real issues we face. Yang is a refreshing, real choice to set us on that path.
53
Don't get me wrong: Andrew Yang seems like a decent guy, and some of his ideas are intriguing. But just because the worst president in recent memory came into office without any political experience doesn't mean the next one has to.
13
@Will Harte
I agree, but it is not Trump’s lack of political experience that is the problem. It is his lack of intelligence and morality.
12
@Will Harte
He may have no political experience but he has a clear vision, a detailed plan, integrity, real intelligence, and he puts the country and its future first. And if elected he will have his pick of experts and advisors, those people who have been relegated to the shadows in the current admin.
Anyway, it is not Trump's lack of political experience that has made him the worst president, it is his self-serving goals. Trump was/is all about being popular, getting attention and enriching himself, he was a non-starter from the start.
136
@Will Harte
Having no-political experience is not THE reason that makes Yang a good president. What makes him a good president is what you said - decent guy with intriguing ideas. I might add facts, data, empathy, humor, ... Being a political outsider is icing on the cake.
6
It's not that folks don't want to work. They want flexibility and options. Why should we be entirely beholden to our employers for our well-being?
"It's always been like this so toughen up and get to work" isn't going to fly anymore. Millennials are burnt out. Gen Z is downright disgusted with how our current system exploits lower-wage workers in order to maximize shareholder value. UBI is probably inevitable at some point.
26
I am convinced Andrew Yang would strive to hire the best and brightest to serve in his administration, and would listen to, and consider their opinions and expertise when making his decisions. He is smart enough to know there are experts in every field who know far more about it than he.
53
Immigration, abortion, racism and gun control are hot-button issues which merely drive people crazy, with no conclusion or accord. Aren't we all weary of that? Yang's approach is so much more sensible. He's moving from a politics of acrimony to one of common sense.
36
@Vivid Hugh Immigration, abortion, racism and gun control are more than "hot-button issues." Like climate change, they affect all of our lives and every candidate should be addressing them despite how uncomfortable they make you.
@Passing Shot Yang does in fact address all of those issues, since they are important, but the difference is he is actually trying to fix the problem, not scream about it to score political points.
6
Not left,not right just moving forward with Andrew Yang in 2020.....
30
I teach high school. He is absolutely correct.
33
@Jgalt. Yeah,but you teach in NYC
1
I noticed the article never mentions who's gonna PAY for all this?
It's like the elephant in the room that's never discussed.
8
@Mark91345
Yang says a 'Value Added Tax' (like they have in Europe) would produce the cash flow to send out to citizens.
Then the citizens will spend the money on something they need and the economy will be stimulated as a result.
Milton Friedman proposed this back in the 1970's...it's a pretty simple idea that would have a huge impact on the lives of working people and alleviate widespread financial stress that marks the existence of so many people.
36
Tax the robots as you would an employee w/a salary.
5
@Mark91345 Did you ask this when it was the bank bailout or the Iraq War? We are just paying ourselves a dividend.
2
Yang makes "Math" in - that alone is worth his admission.
21
@Paul. Too bad he can’t figure out who is paying that $1000 each of us is supposed to get.
2
@Jackson
except he has? His plan on how it will be paid is explain in most (if not all) interviews and podcasts I've seen/heard of him
3
@Jackson Check this out Jackson: https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-freedom-dividend-faq/
2
Agree with him or not, Yang is the rare candidate with actual ideas and stats to back it up rather than focus grouped pap.
24
I was a firm believer of Biden because I wanted someone with executive government experience and nothing less. But in the back of my mind I couldn't deny Biden's mortality right in front of my eyes. And his fumbling of speeches, and his lack of sharpness and focus. As an Independent, I am committed to voting for whoever the eventual Democratic nominee is because this is the most important election for many generations to come. When I finally heard Yang speak at length, I realized that Yang is the president we NEED and hoped and prayed that many more people would have a change of heart as I did. Another change of heart I've had is my view on FD/UBI. Yang has convinced me that the "universal" part is the most important part of this equation and that's why his campaign is Humanity First. The country is so divided because everyone is judging on everyone else's worthiness. Yang's thoughtfulness is beyond comprehension. I voted for Obama in 2008 thinking he would never win. I'm getting the same feeling about Yang. Let's hope my feeling is right.
67
@Sunny Vegas
All humanity right before your eyes be mortal.
Yang is correct in that automation and artificial intelligence will cause many workers to become permanently unemployed. Retraining? What will you retrain them to be, data scientists? Most low skilled manufacturing jobs that are not automated have migrated to countries where wages are lower and benefits nonexistent. In terms of thinking harder, many Americans would rather just sit back with a bag of chips and a six-pack and watch football or whatever. Also, I dare anybody to live on $1,000 a month in any urban area with no other income unless they are happy eating Spam and rice, and living in a hovel. Trump gave Corporate America unbelievable tax breaks and wanted them to bring jobs back to America but there is no mechanism to force them to. Corporate America runs on avarice so they were happy to take the tax savings and not create more jobs. This is the missing critical piece that I don't think Yang has addressed.
9
@Mike F.
As automation advances, more production will move back to the USA. Why would companies pay for shipping or deal with the risks of crime or political upheaval once labor becomes a tiny slice of the production costs and the wage gap closes?
4
@Alan Automation will advance in the US but whether it will result in a significant increase in US employment is questionable. If outsourcing to other countries is cheaper than building it here that will be the deciding factor. Factors would include shipping (many customers may be international anyway), the cost of building infrastructure, training, administration, etc.
5
I will gladly accept a thousand bucks a month from Uncle Sam.
It's only fair since our hard earned taxes provide handouts to the 1%, and in a latest outrage... to Trump Hotel properties for the lodging Vice President Pence's entourage.
42
It's been long known among Yang supporters that mainstream media including has shortchanged Yang. They'll cover Gillibrand, Booker, Buttigeg more than Yang despite his higher poll ratings.
It's now seeming to dawn on the liberal media establishment that Biden and Yang are the only 2 guaranteed candidates who can beat Trump. This is because they both pull in more than 10% of Trump voters who would switch to Democrats. Especially in key states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida.
If DNC wants to win, it's Biden or Yang. And Biden is just too old and absent-minded to be president.
36
@df It's a well-reported fallacy that the Democratic nominee needs to pull in tRump voters. What the Democrat needs to win is to turn out more Democrats.
2
@Passing Shot Yang has demonstrated his ability to activate politically apathetic folks who have never voted or never been enthusiastic about voting. There's not been much evidence of that from Biden.
3
I laughed when I first heard about Yang! $1,000 per month for every American adult? Yea right. Then I read some more of his policies and watched/listened to the podcast that he was on.
As a Republican, I came to find out that Yang is the only person that has proposed actual executable solutions, that I can understand. Not sound bites. And I could write more about how I think he's the best choice. But what it will really take is for you to invest more time and effort finding the facts for yourself. If you make an honest effort, you too will see the light.
72
@SamAndrew Yang is one of life's unfortunates. He is the perfect candidate to be POTUS; he has unparalleled intelligence, he's a visionary, he's balanced, innovative, empathetic, optimistic and driven.
The unfortunate thing is that Andrew Yang is running for election in a country of nihilists who lack all of his traits and vote for chaos.
21
automation of most all of our jobs isn't all that futurist folks. It is happening now. If you can't see it or believe it, you are in denial.
43
@John Smith If I think back how the way I work has changed as an administrative professional in the last 20 years, it's easy to see how automation is happening right under our noses. Then there is my husband who works for UPS. For years he joked about how he would be irreplaceable because UPS would always need a person to manually read the labels then load the packages into the delivery truck. He's now required to wear a finger scanner and an electronic belt for every package he touches. Wanna bet that UPS is using the data it's collecting through these electronic devices to build a perfect robot to replace people like my husband who is doing back-breaking labor that probably should have never been done by a human?
27
I believe in Andrew Yang's diagnosis of our economic problem (that we've become too dang productive for our own good, due to tech) and in his prescription for remedying it (fundamentally alter the way gains are distributed).
But, I still think Buckminster Fuller said it best:
"We should do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because, according to Malthusian Darwinian theory he must justify his right to exist. So we have inspectors of inspectors and people making instruments for inspectors to inspect inspectors. The true business of people should be to go back to school and think about whatever it was they were thinking about before somebody came along and told them they had to earn a living."
46
I really believe in his primary policy and really wanted to support him. However, he has not been good in the debates. It might be a learning curve thing, but he lacks the confrontational nature that is required to dominate in such a platform. He is too submissive on a platform that rewards those who are more aggressive. Warren is just as based in intellect but a better messenger — I think the yang gangs best hope would be convincing her the merits of their proposal and yang landing in her administration in some capacity so they could pass a UBI of some sort.
He would be a great secretary but I’m not sure he’s got the personality to win a presidential contest. His supporters should think about why they like him and who could carry his mantle and his key proposal moving forward. There is no reason why the yang gang should not back warren as fervently as they do him. She can be convinced
9
@nickgregor I find his ability to avoid pointless fighting and negativity incredibly endearing and fresh. I appreciate that instead of talking badly about others, he focuses on the solutions. There are many reasons I prefer Yang over Warren or any other candidate, but one main reason is that UBI will help everyone. Sanders and Warren want to fund free college (Yang wants graduates to pay 10% of their income for 10 years before it is forgiven), but that doesn't help retirees, people that don't go to college, or those that choose a stay-at-home care taker role. I hope you will consider taking another look at him!
1
YES!
Articles like this are more of what we need so we can learn about the candidates and their policies. Let's make this race about ideas, not popularity and name recognition.
As for the article itself, I am glad I learned more about Mr. Yang. I always found it absurd that our society is continually creating more efficiencies and automation yet expects the population to still work a 40 hour work week and barely make a living. To continue the trend we are on, our consumption and recycling skills will need to drastically increase to maintain the economy and not destroy our environment.
I won't be supporting Mr. Yang however, because his single issue cannot be addressed until our political process and climate is fixed. I will only be voting for the candidate that tackles this head-on since no other issue will be adequately addressed until we truly have a representative government that hasn't been purchased by special and foreign interests. Until this happens, every election is going to revolve around the same tired issues that are never resolved as ever increasing amounts of money are spent to divide us as a country for the benefit of the few.
11
@Chris He agrees with you about political process and climate.
He is rated #1 in protecting democracy:
https://equalcitizens.us/potus1/
As far as climate, his climate plan is well thought out and addresses concerns not considered by other candidates (like how do you make sure a future Republican president does not undo everything). It is probably a 100+ pg plan with details galore. https://www.yang2020.com/blog/climate-change/
19
@Chris
He is not a single issue candidate. He has unique solutions on many issues, including reforestation to capture more carbon from the atmosphere and personalizing guns so that only the gun owner can fire the weapon.
If you listen to him speak at length either on a podcast appearance or an event posted on YouTube I think you'll find he's the candidate with the most comprehensive views on issues across the spectrum.
8
@Parth
Greenpeace rates Yang's climate plan LAST among the top 13 candidates. If there is one organization that crunches environmental issues, it is them.
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/greenpeace-climate-ranking-update-as-cnn-climate-town-hall-approaches-democratic-candidates-scramble-to-improve-greenpeace-scores/
1
Not sure that he will win, but I’m donating to his campaign so he’s in the race as long as possible. I want people thinking about his ideas and policy platforms. They make sense and regardless of who wins, I want that person thinking about and addressing these issues.
44
How about a new campaign slogan of (just) MAKE AMERICA THINK...AGAIN.
7
Good luck Andy. 62 million Americans voted for Trump and are poised to do it again.
@Shillingfarmer - He has been told by many former Trump voters - 'you're what I thought I was getting when I voted for Trump...' and they're switching. He also hasn't alienated them by insulting their judgement; Don conned a lot of people but it's because they're frantic about their economic situations. He just lied about the cause - it wasn't immigrants taking their jobs, in large part it was automation. Only the people who will vote for an obvious psychopath with failing mental abilities are hopeless but maybe the prospect of $1K a month to help with whatever personal issues they might have will grab their attention. Trump is spending that kind of money on golfing every weekend. How is that helping his voters?
2
Kudos, Andrew...
Now – please now go on to explain how SMRs (small modular reactors) will not only provide unlimited global-scale energy, with inherently-safe operation and waste management...
(the fuel cycle is relatively secondary, compared to the standardization – but keep advocating for Thorium, if you want...BTW, the 1st reactor operating at Indian Point was Thorium-based)
Including the thermal energy for cement production, as well as electricity...
They could revitalize US shipyards with this commercial-based heavy industrial need, vs building these ridiculously-overpriced $2B or $12B military vessels...
And replace the current-generation of ridiculously-overpriced nuclear reactors...
Those designs have been milked for a half-century...
Someone somewhere probably gluing on winglets and an MCAS, and touting it as new...
4
@W in the Middle
Just to give you feedback, I have no idea what you are saying because of poor grammar and vague language.
I adore this man. He's truly a forward thinking candidate.
31
Somewhat like Warren, Yang hangs in there, makes his points, and steadily gains support.
Even if you don't agree with his solution (I don't), you have to admire that he's highlighting the near-future shock of the impact of automation. Also, the man has a heart and soul. Not so sure about some of the others.
50
I think it's reasonable to substitute "intelligence" for "taste".
“Nobody ever lost a dollar by underestimating the taste of the American public.”
― P.T. Barnum
1
Using the 2020 election as a performance stage for the "lifestyle correction" theories of Democratic politicians, guarantees a Trump victory in 2020.
Democrats must stop telling the American people how wrong they are about almost everything.
Isn't one Trump "Ignoration" enough?
3
@mitchgitman 1K a month isn’t enough to stop working, unless you are very frugal. It is enough to help keep you from starving or being homeless. It gives you the freedom to find a job at a reasonable wage rather than being desperate. Therefore employers will be less able to exploit the work force. As for the “dignity of work” depends on the job, and one can work all day at home, gardening for food, or caring for a child.
And where has the empphasis on “productivity” gotten us? An out-of-control consumer society, bulging landfills, oceans filled with plastic. UBI would solve many social and environmental problems.
83
Hmmmm.... when I look at his background I am extremely cautious. Many red flags here.
WORK is important and necessary for humans; it gives life purpose and meaning. All human beings deserve access to good, well paying jobs with benefits.
Yang is a "test prep operator" who basically got rich off of promoting the bubble test mentality that has just about ruined the American education system, and which also unfairly benefited the wealthy families willing to pay for yet another leg up. He's also a man who promotes the universal income "solution" that libertarian economist Milton Friedman also espoused. I always thought UBI was racist/biased/and classist at its core.
Young people have to wise up and look for hidden agendas whether its UBI or criminal justice reform or any of these re-packaged/re-branded policy ideas.
These"new" ideas are always about saving tax dollars ( and further helping the wealthy) at the expense of helping those living in poverty.
And if you want to dismantle the welfare state as UBI proponents want to do, why don't we begin with dismantling corporate welfare?
13
@KHD he’s not saying don’t work. The $1000 is to stop the slide into poverty for the working poor. It works.
34
@MT
It's not going to stop the slide of poverty if you can't find a job. That is what Yang is saying, that there won't be any jobs for these people. Clearly, UBI isn't enough of a solution if most working class jobs will be automated, like Yang is saying. There is a huge hole in his "solution."
6
@KHD
Work is important. However we need to decouple human value and economic value. If a 60 year old radiologist gets unemployed because a computer is faster and better than him, is his human value now 0 just because his economic value is 0? What about a stay at home mom? Her work is also valued at 0 because there is no wage.
With regard to your second point, I dont think yang is defending standardized testing because he helped people prepare for them.
He isnt dismantling the welfare state, he is removing the administrative bureaucracy of it. Ask any welfare recipient would they rather get their current SNAP benefits or unemployment benefits or 1000k a month no questions asked. The former system penalizes increases in income where as the UBI does not. Under welfare, the more you make, the less welfare you get, disincentivizing many from seeking that next small step up.
Right now the social safety net is a 100 small weeds that Republican love effortlessly whacking. UBI will be a thick tree trunk resistant to feeble attacks.
10
I probably wouldn't vote for him, but I fell in love with him a little when he sobbed over the death of a child from gun shot. His humanity is the opposite of the soul-less child in the White House.
18
@pollyb1
Check out all of his policies on his website or listen to him in a long form interview. He may win you over. There is a of of substance to him.
11
@Dzsche
I did and I see your point. Thanks.
2
This needs to be asked, but will middle America vote for an Asian American? We just elected an open racist.
I once heard a quote that "Every dating relationship is a reaction to the previous relationship." We elect our first African American President who was the intellectual and then we elected an openly racist (and sexist) President who is an anti-intelltectual.
Perhaps the pendulum will swing the other way this next election and we'll elect not Yang but a ticket with Yang as VP? I hope so, as we are in desperate need of intelligence in our leadership. Our challenges are too great to be handled by "gut" and nepotism.
19
@M.
Actually, Yang is pulling voters from Trump already. He's also pulling in Libertarians and Independents. He's the only Dem candidate to do so. So, in fact, he's actually the best chance to beat Trump.
You're being disingenuous in thinking Trump voters are inherently racist. Watch Yang speak about why Trump was elected. Trump was elected because of the jobs that were lost to automation in the states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, etc. Trump knew it and he played to it (Remember coal miners?)
Trump promised to give them jobs back. That's why he was elected. Because HRC refused to acknowledge the plight of the American factory worker during her campaign. Often calling them the "problem with America" and "deplorable".
Calling people "deplorable" that are out of work, want a solution, and are listening to somebody talking about fixing it is not a path to the Presidency.
There's no question that racism is pretty ingrained in our culture. But racism isn't what got Trump elected.
17
@M.
I think you just talked yourself into a logical answer to your question - yes, America will vote for an opposite of Donald Trump on the other end of the pendulum - Yang.
2
China is much more racist than the US. The very fact of an Asian-American president would probably undermine a lot of Xi Jin-Winniethepooh’s justification for Chinese aggression vs the rest of the world.
So that’s a good thing.
Marianne Williamson and Andrew Yang. Can you imagine it?
Despite all the reasons for cynicism today, I actually feel strangely optimistic and encouraged. Hardly three years ago, Bernie and Elizabeth were cutting edge. Now look how much energy there is. Tulsi, Buttigieg, even Beto. Corey Booker at AME. Bennet. (Can't say I care for Castro since his dig on Biden at the debate.)
Remember the Democratic contest in 1999/2000? Neither do I. Truly amazing how far we've come. I think we need some sort of tag-team presidency. I don't want to lose any of these people.
11
@Joyboy From what I've seen the Yang camp really sees Gabbard as an incredible VP option for Yang.
Yang/Gabbard on the ticket is a landslide over Trump.
7
@Joyboy
I love them both too! After Trump, even Williamson would be a vast improvement over the pinnacle he represents of the aggressively macho, arrogant, greedy, cruel, self-centered, and misogynistic culture that’s driving America off the cliff.
Marianne Williamson is no less prepared for the presidency than Trump was. As long as she surrounded herself with and actually listened to competent staff that knew how to integrate her philosophy into successful policies that champion and adequately fund the long neglected so-called feminine aspects vital to a successful society such as widespread public education, publicly-funded research, universal health care, paid family leave, rebuilding infrastructure, and support for the elderly, then we couldn’t possibly do any worse than Trump and the GOP.
But Andrew Yang is especially fascinating. He is truly a man of my generation who gives me hope that the oft-overlooked pragmatic brilliance of Gen-X philosophy, “whatever with those other fools - we gotta face reality, put our brains to work, and get done what will eventually have to be done” (Obama also exemplified Gen-X pragmatism) will one day overcome the great failures of Boomer governance.
I doubt Yang and his philosophy will break through this cycle but his ideas and spirit, and maybe even Williamson’s, may yet live to rule another day.
2
Andrew Yang has inspired me to get his message out every opportunity I get. As a former Bernie/Warren supporter, when I heard Yang on Joe Rogan’s Podcast I knew right away that this guy is the man we need. Yang is in the present while everyone else is in the past. Not only is his Freedom Dividend important and more need to understand it, but he has 130+ policies... more than Warren who is known for being very policy driven. Yang is the guy that can bring voters from both sides of the aisle together and is data driven, where if his ideas don’t work out and the data shows, he will be quick to switch things up and try something new. Yang is highly underestimated, polling higher than Booker & O’Rourke, because of his unfair treatment by the media. Yang’s following is so passionate we will not stay silent over it and will be the firsts in line to vote for him just like Trump in 2016. If the DNC wants to continue to treat Yang unfairly, he will do whatever he can to beat DT and switch as an independent. Yang is the man to do the job and I trust him more than any politician I’ve ever known. More people need to look into him using other platforms such as podcasts, YouTube, and reading his book The War on Normal People. It has changed my outlook on politics for the better. I understand republicans and democrats more now thanks to Andrew Yang and I will continue to spread his message. I hope you all do the same. Humanity First.
33
@Katie Brennan It seems you implied that he will run as an independent. He has clearly stated that he will not do that.
4
@Dzsche hi! He said it in an interview on CBS this week. I was shocked myself.
2
It's the media that needs to become more tech savvy, and understand tech's long-term societal implications. I heard Yang interviewed recently by Anderson Cooper, who seemed dumbfounded by the topics Yang was raising. Big media doesn't get his messaging yet because it's still focused on low tech political science.
25
Just do the math: A UBI of $1000 a month for every adult American costs $3 trillions a year. That is about the total annual Government budget. This, in essence, means all the taxes must be doubled to pay for UBI. While that is unlikely to happen, let us assume we are able to somehow raise an extra $3T a year. Is making it into loose change and distributing it evenly the best use of that money?
5
@Max4 It will cost far more than that. If the Dems get elected and the borders are pretty much open you can bet that everyone in Central and South America will appear at our doorstep not just for the free healthcare but for their $1K a month "stipend" too. We will all lose.
4
@Max4
It's not for every adult in America. It's only for those that don't meet the minimum income threshold.
And even if it was for everyone in America, from CEO to homeless person, it's still a far better use of funds than what they're currently doing with the military budget.
Did you ask what those trillions in Afghanistan paid for, besides mansions for the CEOs of military supply firms?
9
@Max4 Yang has spelled out how to pay for it without raising individual income taxes.
He's proposing a VAT (Value Added Tax) into the tech sector where tech, and data driven companies have essentially skated with paying zero in taxes while utilizing American's data to generate massive profits.
All while putting Americans out of work due to automation and AI.
It's not easy to pay for it, there will need to be a new tax, but it's not an income tax. It'd be a tax that big business can't get around. It's something used by just about every other 1st world nation to generate revenue.
As far as best use of that money? I'm sure you can come up with a list of needier demographics than others. But somebody else can come up with a different list.
Who's more important, homeless veterans on the street? Opioid addicts? Impoverished families in cities. Dying communities in rural America? Out of work factory workers in the Rust Belt? Active duty military living below the poverty line? College students trying to decide between food and tuition? The stay at home mom, or the single parent?
The point is that when you really start to dig, the number of people where $1000.00 a month would completely transform their live is staggering.
That's why it's broad and unconditional. The government can't get in the way. The government doesn't get to decide who is needier, bog the process down in bureaucratic red tape, or make you feel bad for using the benefit.
28
“he has been preaching a grim gospel about how automation will lead to mass unemployment”
FYI to Mr. Yang:
The unemployment rate as of today is 3.7% (close to a 50-year low). This rate has been achieved in spite of the rapid “automation” that has already occurred over the last 30 years.
His $1,000/month to every American is absurd…as is the entire “universal basic income” concept.
The result of such a plan would be massive currency debasing of the dollar…which is exactly what Yang’s handlers want.
4
@John What do you mean by "Yang's handlers?" And how do you know what they want?
2
@John But labor participation is at an all time low. 4 million factory jobs were automated away, and only half those found jobs again. Many living under the poverty line.
Of those not back at work, half filed for disability and will never work again.
Michigan's 12th District outside of Detroit has an unemployment rate of 12%. The factories are still there. They're just not manned by humans any more.
The Unemployment Rate might be the worst measure. Labor force participation rate is only 62.9% which is the same as El Salvador and Dominican Republic. 1 in 5 prime working-age men hasn’t worked in a year. 94 million out of the workforce. 44% of recent grads underemployed. 94% of new jobs are temp.
As for currency debasing. That's wrong. The only way currency is debased (which you're effectively saying massive inflation) would be to print money to pay for UBI. That's not what Yang is proposing. He's proposing a Value Added Tax (VAT) on data and tech companies. So, while some prices may increase in those sectors, it'll be minimal to the kickback to the American people.
The Fed printed 4 trillion to bail out banks and big business after 2008 with minimal effects to inflation. Of that 4 trillion, almost none of it made it down to the American people.
That money is already in the economy. The Freedom Dividend is just a process to get that money flowing through the economy again and not just sitting in a bucket at the top.
9
@John Who do you think Yang's "handlers" are? That is a very odd statement. It would not "debase" the dollar as it is not creating new money. It just ensures that the money in the economy gets to the people, who will spend.
He has actually spent time in the depressed areas of the country and the unemployment rate that you quote does not address the whole picture.
3
MATH: Make America Think Harder.
He might get my primary vote just for that. It really cuts to the core of our country's problems.
Beyond that I think he would make a great Secretary of Labor.
18
I'll have to do more research on Mr. Yang. Basic income is a good idea even if we don't have any more job losses due to automation. It would help the economy because we need to address the demand side of the equation obviously, the opposite of what needed to be done back in the 70s. The economy generates so much wealth that there's simply no reason for people in this country to suffer so much deprivation, even if they are just lazy. If the basic income is too high, it could torpedo motivation to work, but $1000 wouldn't do that for very many people, while it would really take a load off many people that I know who either work hard now or have worked for 40 years and now are struggling in retirement. But I do think that those of us that make over about $10,000-$20,000/month need to help pay. We shouldn't put it on a credit card nor only on the very rich. The very rich should pay more, but they are very few and aren't the only ones in this country who can afford to pay some taxes.
3
I also thought he was a crackpot until I listened to a detailed explanation of his $1,000 proposal, it makes sense in that it gets to the problem of income redistribution without convoluted plans. It is direct to the point and is equitable. I look forward to hearing more from him in the coming debate.
15
I'm waiting for my Replicant.
I feel I'll be in a nursing home before she arrives.
Love is hard.
1
I will not support an inexperienced tech bro as president. It is not an entry level position. We've seen how that turns out. We've also seen the perspective and values of the tech industry.
And there is no broad coalition of Yang voters. They skew young, male and void of women, a mirror of the tech industry.
His basic idea of universal income will do little more than create a surf class depend on the government, lacking skills and desperately holding onto the crumbs they receive. People as pets of the wealthy.
He wants to help Americans in the face of automation? How about putting regulations in place? How about improving education in this country for all children?
In a nation of immigrants would permanent residents also receive UBI?
You have people balking over reparations but think UBI is okay and attainable?
Hard pass on Yang.
7
@SM - I urge you to really look into him and give it some more thought. UBI creates a floor and allows everyone to participate in the economy. It gives workers a bit more leverage in their jobs because they know they will not starve without one. It gives people the room to develop the skills they need to pursue the work that is most meaningful to them. As it is now, people have to work full time or more at min. wage jobs to survive. They have little time or energy to develop new skills.
He actually has a lot of thoughtful policies that address the issues you raise. You should check out his campaign page before assuming he does not.
Only citizens would get the Freedom Dividend. I really am not sure how giving people more economic power creates a surf class. Seems like an odd leap to me. There are no strings attached to the FD.
I am 54, a woman, an attorney and I supported Sanders in 2016. His coalition is broader than you think.
13
@SM
It still amazes that when people comment that they do not care to research their positions. If they did it would literally decimate that number if they possessed a modicum of ethics. I implore you to go to yang2020.com and begin reading his policies and you find the reason for my response.
Signed,
A 53 year old woman
2
@Dzsche I love surf--but don't want any serfs.
1
While I question any one size fits all solution in this many layered and divided country, UQA, United Quagmire of America, it’s reassuring to see a candidate get ahead of a problem.
I recommend Yang be considered for a cabinet seat relevant to his experience vs. leadership of the free world.
7
@C Yang was a Champion of Change in the Obama White House. He's been around the Executive before. He's seen what's going on.
3
Given what he's speaking about on the trail and what he's spoken to in those paid talks, and the internal consistency he demonstrates time and again, I see Yang as a person of great heart, genuine integrity, and remarkable intelligence paired with deep empathy. Just who we need.
What he's doing with his income and the work he turned to after selling his company makes him a model of Social Enterprise, "business as if people mattered." In one of its forms, it's a practical expression of Hazel Henderson's work in ethical economics.
For a basic overview of the evolving understanding of Social Enterprise:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2018/07/26/how-to-create-a-business-that-does-good-with-a-social-enterprise/amp/
If you want to read a primer on it:
The Art of Social Enterprise: Business as if People Mattered, Frankel and Bromberger
5
It’s an open question whether a universal basic income (UBI) is the best use of public money.
There are plenty of alternatives like increased spending to improve our spotty education and training systems, improved and subsidized mass transit, infrastructure investments, guaranteed healthcare, a robust social security system, subsidized senior care and childcare, more widespread and powerful unions (granted, maybe a mixed blessing), and paying jobs that offer more security, perks and free time.
Fortunately, we can test UBI, but we don’t have unlimited amounts of money, and other options may prove far more beneficial to society.
4
UBI is not meant to be an income replacement. The way I see it, it is a policy that fulfills the guarantee of LIFE in 'life, liberty and pursuit of happiness'. It is meant to be just enough to provide basic necessities to keep a citizen alive in the hardest of times.
Yang has another policy that I believe is more important than UBI. He calls it 'Democracy Dollars'. Simply, he want to give every voting age citizen $100 to donate to their political campaign of choice. This would completely flip the power in politics from corporate interests back to the citizens of our country. And because it is use it or lose it, I believe it would reengage our citizens in the political process. I personally would vote for him on this policy alone. You won't hear any other candidate with political background ever support such a policy.
He has so many more great ideas - too many to list here. I encourage you to dig a little deeper on Yang before you dismiss him completely.
20
For once the YT algorithm works in our favor.
1
It is the job of our government to work for the people and make the country vibrant and strong.
Andrew Yang is definitely engaged in finding real solutions to the challenges that we face, something that seems to have momentum on the Democratic side and completely lacking on the Republican side.
12
Yang is doing a big service to his country and the world at large. More and more people will be losing their jobs to automation and, globally, we need a concrete solution for the current workers and future workers who will not have jobs.
I would like to thank him for this sacrifice. It must be hard to go around explaining what probably is the best solution over and over again. Yang offers concrete hope.
32
I think universal basic income is a good idea perhaps a little before it’s time.
In the case of the US we first need universal basic healthcare and universal basic education through age 22 before we need cash handouts.
9
@Sean Taylor
There already is universal basic income. It's called welfare and food stamps, i.e. subsidies to corporations that don't pay their workers enough.
UBI as proposed means swapping out the social services supports that exist and giving people (less) money to acquire those goods/services on the open market. That means no more affordable housing, food stamps, free lunches for kids, etc.
5
@Sean Taylor
It seems that while UBI may seem like a frivolous “handout”, it actually could be part of a real positive solution to our economic problems.
This “out of the box” thinking is what we really need, and I commend Andrew Yang, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and other Democratic contenders for moving away from failing policies.
4
@Viv
Those programs are not universal and they come with a lot of strings attached as well as stigma. With Yang's plan you can choose to keep the services you have or take the FD - which ever works best for you. The advantage of the FD is that you do not lose it if you get a job or earn a little money here and there. You do lose current aid if you get a job - no matter how insecure the job is. SO many people just stick with the aid. Plus it does not require the huge bureaucracy to means-test everyone. It won't replace every other program and it will help a lot more people (basically every adult citizen). Plus it would create markets for low-income housing because every now homeless person would have a permanent income to pay,say, $500 an month for a room or small place. The FD says that everyone has value, regardless of what they produce for an employer. And people can use the money in the way that best helps them.
5
I think it's high time Democrats, and forward-thinking progressive Democrats especially, stood up to Andrew Yang's tempting and ultimately self-defeating UBI concept.
Instead of distracting ourselves with the problems of the future like automation, let's focus our resources on the problems of the present: climate change, health care, and the devaluation of work thanks to corporate America's decades-long war against work. Let's not humor an idea like UBI that only devalues work even further.
Sorry, but I'm on Sherrod Brown's side on this. I believe in the dignity of work, and I believe we have plenty of unused policy levers still at our disposal to reinforce the dignity of work before we wave the white flag and surrender to a post-work future.
10
@Mitch Gitman. Automation is already here and is probably a big reason why most Americans can't pay an unexpected $500 bill. If we want to generate popular support for impactful climate change or healthcare laws, we have to address people's financial problems first.
10
@Mitch Gitman The Freedom Dividend does not replace or devalue work. It actually values people regardless of how much they produce of an employer and it gives workers more leverage to demand better wages and it gives people breathing room to find the work that is most meaningful to them. It just creates a floor. Very few people will want to live on a mere 12k a year. Working 40-60 hours a week for minimum wage just to survive does not give life meaning. People can only pursue true meaning for themselves once their basic need are met. And some people will find true meaning in jobs that do not pay much - but with the FD they will be able to do those jobs without worrying so much about the future.
4
@Mitch Gitman If you read more into Andrew Yang's policies, you will see he goes in-depth into discussing climate change, health care, amongst other issues. UBI might be the policy he is best known for, but definitely not his only one.
3
He needs to tie together weatherproofing / warming proofing the country with job creation and food -
water - health security. Then he would be on to something. For example, he should promote LED lighting enabled vertical farming and aquaculture in abandoned and obsolete coal mines as a way of providing jobs for displaced coal miners, good use of existing assets, tax revenue generation, and food security while creating sustainability in the face of extreme weather.
4
Call me cynical, but at this point, it takes an optimist to envision even that dystopian future that features AI/automation vs. a thriving human population.
But more optimistically, let's assume we could get there before ruining the planet for any enjoyable human presence. In that brighter future, we should anticipate that "jobs" will be a relic -- not just shifted to more lofty pursuits. We would do what we have a passion and aptitude for, whether it's astrophysics or watching cartoons all day. The "universal basic income" is just a baby-step, as is the idea of re-training truckers while self-driving trucks replace them.
Yang is probably smart enough to see that this will be about gently redirecting the absurdly skewed firehose of 1% income into a broader mist.
8
I heard him speak on CNN as a participant in the Climate Change one on one format with the Democratic presidential hopefuls.
First...Kudos to CNN ... the format was excellent!
Second...I really liked what Andrew Chang has to say and how he said it.
17
@KDKulper Now if only you could remember his name.
5
Ok......so why isn’t Yang being smeared as a “socialist?” He wants to ‘rob the rich and give to the poor’, and everybody else. And why should the corporate objective (automation) be assumed to be inevitable? I’m still waiting for the “flying car” I was promised in the 60’s. Just because the oligarchs want to automate everybody out of work, does that mean that it has to happen? On what authority, a national referendum? Executive order? Or, corporate eminent domain? If we going to be bribed to be out of work shouldn’t the electorate be asked first. That would be democracy. Yangs UBI has its benefits but HOW you get there is the question. I don’t want a businessman telling me how I should live. If we vote nationally and locally about regulating automation then maybe the American people would actually be benefitted. Yang doesn’t have to be President for us to do that. Besides, we need more than a one trick pony.
2
@Richard Mays Take a look at the documentary “American Factory” on Netflix. I’m not saying Yang should be Pres but he might be a great Secty of Labor.
5
@Richard Mays - He is far from a "one-trick pony" and has a lot - 160 I think- well thought out policies. He is brilliant and an true problem-solver. Check out his campaign website and read his policy proposals.
@Richard Mays. Yang has over 100 policy proposals on his website. And his Freedom Dividend is not about telling people how to live, but actually quite the opposite, freeing people from hell of financial distress. I recommend to you one of many interviews and town-hall discussions with Yang available on Youtube. It'll help answer a lot of your questions.
Part of Andrew Yang's appeal is that he's not a boring establishment politican. Ever notice that mainstream establishment candidates never get elected president. Americans are intrigued by novelty candidates who are ignored by the entrenched political establishment. The last few successful presidential candidates were dark horses who seemed to come from no where. The last thing Americans want is another professional politician.
10
Actually, if you ever notice history, mainstream politicians almost (our current horrific presidential aberration aside) ALWAYS get elected. And, our current horrific presidential aberration clearly demonstrates the wisdom of choosing one of those types of candidates.
6
Andrew Yang is a perfect example on how to guarantee a Trump re-election.
He injects some enthusiasm, specially from those disillusioned by the state of the Democratic party, and who cannot stomach voting for Biden. He pulls in some amazingly small crowds who could not fill an arena, and am sure the interest of some donors looking for the best president they can buy, except most of those are at the Biden fire sale, I mean, fundraiser this week.
In reality all he and the rest of the 2%’ers are doing the same, sucking up voters, energy and cash from the leading candidates.
They also reflects the state of mind of the Democrats, who are going around asking what else is out there as the anointed choice is not good enough for them.
Meantime they fragment the Democratic vote more and more every day. Come November 2020 we will have three groups, the Biden voters, the Trump voters, and the vast majority who will quietly stay home disillusioned by the Democrats and unable to vote Trump, just watching to see which side the coin flips.
The result is the same, a Trump reelection.
1
@AutumnLeaf. Don't worry, it's still early and the Democratic field has already started to consolidate. But even if a candidate has all the democratic support, he/she still would not beat Trump unless he/she has a clear and actionable plan to solve the problems that got Trump elected in the first place.
2
@AutumnLeaf - Yang is actually attracting a lot of trump voters because he is addressing the problems that got trump elected in the first place.
Three things are clear: 1) we're producing people faster than we're producing jobs, 2) automation is further eroding the creation of new jobs, and this trend will accelerate, 3) any solution to global warming requires that our economic system be overhauled so that it's no longer based on endless consumption.
46
I have open ears to make my best pick of the ones who sees a bigger picture. Especially to those that are running. I have done my research. Many of the traditional politicians have long term desires but their plans are more short term than Andrew Yang. He has a heart for our country and our people. He is very smart and I am all about (MATH) Making America Think Harder. Not left, not right, but FORWARD
38
@Philip, consider that if you don't vote Left or Right in this instance, you will not being going forward! IMO.
I agree with you that Mr. Yang is the only one who has honestly assessed the future (and present of American worker)..he owns that issue. Even if doesn't make it to the nomination, with a Democrat at the helm, I can see Mr. Yang making a big difference in the future of the country as he will be appointed to do just that.
3
Yang is a smart visionary. But his message is scary. We need de-techization like decolonization. Lot of high tech is excessive, intrusive, overwhelming and has created new elitism where IT worker in their 20s earn more than PhDs, and think they know more than a PhD. We are in trouble with and in technology, though we shouldn't stop all technology. I wish Yang would talk about detechization.
5
@ExhaustedFightingForJusticeEveryDay The desire to turn back time is what got us Trump. We have no time to stick our heads in the sand.
15
@ExhaustedFightingForJusticeEveryDay The problem with that strategy is you handicap American companies that compete globally. We must allow our companies to compete. That means we must allow them to become as efficient as possible by embracing tech rather than suppressing it.
3
@ExhaustedFightingForJusticeEveryDay
Choosing to hinder technological development only gives America's competitors (like China) a huge leg up.
3
Yang is a smart visionary. But his message is scary. We need de-techization like decolonization. Lot of high tech is excessive, intrusive, overwhelming and has created new elitism where IT worker in their 20s earn more than PhDs, and think they know more than a PhD. We are in trouble with and in technology, though we shouldn't stop all technology. I wish Yang would talk about detechization.
Andrew Yang and his ilk won't be satisfied until they turn the whole country into the San Francisco Bay Area. In the bay, tech millionaires work in brand new spaceship like offices while the formerly middle class moves from homes to tent villages. I dare you to look for a studio that rents for $1000 (the UBI standard) per month anywhere in the bay. They don't exist. You'd need to pony up at least $3000.
This is why I can't support Yang. He is simply a friendly face for the tech oligarchs. If you read his book, it is dripping with condescension for the middle class. His suggestion that the children of rich elites would automatically be superior to middle class children made me laugh. Yes, superior at cheating like the recent scandals have proven, but not thinking. He also proposes having rich kids visit the schools of poor kids for observation, like middle and low income children are animals in a zoo. NO THANK YOU! Yang can take his classist nonsense back to Silicon Valley. I'm voting for Elizabeth Warren.
9
@K. T. Mitchell UBI is not meant to be an income replacement. The way I see it, it is a policy that fulfills the guarantee of LIFE in 'life, liberty and pursuit of happiness'. It is meant to be just enough to provide basic necessities to keep a citizen alive in the hardest of times.
Yang has another policy that I believe is more important than UBI. He calls it 'Democracy Dollars'. Simply, he want to give every voting age citizen $100 to donate to their political campaign of choice. This would completely flip the power in politics from corporate interests back to the citizens of our country. And because it is use it or lose it, I believe it would reengage our citizens in the political process. I personally would vote for him on this policy alone. You won't hear any other candidate with political background ever support such a policy.
He has so many more great ideas - too many to list here. I encourage you to dig a little deeper on Yang before you dismiss him completely.
6
@K. T. Mitchell Tech oligarch? You know that Andrew's main company was Venture for America, a nonprofit whose mission was to revitalize areas of America in disrepair by training people to be successful working for and starting up nonprofits?
His book decries the death of the middle class and provides thoughtfully researched ideas for how to restore it. He's a true thought leader, and he's running for the right reasons. I'm not sure which sections of the book you have seen, but you should consider re-reading it.
12
What if Elizabeth Warren doesn't get the Democratic presidential nomination?
1
Yang is a smart visionary. But his message is scary. We need de-techization like decolonization. Lot of high tech is excessive, intrusive, overwhelming and has created new elitism in which IT workers in their 20s earn more than PhDs, and think they know more than PhDs. We are in trouble with and in technology, though we shouldn't stop all technology. I wish Yang would talk about detechization which also needs to happen.
@ExhaustedFightingForJusticeEveryDay Tech shouldn't be stopped. Don't pause or slow the future. We need to advance and make sure that America stays ahead in the tech race.
2
Its great to see another voice discussing the issues facing America, and offering solutions. Three cheers for the democratic process!
9
Yang is smart, has interesting sounding plans, but absolutely no government experience . This means he does not know how government works. We need to think harder and vote for someone who has some knowledge of the rules of government. I don't care how brilliant the new doctor is, if he has never performed surgery, you wouldn't go to him..
5
@alex If that doctor had robots on his side that could look at 1,000,000 other surgeries and know what to do i would.
4
I have supported Yang just to keep an exceptionally rational and intelligent person in the game as long as possible. And he is refreshingly compassionate and open.
We are absolutely worn out by the lies and idiocy causing chaos and catastrophic consequences coming from this administration and the Republicans.
We are also in desperate need of a generational shift in leadership right now.
45
And despite Yang's rapid and continued growth, NBC, ABC, and CNN repeatedly refuse to give him any media attention! Candidates polling way lower than him are getting mentioned more than he is! Outrageous...
51
@Al I feel the same way about the coverage. The NYT wants us to choose among Sanders, Warren and Biden, none of whom would be my choice. They should be serving as advisors. I wanted to hear about Castro, Yang and Buttigieg.
8
After watching Mr. Yang in the second debate, I sent a small donation ($35) because I wanted to help ensure that he could continue to get his message out by meeting the donor threshold requirement.
I’m still a big supporter of Sanders and Warren, but Mr. Yang is a very impressive human being, and I hope he ends up with a top cabinet post in the next administration.
Americans can take great pride in the fact, despite all of our faults as a nation, this country produces people of such towering intellect, creativity and humanity.
Mr. Yang makes it possible to believe that maybe we can avoid a Mad Max future.
He embodies hope, which is something we are going to need more than ever.
56
@Annie Gramson Hill Thank you for your support of Yang. You should really consider taking the leap and making him your guy over Sanders or Warren. They have been part of the current leadership that got us where we are today. And I can't imagine that either would ever support a policy as simple and powerful as Yang's 'Democracy Dollars' policy.
Simply put, Yang wants to give every voting age citizen $100 to donate to their political campaign(s) of choice. Think about the effect this would have on politics in this country. It would more than offset the current money coming from corporate interests. It would also give a much bigger voice to the lower and middle classes. Since it is use it or lose it, I also believe it would immediately reengage the citizens of this country in the political process.
I would vote for Yang on this policy alone - it has the potential to fix so much of what's wrong in our government and it is so simple to achieve. Someone just needs to do it, but I fear you won't ever see a politician support it.
11
At first I thought he was nuts too, then I started listening and I'm on board. He's among my pool of candidates that I want to be part of the Democratic team in 2020. He may not be the presidential or vice presidential candidate, but he definitely needs to be a Cabinet Secretary (e.g., Labor) or senior advisor.
14
At some point foreign policy matters. He'll have to speak to it, laying out his plan beyond these shores. He needs to prep this out to be a serious candidate.
3
@Doug He was asked a lot of foreign policy questions recently in an interview with NPR's On Point. Check it out.
2
@Doug If it is half as good as his proposed climate change plan, then it is light years better than what we have today!
2
I've listened to some of Mr. Yang's talks. He's clearly an intelligent, thoughtful, and probably painfully honest candidate similar in many characteristics to Pete Buttigieg.
Sadly, in today's American culture intelligence, thoughtfulness, and honesty will almost certainly lead to also-ran results. We're clearly a nation on a steep cultural and intellectual descent. We cling to superstitions as social currency. We resent anyone smarter and richer than us. We thrive on anger and outrage. Whatever you do don't bore your audience with science or math!!
Maybe in a few generations a future Andrew Yang or Pete Buttigieg will become the nation's chief executive, albeit of a somewhat smaller above-water land mass America.
10
@Ken Ny, If the Democrats win and also take the Senate, I think we don't have to wait for generations. So much talent in this group could do so much good for the country.
(as an aside though, don't let Schumer be the Senate Majority Leader)
2
I'm big on Yang because of his serious intellectual approach to very difficult issues. I'm not sure I agree with the timing of UBI though - it's possible the automation narrative has been oversold, we haven't seen any improvement in productivity numbers despite our technological advances and in fact productivity has dipped recently. We might be wiser to see automation prove itself out first, generate tremendous wealth and drive consistent 3% GDP growth. With solid GDP growth we'll have the money to invest in social programs like UBI. As opposed to spending the $1.6 trillion on UBI in anticipation of an automation wave that may not displace the number of people that Yang predicts.
@HC45701
There really is no downside of implementing too early, but the the downside of implementing too late could be much unnecessary human suffering. When you have as many trusted institutions that have looking into this and all say pretty much the same thing, why not go ahead and try to get in front of it sooner rather than too later? I mean we are repeating history here.
1
Fair article but it’s a bit light on many of his thoughtful ideas. For those of you who doubt him, I respectfully offer that he is the only candidate of *any* political party attracting a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, newly interested voters. If you wish to learn why his support is so loyal and still growing strong, recommend you Google him or check out http://www.Yang2020.com. The site has the most detailed policy proposals of any campaign.
12
@Ray
"I respectfully offer that he is the only candidate of *any* political party attracting a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, newly interested voters"
Your typing it doesn't make it true.
Be sure to review and understand his analysis in this pod cast before making quick assumptions. This is a very bright man.
https://youtu.be/cTsEzmFamZ8
5
Fact Check. Many of the photos were taken at Keene State College, which is in NH but is not the University of New Hampshire.
2
I find it interesting that people are upset that this article doesn’t address everything about Andrew Yang. Google him! His ideas & plans would improve the lives of millions of Americans. If you had $1000/month, would you stop working? Or would you get your car fixed, get a tutor for your child, donate to a cause about which you are passionate, replace your roof, take a class, go to the dentist, start a business, put healthier food on the table for your family, buy a house, or take a vacation? How much would go right back into your local economy?
While so many Americans are consumed by a constant fear of economic insecurity, it’s going to be very hard to truly address the devastating power of climate change. Andre Yang understands this & his plans address it.
I hope that the Democrats who are having a problem with his appeal broadening to include Trump voters can get out of their own way & understand that we need to figure out ways to unify this country. Do we all just want to keep arguing & hating? Aren’t we exhausted yet? I appreciate that Andrew Yang is the one candidate who isn’t repeating the same “Trump is bad” tropes.
Again, Google him! #humanityfirst
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@Coverman Exactly on point! Yang hasn’t repeatedly said $1k a month is not enough for anyone to live comfortably, so it shouldn’t cause massive numbers of people to stop working (one of the big arguments against it). Rather, it would allow people to do all the things you have mentioned— all of which will increase health and happiness in millions of Americans. Reduction in stress alone would literally save lives.
8
@Coverman oops, I mean he HAS repeatedly said...
1
@Coverman
The cost of fixing your car will exceed your month's $1000 the minute everyone has it. I am not against UBI, but our systems is not designed to accommodate it, we need more change than just handing out money (Again, those words sound like conservative nay saying, but it is meant in the opposite spirit).
1
Do I think Andrew Yang can win the Democratic nomination? No. Do I admire him? Yes, and not because he promises to give me and my fellow citizens $1000 a month. He’s a true visionary and I hope he receives an appointment in any Democratic administration.
18
UBI is a bait and switch by the donor class to mollify, pacify and marginalize workers and to side-step efforts to level the playing field for capital and labor. It would undermine or replace a number of benefits with a one-off, lower, monthly payment that would provide justification for paying the poorest a not-quite-subsistence poverty income and consigning them to a social "untouchable" caste of those who "refuse" to work (ignoring the shrinking number of jobs at a living wage to be had). Proponents talk about how UBI would enable all of us to do less work, spend more time with loved ones and pursue personal interests or engage with our communities, but does anybody really believe it will shake out that way? It will far more likely act as a wedge to get rid of welfare and the idea of a "safety net" entirely.
The conflict between worker and capitalist, rich and poor won't go away by simply giving people money, especially if capitalists continue to monopolize the supply of goods, keep workers as underpaid as possible, and wield the ultimate power of termination. It is hardly surprising that the biggest UBI boosters are Silicon Valley CEOs and a corporate-funded candidate like Andrrew Yang. A Universal Job Guarantee, not UBI, is what we should be striving towards. A basic income is no panacea for the ills of the modern labour market. Workers need to choose the fight for actual power rather than a fight for a dribble of cash.
6
@Boris Jones
I agree. Maybe this candidate's message gets the ball rolling in this direction? No one else is thinking in these terms.
2
If management knows labor has an income safety net via UBI, that gives labor a massive boost in negotiations. It’s far less likely that management can wait out the strike because unionized workers would have that alternative income.
2
@Boris Jones
Marx and Engels -- let's say, in Wage Labor and Capital -- analyzed conditions in 19th century Britain and projected a solution for the future. I'm guessing you know what I'm talking about.
We know now that it was never realized, but more to the point, conditions have changed in ways they couldn't have predicted, and while some people remain stuck in the thinking of that time, people like Yang are trying to prepare us for a future where many traditional jobs are becoming obsolete.
A Universal Job Guarantee is an unproductive fantasy: who will guarantee such a thing? (Hint: Nobody) And those who imagine they can return to Industrial Revolution-era jobs in manufacturing, extractive industries or transportation -- factory workers, miners, truck drivers -- well, it may be harsh to reappropriate the Marxist phrase "dustbin of history", but to invoke another cliche, these jobs will soon be "gone with the wind".
Personally, I don't see Yang's idea as a "wedge to get rid of welfare and the idea of a 'safety net'". $1,000 a month won't solve every problem, but I give him credit for looking automation in the eye, so to speak.
3
We may have found the perfect Democratic ticket: Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson--the Yang and the Yin of anti-politicians. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) Actually, Yang is a very genuine, intelligent candidate, but one issue when gun regulation, health care, and global climate change are "the BIG three" will not allow him to move up in the polls. He needs to do his "MATH" homework on those issues if he wants to challenge "the BIG three" candidates of Biden, Sanders, and Warren. At this point, he's just the second-coming of Ross Perot.
4
@Paul Wortman
'Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson'
Do it, run with that, it's a sure fire winner!
Of course most of us will have to Google Marianne Williamson to find out who that is.
But yea, go for it, that's the winning ticket.
1
I'm amazed to admit that many of his policies make a lot of sense, and he seems to understand how things work, while giving the impression that he cares about inequality. He seems honest. But, he has no government experience. I will continue to observe, with an open mind. I'm still a Bernie person. Cooling on Warren, because of her recent coziness with the corrupt DNC. Does she REALLY not take money from PACs and corporations? Watching her, too, nervously.
9
@ChesBay
I don’t think she’s cozying the DNC, but she’s trying to work without other Democrats to make sure they win the house and senate in 2020. When asked about it at the debate, she said this was her plan for taking on Mitch McConnell. And Bernie clearly admires her. She’s been in the fight for a while and has never flip flopped which is why I like her.
5
I'm glad that Yang is helping to make automation a more central topic in the 2020 campaign (I wish the other candidates would, too), but his doom-and-gloom framing of the issue isn't the whole story.
Yes, automation and AI will eliminate many jobs. By some estimates, about 15% of the global workforce currently occupy roles that will be automated by 2030. However, automation is going to create more jobs that it will displace -- about 60 million more by 2022, according to recent studies.
So the solution isn't UBI, it's closing the "skills gap." Candidates should be advocating for investment in public retraining programs and also highlighting private initiatives, such as Amazon's Upskilling 2025 project. These are the paths forward to a robust workforce and a healthy economy.
If Yang truly wants to Make Americans Think Harder, he needs to be painting a complete picture of this urgent issue.
3
@Anna The success for retraining is extremely low. It seems like a good idea on paper but most people can’t make such major transitions.
9
@Bryan When you say "retraining", what do you mean? It takes many forms, and some are more effective than others. Scaling is also a challenge.
Germany and Sweden are doing a pretty good job with retraining. The USA has a long way to go, unfortunately.
The last thing we need is a defeatist attitude. The political and social risks are far too great.
1
My research with the National Governors Association demonstrates that America cannot maintain competitive global advantage if we do not have a workforce armed with the skills needed for the Future of Work. As the robots turn the screws and do the heavy lifting, humans must be trained for higher cognitive, digital skills. After all, someone has to design, program, monitor & repair the robots! And at this point in time, it is humans who innovate!
Our education model must turn to Lifelong Learning with affordable, short term, skill specific training for the segment of our population who are making the transition from Blue Collar to New Collar jobs.
5
I am one of the many people who take a second look at Yang. I actually listened to his speech. He is clever, fresh, and genuine plus he knows math. He has already won by Making America Think Harder.
18
I'm glad Yang is running and drawing attention to automation. These issues are far bigger than most people can contemplate. There is a growing global nastiness being directed at what has been called the "surplus population" (Dickens) or simply "useless people" (Yuval Harari).
If you think the rage being directed at immigrants is bad, wait until you see the rage that will be directed at humans deemed unemployable as automation takes off. Yang's main point is that the creators and purveyors of automation should be obligated, at the very least, somehow to compensate the billions of humans who will be rendered "useless" in the process.
20
If we assume the 12,000 / year goes to only Americans age 18 and over, it implies about 250 million Americans, which equals about $3 trillion in spending. This amount is equal to roughly 100% of total federal tax revenues and would quadruple the deficit to over $4 trillion. I have not followed him that closely has he talked about how to pay for UBI?
2
@Not 99pct of course he has done the math, it is on his web site and he grilled on this topic by most interviewers, and the answers are compelling.
4
@Not 99pct Check out his site. I have the link here. It goes into detail how Andrew Yang will pay for it. https://www.yang2020.com/blog/ubi_faqs/pay-universal-basic-income/
4
@Not 99pct yes, he actually has a very well informed way to pay for the freedom dividend, mainly through a value added tax of 10%, which is half the European level. Even though the VAT is a regressive tax, the 1k per month directly from it would increase the buying power of roughly 94% of America. More information directly about the freedom dividend can be found here: https://freedom-dividend.com/
1
I love the idea of Making America Think Harder. I love the idea of MATH hats even more. Math needs better press. I don't even mind the concept of a UBI. I work in tech and AI is going to remake many jobs in 3-5 years.
But at least from what's being highlighted in this article, and the focus of the commenters, Yang is doing neither. He's doing perhaps an extremely effective form of messaging that allows followers to flatter their intellect (MATH!) while lining up for more stuff (UBI). Whatever the merits of UBI, it certainly does not involve thinking harder.
I'm for whatever breaks Trump. But I wonder if anything will ever get Americans to really MATH.
9
@Sarah "Whatever the merits of UBI, it certainly does not involve thinking harder."
I disagree. The majority of people (including myself, at first) have a knee-jerk negative reaction to the idea of UBI. After some research and "thinking harder" about the subject, many have come to the conclusion that it not only makes sense, it'll be necessary.
Tell Elon Musk he doesn't like to think.
https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-2020-election-endorsement-andrew-yang-president-2019-8
Can you live on $1000/month? That barely pays rent on a NYC apartment. Can anyone explain to me the benefit of this "free income"?
I don’t recall him saying that everyone can live in NYC on UBI.
7
The idea is to relieve the cost of living for many, as well as increase the ability of Americans to change jobs. Often it seems that employment being tied to healthcare and ability to pay for groceries limits people from “jumping ship” to a new job. It’s not intended to replace your income, just to ease the burden of living itself. The phrase Yang often uses to describe the theory is “capitalism where income doesn’t start at 0”.
16
@persona you are right. In most places you cant live off $1,000. but if you are already making $1,000 or more it gives you the ability to invest in small businesses or start your own company. $1,000 could easily more a single person from NY to AL and they could live happily in most counties.
4
It would have been nice to read more about his policies and ideas. He probably has more than one.
4
@PatriotDem he has 100+ policies outlined on his web site, go take a look, most are very good. He's way more than a one-trick pony, he's thought this through.
5
@PatriotDem Check out all his policies. He has 120+ of them. https://www.yang2020.com/policies/
5
Have we learned nothing from Trump? We already have an example of electing someone without experience in government, only compelling stories and promises - we shouldn't need a weather map to make that mistake again.
5
When the Scottish landowners wanted to raise sheep, they burned down their tenants homes and forced them off the land. Many emigrated to Canada and the US and prospered. Automation is driving the people away but there are fewer and fewer places for them to go to get out of the way of the capitalists.
Is their an algorithm somewhere that has predicted how many people are needed as customers for the products made by robots and exactly where these customers will earn their money? Besides prostitution.
3
Andrew Yang at debate #2: first time I’d ever heard my life validated in the MSM. (As a responsible “stay-at-home” mother, I am in fact contributing to society and I do not want free childcare or free college, I want to be acknowledged.) I stood up and applauded. I visited yang2020.com and read his myriad well-considered positions on all the issues, realize I agree with almost all of them (and on the ones on which we disagree he has his reasons).
His slogan is #HumanityFirst—how can that not be exactly what this country needs going forward?
40
@Scrat I thought the same thing hearing him at the second debate! There is so much caregiving work being done in this country that is not recognized as "work," though it contributes to our society in profound ways.
The Freedom Dividend would help redefine the nature of work, and lead us to acknowledge the immense value of this kind of work, in particular. Humanity First, indeed!
5
Thanks to technology and automation our world has shifted from scarcity to overabundance. That changes the equation for all of economics.
Economists have been baffled by the lack of inflation and the lack of wage increases despite the low unemployment rate and government deficit spending. The reason is this shift from scarcity to an abundance of productive capacity.
What is badly needed is more confidence and spending power in the hands of consumers to drive the new economy forward and control the direction in which this new abundance will take us.
Yang's proposal is by far the simplest and most cost-effective way to rebalance the economy from one of overcapitalization and speculative investments by the wealthy few to one of better living standards for the masses.
By increasing consumer spending, it will transform the latent potential for overabundance into better living standards rather than being a source of dislocation and pain for far too many Americans. Yes, it will increase deficits for some years to come but deficit spending used to transform productive capacity into prosperity for all is a good thing in this new era.
12
@Cal Law
The notion that spending must increase deficits is erroneous. The tax system should capture enough revenue to cover spending as a general principal. The runaway success of some capitalists who find themselves tax-privileged should act as a pointer for tax reform.
Other than that, I agree with your demand-side economic ideas.
3
@Cal Law--YOU must have some money to spend. Wish I did.
@Some Dude
I agree that over time any deficits resulting from UBI will decrease or simply fade into what we might call a "virtual tax" which may ultimaely become a fixture of an economy rebalanced for a new era of abundance. But until our financial system is fully updated, we will likely have to live with adding bigger deficits to the federal account books.
In a healthy capitalist society, to the extent that this concept isn't an oxymoron, money is traded for some more or less virtuous service. I think this is psychically important. If I am to receive $1,000 a month, what will this be reward for? Sure, I'd happily take it, but aren't there solutions available that are more integrated with the idea of living a virtuous and rewarding life, in concert with a society of like-minded people? Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but I can't help but take the concept to its logical conclusion in some near or distant future: no need to work at all, and free money for everyone. I think that future sounds quite dystopian, to be honest. At that point, what will have happened to the American dream?
3
@TMJ Where there is economic disparity, there soon develops a system that must evolve to suit the current conditions. We don't have a capitalist system merely for the work and reward aspect of it. And when that particular aspect is dysfunctional (hard work does not guarantee some kind of payoff), it is smart to reform the aspect to suit reality. Especially if the reform shows overwhelming promise and vivid potential weaknesses that can be addressed.
8
@TMJ You are right that people deserve to have a fulfilling and virtuous life. Unfortunately right now there are millions of Americans working multiple jobs and still struggling to pay the bills. Those multiple jobs take away from the fulfilling and rewarding aspects of life like spending time with family and volunteering in their communities. $12,000/yr is not enough to live off of but it is enough to provide a floor for people to stand on. Maybe with that $1000/mo a person doesn't have to have that 3rd job and can spend more time with their kids or family. I like that you took the time to comment on this, thank you for that. If you'd like a time stamped video of Mr. Yang speaking about your concern you can check out YangLinks.com I'd suggest the fifth one from the top. Hope you have a good day.
8
@TMJ
People work either because they want to, or because they must. If you remove the must motivation, the want to dominates. When dreary, repetitive jobs are automated, jobs will consist of the things that humans excel at. Robots will not be doing reasoning tasks any time soon, so there will be plenty of room for human work.
Here's the thing, though. It might not be the way you survive. We might move toward a system of shared basic resources, where competition becomes the field of play where one seeks fulfilment in life. Instead of dystopian, we may finally figure out how to survive together.
5
I support Andrew Yang's stance on automation and on many other topics. He became a real possibility until I heard him talk about the Climate Crisis. He has tech-like solutions and is too entrenched in that fairy tale. He is not really getting it. That is scary. We cannot have another leader that is afraid to do the tough things necessary to immediately restrict fossil fuel and natural gas, and to act like this is happening now. A reasonable response would have been far more drastic and urgent. And to be willing to do whatever it takes. That's not where he's at.
3
@Leslie S Did you even watch it? He would end subsidies for fossils fuel and end offshore drilling. Also, UBI would be far more efficient in helping displaced communities get back on track after the ocean swallows their community up. Even more, he’s for reforestation which is not a very techy solution.
Do tell, what is he “not getting”?
4
@Leslie S $1,000 a month is also a tech-like solution, A quick fix. A band-aid.
1
@Leslie S
I worry about that too. I think he's got the right mindset though to figure it out. He's data driven, fact seeking, and reasonable. I think he'd get it straight away. Inslee is out, so...
2
Capitalism is an unworkable system under mass automation, point blank. If you take the idea that UBI is meant as a solution that that supposed problem, than it comes off very much like the idea of plutocrats paying off the destitute to maintain stability/customer base.
5
Thank you for covering Andrew Yang fairly (unlike many other media sources). He's truly a transformational, visionary candidate unlike any of the others, and the true opposite of Donald Trump in that he's empathetic, educated, curious, sane and humble. We'd be fools to not strongly consider him for the Presidency given the mess that anyone coming to power will inherit after the present criminal fool is forced out.
My job was replaced by voice recognition back in 2011, along with 80 of my fellow office workers; the technology was only in its infancy then. He's not kidding when he talks about the 'fourth industrial revolution' - people have no idea what's coming. Yang was looked at askance when he said about climate change 'we're going to have to move to higher ground' but look what happened mere weeks later with Hurricane Dorian. His solutions may seen dramatic but he's telling the truth. It's striking how novel that sounds.
"Once you've heard Andrew Yang speak, all the other candidates sound like Charlie Brown's teacher..."
111
@signalfire
"Once you've heard Andrew Yang speak, all the other candidates sound like Charlie Brown's teacher..."
So true! I discovered his brilliance in November, and everything changed. He doesn't mouth words and sentences as vectors to garner support. He uses facts, data, a keen wit, and generous intelligence to attract those with similar real-world concerns.
"Google Andrew Yang" and see!
8
Some of the comments amaze me. Mr. Yang has a website, and his policy pages answer the questions many here are asking.
28
@pDK
Most snake oil salesmen have an explanation for the blatant flaws of their claims. This does not necessarily make either more believable.
So he has a plan. So what? Presidents are not monarchs. They only execute the laws that Congress passes. Where is the Congress that will implement UBI? Where is the party that will attempt to take over Congress to implement UBI? Would UBI even be constitutional? Can anyone, even journalists, comprehend the reality of politics?
4
@Daedalus I can't see any possible reason UBI would be considered un-constitutional. Nor do I think the Democrats in Congress would be unwilling to enact it if a Democratic President proposed it.
The article mentioned that Alaska already has UBI. It failed to mention that Nixon toyed with a very similar idea, under the name of a "negative income tax", the difference being that only those with low incomes would receive it.
I'm not saying I support Mr. Yang or the UBI but the article has given me food for thought. I do love the MATH slogan.
We Dems do need to overcome our revulsion at Trump supporters, not only for political reasons but for personal ones as well. Hatred corrodes the soul.
4
@Daedalus
Yang details how bipartisan support for a UBI will make it favorable for both parties in Congress to support here (timestamped) https://youtu.be/cTsEzmFamZ8?t=5326
@Fletcher
Well, if you could wish in one hand...
"Ah if only everyone agreed with my ideas we'd get my ideas into law".
I note that Alaska having enough money for UBI didn't stop them going cap in hand to the Feds for bridge funds.
C'mon guys, it's politics. Buy people to buy votes. Grab money when it's offered and pretend to use it for the purpose you said. Stay in power at all costs. If it looks like a Good Thing and it's Popular, so much the better.
1
This guy is the real deal. He’s the only candidate with actual substance and ideas that have been thought through extensively. He also attracts people on the left, center, and far right so he is very capable of beating Trump. No, don’t write him off as a future advisor or think tank boss. He is running for president and he is what we need to stave off another embarrassing defeat by a reality show tv star.
Biden is a literal step backwards in time. Trump was elected and we need to solve the issues that got him there. No going back to Obama days now.
Sanders is a broken yelling record who couldn’t get any bills passed during his long tenure. Sorry dude, 2016 was your moment of fame but 2020 is way different.
Warren sounds nice but, Trump would walk over her without lifting a thumb off his phone. He already kind of has by calling her out with the whole NA stunt she pulled at Harvard.
The others simply do not have the well intentioned and well thought out ideas of Yang. Give him 30-45 minutes of your time and step out of your candidates trench. I promise he will answer all of your concerns about UBI and you might learn something in the process. He is the new way forward.
76
@Quinton You write "He’s the only candidate with actual substance and ideas that have been thought through extensively." Hmm. Does he have ideas or just one idea?
Senator Warren does have ideas, well thought out ideas but you ignore that with your claim that Trump would easily beat her. In the course of arguing for that you repeat his lying slur that she did something sleazy, somehow benefitted from undeserved affirmative action (if that's not what you meant by "stunt" then what the heck did you mean?).
So a supporter of the "thinking man's candidate" stoops to repeating one of Trump's lies. You're really not helping.
17
@Jack Toner
Judging from your response I gather you're not very familiar with his platform. UBI is his flagship proposal, but his platform is wide and substantive. I encourage you to further research his campaign if you haven't already done so.
7
@Quinton
Where do you get the crazy idea that Elizabeth Warren would let Trump walk all over her? I don't think you are a Democrat--the "stunt" has been debunked.
Either Warren/Yang or Yang/Warren on the ticket would thrill me, although I'll vote for any Democrat.
12
Only fitting to have a techie as POTUS . . . those who broke it should have to buy it for $1000 a vote. Only as the taxpayer I guess I'll be buying my own vote? Sounds like the basis for a new gig-economy scam.
2
@John Doe
Be sure to review his analysis in this pod cast before making quick assumptions. This is a very bright man.
https://youtu.be/cTsEzmFamZ8
3
Automation is going to put a huge amount of people in the mining industry out of work. They see it coming as CAT and Komatsu are testing self driving haul trucks. None of the people that I know who are in the industry are going to vote for anyone other than trump. They are that blind.
13
@JD sounds like you have a great environment to enlighten individuals. I live in Alabama and i am a republican. I still think that Andrew Yang has some amazing policies. My father is a truck driver and i worry about him because the wave of automation that is coming.
1
@Tristan truck drivers are in the same boat as coal miners and coal power plant operators.. dead just don’t know it yet... it maybe 10 or 15 years but they are going away. Time to plan on another occupation that can’t be automated
1
Capitalism is funny. Automation could, theoretically, do away with much of the need for human drudgery and make an equal or greater amount of resources. So, it would not induce a resource shortage, but would simply give more of the resources to the owners of capital. The state would then buy off the peasants with a small universal payment. No wonder the libertarians are attracted to it. Robots of the world unite.
5
"Universal basic income." Funny how wealthy libertarians casually toss out that idea, when we can't even get them to agree on the need for universal healthcare.
In our Protestant work-ethic ruled society, what exactly is the social status of a person (most particularly a male "head-of-household") who lives on a monthly government income? We are already seeing the effects (populist rage, racism, fascism, gun violence, addiction) of those whose skills have been deemed useless and economically valueless, and they are not good!
Just because we have the ability to do something (think, for example, of the capacity for a nuclear strike), doesn't mean we should do it! Why do we mindlessly accept that the Automation of Everything for the continued exclusive benefit of those at the very top of the income/wealth ladder is a fait accompli?
5
@Frank F "Why do we mindlessly accept...Automation of Everything"?
How do you propose to stop it?
2
@Frank F
I worked as an electrician in a lumber mill. There used to be operators at each saw (there are many), and board flippers all over. Now there are few operators and few board flippers. Machines run by computers do that work. Bye bye, jobs. Lots more lumber comes out of that mill with vastly fewer workers.
Most of the workers that used to do the saw operator and board flipper jobs wished they could go do something else. Build a house, paint pictures, write books, clean up their town. They had dreams that they could never pursue because they were stuck in menial labor jobs to support their family.
$1K per month won't support many people, but it can be the kicker for some to get their dream started. Their American dream. Get it?
The last thing is, how are you going to tell the owner of the mill that he can't automate his mill? I could imagine his reply. It wouldn't be polite.
6
@Jack Toner @Frank F Why stop automation? It is the future. We need to establish societies that can work with robots not against. It will greatly increase the wellbeing of most humans on this earth.
1
Somehow I think that Yang was the one Trump's voter in 2016 thought Trump would be, a political outsider and business man.
The nation has lost its compass and the voters have developed politics-fatigue. It is a trend the establishments fail or refuse to acknowledge.
The utmost problem we are facing is the wealth inequality. All the Democrats candidates offer some sort of redistribution plans. Only Andrew Yang's Universal Basic Income is the real game changer. And what I also like about Yang is he is not political but focusing on finding solution.
He actually brings hope to America.
27
Another "horse race" article with not enough substance about the proposals of this candidate. I want to know more about his ideas and pros and cons, not how many people are donating to his campaign or showing up at events.
11
@Susan Andrew Yang has a website: yang2020.com
Coupled with Andrew Yang’ proposal for universal income we should incentivize more sustainable lifestyles for the environment. A carbon zero bonus for people who utilize public transport, electric vehicles, and otherwise demonstrate good stewardship of the planet through a certified 3 day course in reducing your carbon footprint.
5
I think we get the automation thing. Giving displaced individuals $12k puts them at the poverty line. Then what? I haven’t learned anything more from this article about Yang’s plans than I got from the debates.
2
@Doug Lowenthal
True, not a lot of info in the article. Check out Andrew Yang’s website if you are interested in the details of his UBI proposal and his positions on many many other policy issues.
2
@Doug Lowenthal
Maybe review his analysis in this pod cast before making quick assumptions. This is a very bright man.
https://youtu.be/cTsEzmFamZ8
Switzerland tested the idea of giving $2500.00 to every citizen and 70% of the voters rejected it. It makes more people not to work. The U.S being the largest borrower with budget deficit running in Trillion plus dollars, where the money comes? The idea that automation will throw millions of people out of jobs was floated several decades ago in India. Now, India is fifth largest economy. Loosing jobs at call centers effects foreign countries because many of those call centers are in foreign countries. The idea that automation creates loss of jobs, so we hand out to all is same as opposing automation. No thanks!
2
@Kodali "where the money comes?" Repeal the Republican tax cuts for fat cats.
His plan is most definitely not "opposing automation", it's accommodating it. You claim that job loss caused by automation will never be a big problem here because some people made bad predictions about India. Very weak argument.
Oh and your Swiss example doesn't fly: they didn't test the idea, they chose not to try it.
3
@Kodali
Thats where you might be mistakened.
https://futurism.com/new-report-claims-ubi-would-grow-the-u-s-economy-by-2-5-trillion
1
@Kodali
It does NOT make people not want to work. It gives people more opportunity to find meaningful work.
I was one of the people who thought he was a bit looney. And then I saw a few interviews of his and I changed my mind. The level headed discussion, the absence of political rethoric has great appeal to us thinking voters. Unfortunately we are a tiny minority of the electorate so he has no chance. The fact that he poles at a level similar to the true looney in the race (Ms Williamson) is proof enough.
14
I also dismissed 1000/Month as a populist handout until i listened to interviews and podcasts.
I work in technology and Yang has a big following in the IT sector because we build systems / automation, we see it happening. I came away from the July AWS event astounded at the acceleration of these services.
Keep in mind, tech doesnt have to replace a job, it can augment a job so fewer workers are needed. 10 years ago, all companies had teams of server, storage and unix admin to manage equip and ensure systems were up and running. those roles are now outsourced to cloud providers and where before there were 1000's, now there are 10's.
Tech will impact many jobs. Call Center, food, even construction. Call your ISP b/c Cable is down and you hear: "there's an issue in your area, we can txt you when its resolved,press 1", thats predictive tech, data driven.
I'm hopeful for re-education but sense that its not working and not really helping. Schooling miners and factory workers to run CNC equip, become nurses or tech workers seems like a long shot. If it were easy, they would already be doing it.
122
@William
Very insightful comment. I just want to take it a bit further. There is a limit to bodies needed to "run CNC equip, become nurses or tech workers". We are fast approaching the time when there will be a dearth of positions requiring human participation. As a society, we must find ways to pass on the benefits of such automation to society as a whole, rather than only to those who hold ownership of that automation.
10
Good! Although I will eventually support whoever the Democratic nominee is, I suspect Yang's diagnosis of the problem (jobs increasingly displaced by automation) is accurate, and proposed solution (a flat UBI) is one I suspect will help. He'll probably get my vote in the primary. Regardless, I'm very glad he's raised the profile of this important idea.
90
Because of his policies and ideas I was delighted to jump on the Andrew Yang bandwagon very early. I cannot contribute to Mr Yang's campaign because I am Canadian but most of my family are registered Democrats and politics is pretty standard fare for discussion.
I had expected to have to make known my second choice by this time but I am delighted there are actually Americans who understand that business as usual is simply giving up on a future.
I was born in Quebec where our quiet revolution occurred 50 years ago and we no longer celebrated pre-Revolutionary France as our social model. Sometimes conservatism is good, sometimes it is a pain and sometimes it is our most existential threat. It is only now that we are celebrating the change that was delayed by almost two hundred years.
America has not got two hundred years and in my remaining years would like to see America realize it is 2019 and we need big time change.
The Dauphin Manitoba study on guaranteed annual income occurred 1975-1980 under Canadian and American sponsorship. It should have changed the way we think but as Thomas Chandler Haliburton said in the early 19th century "When a man is wrong and won't admit it, he always gets angry."
38
Andrew Yang is smart but he lacks experience in many fields to implement his policies. He exudes the same kind of Silicon Valley thinking that believes that all problems can be solved by some algorithm. As we see from a recent NYT article on medical records, it can’t. The world is much more complex.
Mr. Yang needs to take his good ideas and run for Congress where he’ll both be able to have real influence but also gain practical knowledge in governance. Here’s hoping to see more of him in the future if politics.
22
@NKM
Mr. Yang needs to take his good ideas and run for Congress.
Amen! When, exactly, did people start thinking of the presidency of the United States of America as an entry-level position?
10
@NKM
Every Dem candidate who doesn't win the primary should be running for Congress. And if they don't, I hope they get picked for cabinet or some other substantive position. Every one of them needs to be part of our government and help in leading the way. They all have strengths and heart.
17
@NKM: No. Yang displays traits perfect for the presidency such as decisive command, future projection, and a grasp of organizational administration and mass management. Seems to be a decision maker, natural leader, and inspirational visionary. He is young, vibrant, and very highly intelligent. Yes, in the oval office he would need a political Spock, a military M'Coy, and a congressional Scotty. Of course. But Yang is a Kirk for that Captain's seat. No other such currently in consideration but DJT.
9
Andrew Yang is running a "doom and gloom" campaign like the current president did, but is a smart and accomplished person, unlike the current president. Mr. Yang's is a similar appeal in a different package, and it needs to be viewed with similar skepticism.
First is the timing. Unemployment is low. Many jobs in government and health care are famously understaffed and have been for years. If automation creates the gloom and doom he suggests it will, there will be time to implement a remedy, possibly even his. The job losses will not happen overnight and there is only downside to trying to fix this problem before it exists.
Giving angry unemployed young adult men a regular supply of cash will not integrate them into society, it will finance criminality. This could be long-term participation in criminal groups or prepping for a mass shooting. I believe there is a chapter in "Freakonomics" about why most drug dealers live with their mothers, and such a lifestyle would likely seem more appealing with a UBI.
The extra cash would make residential property far more expensive, so much of it will be extracted by landlords. I am guessing banks will not lend long-term on this new income because it could pulled at any time, so it will be really hard for people to break into home ownership.
This is not a full list of unintended consequences from his policy ideas, but they are enough to be disqualifying. Mr. Yang may like math, but he seems to have skipped the game theory lectures.
9
It would finance criminality? Finding it really hard to believe that’s how that would work in even a small minority of cases for unemployed men
6
@Alan - The true labor force participation is only around 56% IIRC. That's a lot of people who could be working who are not, so the low unemployment rate is a falsehood. Yang addresses this in many of his long form interviews. He also addresses your other concerns thoroughly on both his extensive policy pages and in interviews.
Perhaps young men are 'angry' because they see no way out of their economic predicaments; Yang's policies may just show them a way forward (not left or right, but forward is Yang's motto) - It's obvious that there is no reason to finance a massive Pentagon budget to 'protect' us when everywhere you go, there are people forced to live in the streets, or into bankruptcy for a one-time medical emergency. It's time we considered a humanity-based economy.
6
@Alan Looks like you haven't done your homework. You must be fair about analysis.
https://youtu.be/cTsEzmFamZ8
He may be a fine candidate, but this is terrible reporting:
What do economists say about his signature proposal? What has been the effect where (Alaska) it has been tried? Has it decreased labor force participation? Has it increased skills by enabling people to take time off for education?
People have been predicting that automation will produce mass unemployment since at least the 1950's, and the concern actually goes back to the 18th century when power looms put hand weavers out of work (read Silas Marner). Yet, somehow, this hasn't happened. Automating weaving made more jobs for tailors and garment workers; automation produces a realignment of the labor force and an increase in average well-being. There have been individual losers, of course, but the solution to that is retraining and reform of education and training to meet new needs. not stopping automation. How does a universal basic income for the able-bodied help?
28
@Jonathan Katz
Under our current state of affairs, UBI is an efficient means for the redistribution of wealth. Let's face it.
It's way better for the planet to have more street musicians and artists living off of UBI, then coal miners and frackers ravaging the planet.
The typical payment in Alaska was about $1,000 per year, as I recall. It's funded by oil revenue, like almost everything else in Alaska's state budget. Hence, none of it is sustainable once the oil runs out.
People up there treated it as a happy benefit that came in handy, in some cases it was really important for them. No one is retiring on $1,000 per year, especially not in Alaska, where the cost of living is way, way higher than the lower 48.
8
@Jonathan Katz - Yang addresses these concerns; he's found that 'retraining' is often a certificate from a for-profit school that is useless in the real world; we're also talking a massive amount of people suddenly and without much warning being put out of work; our population is much larger now than it was in Silas Marner's era. And it's armed to the teeth.
As far as 'how does a UBI for the able-bodied help?' - it gives the wherewithal to go back to school, relocate, breathe when faced with endless utility and other bills, and the kind of options that can mean the difference between life and death, literally. Suicide call centers report that a LOT of their callers cite finances as a reason for people considering suicide. This is capitalism at its most obscene and devastating.
18
@Oh
In fact a significant number of people in AK use their annual dividend to enable what is essentially a subsistence lifestyle, hunting and fishing and living in homemade cabins.
It’s pretty cool.
Especially if you agree that people should not be forced to give up traditional lifestyles and move to the city.
Yang’s UBI would probably have more of a positive impact in rural areas.
9
Mr. Yang is very likable, but his ideas have been discredited a long time ago. Giving money away is dumb, first we have to borrow it, and that would be insane. All the Dems think there is this pile of money siting around we can just hand out, but we are broke. Money must be earned to be valued, other wise it won't go to productive uses and will only be inflationary. In the hands of junkies, homeless and mentally ill it will make a bad situation worse. It is proven, you buy a street person a sandwich, don't ever give money, because it will most certainly be misused. No need to repeat history when we know what works, and this idea, among others the Dems are pushing, is beyond stupid.
2
@sob He has a very detailed plan to raise money. The article doesn’t even come close to explaining his ideas. You should check out any of his many interviews where he explains it quite eloquently.
3
@sob - the money will be sourced from a new tax (on wants, not necessities) from Amazon and other new tech companies that use our own data to target us - our private information is worth more than oil and we now get zero percent of the value of it while they pay no taxes. As far as the 'junkies and homeless' maybe their downward spiral started with not having enough discretionary income and poor home lives; in any event, why presume the most negative outcome? We will always have the addicts but why punish the vast majority that would use the money wisely? Are we all not teachable? Look at the money we're throwing at a grifter so he can golf incessantly (with Secret Service protection paid for by us); if you want to cut back on public spending, there's the first place to do it, not presuming every 'street person' is untrustworthy or unsalvageable.
2
@sob Yes for a few that extra money is going to be used improperly but for others it may mean the opportunity to go to school or start a business.
We don't look at seniors who are receiving Social Security as abusers of these funds so why would we look at a 35 year old receiving $1000 monthly any differently?
3
Andrew Yang has the best chance of beating Trump. Andrew Yang can unite the country.
39
Thank you, NYT, for this thoughtful, substantive piece on this thoughtful, substantive and modern candidate. Andrew Yang’s visionary message and rising campaign has captured the attention of voters including myself who would otherwise be disengaged with politics as usual and has inspired us to get involved in the national political conversation in a way I’d never have believed a year ago. Yang’s voice speaks directly and clearly to the concerns of our generation (and the American generations who follow), and is galvanizing us to action as well as a unifying hope sorely needed right now in our country.
29
Over a year ago I first heard what Andrew Yang was saying. I had just finished reading Yuval Noah Harrari’s
3 books, and re-reading Jared Diamond’s “ Collapse, how nations choose to die”. All focused on humanity’s challenges - and the crucial need for correct paradigmatic change.
It struck me that Mr. Yang was the only candidate that was truly looking at the wrecking ball that Artificial Intelligence is bringing to our nation, and it is only starting. He expands the concept of true, structural change our civilization needs. We citizens do not have to be victims of onrushing vulture capitalism, we can put people first in our Country. First, as if being a human and a citizen truly count. Not first, who’s bodies and souls are ground down to grease the increasingly AI controlled gears of the machinery of the vulture capitalists.
I am sure he is not perfect, no one is. I want the answers to the questions this article has raised re: financing and speaker’s fees from banks. Yet, at this point, his ideas are clearly what this country most needs.Is he he the best vehicle for these ideas? We will see. He is so much younger than Biden, Warren or Sanders -and he is growing more astute and fluent as the campaign goes on.
Call off the circular firing squad, I will enthusiastically support any of the current Democratic candidates. Climate change is still our major issue, but huge structural displacement of humans by machines is an increasingly dystopian concern. Andrew Yang 2020.
139
@Dr. Zen
Overpopulation -- not in the US where the birthrate is falling.. les than 2 per 1000; but Guatemala - 24 per 1000; Kazakhstan, 16 per 1000; Burundi and Niger.. 44 per 1000.. Those are the ones I've looked up.
The UN is now predicting 11 billion plus by 2100... Capacity is currently stated to be 10 billion if we all eat our veggies.
The topic needs discussion and I guess Bernie did say something about it yesterday or so they said on The View. (And some people got very angry!)
2
@Dr. Zen
If Yuval Noah Harari was an eye opener toward the challenges of the future, I think Andrew Yang is the solution.
As we are now making machines that are going to be more intelligent and powerful than us, machines that will eventually create more intelligent machines and possibly super beings much better than us, we need someone who understands this future and who believes that Humanity should always come First.
That's Andrew Yang.
8
@Auntie MameI agree completely. Overpopulation underlies much of this. Zero Population growth is a great idea.
2
My husband’s boss is very taken with Yang. This boss is a Trump supporter who will launch into an “can you believe insurance for immigrants” tirade at the drop of a hat.
But he is a manager in one of our country’s dying commercial sectors (not manufacturing) - yet fails to notice how his company has a strict rule that forbids most employees from working enough hours to qualify for medical insurance from the company.
After years of hearing this guy’s blinkered political opinions, I just cannot support Yang.
- And no, I am not worried that he will see this letter in Fake News Media.
1
@Anonymously but don’t you see? That is exactly why Andrew Yang is such a potent choice as a democrat candidate. He’s our best chance of passing Medicare for all and mitigating poverty precisely because he is so popular with trump voters.
He wouldn’t just win in 2020, he would win overwhelmingly and then be able to actually govern without being as obstructed in the senate. His Bipartisan appeal is a huge asset. He is one of only two candidates that polls better than 10% with trump voters and the other is Bernie. But they only like Bernie because Trump talked him up as a way to attack Hillary. That will fade fast. They like Yang solely based on his policies which will carry him to victory in 2020.
1
Combine his futurist vision about technology jobs and the necessity of an unconditional base income with a democratic socialist economic system and you’ll have the perfect blueprint for how to move forward in this world.
7
Pieces like this should really try harder to understand why alternatives rise. In many cases, we need to look at what they’re an alternative to.
Consider Obama. Most progressives think he’s the second coming incarnate. They think he rose and was elected because he was an amazing, once in a lifetime politician.
But he wasn’t! His opposition was GW Bush’s legacy, a tanking economy, two failing wars, and the crazy guy who had lost to GW Bush and his even crazier sidekick. And so I and millions of others voted for him.
The same thing is happening with Yang. Biden is literally bleeding from his eyes and exhibiting signs of dementia, and he’s the current front runner! Then we have Warren and Sanders, who most sane people realize are going to get curb-stomped like Mondale or Dukakis if they get to the General. And after this sad crew is the real rogue’s gallery - the grifters who the black voters are understandably wary of - Harris, Booker, and Buttigieg, and then a gaggle of bland white no names who no one can really differentiate between. And then there’s Williams, her own special kind of crazy.
Hence, Yang’s rise. As people pay more attention and lament their options, he looks like a safer bet. But at first he seems improbable, mainly because the mainstream media is too afraid to state the obvious - that the current front runners, the status quo - is uniquely, significantly terrible.
They went easy on W, and they’re going easy on Biden and Warren. This is what they do.
18
@Ben Be sure to do your homework before making assumptions.
https://youtu.be/cTsEzmFamZ8
You forgot to mention Yang wants to invest in Thorium. Ten years from now you will be banging your head on the wall how in the world you could possibly have overlooked that.
I mean, cheap, abundant, safe, clean energy for 10,000 years.
Why is Yang the only one who sees the obvious?
10
Andrew Yang has the best chance of bearings Trump. He can actually unite the country.
7
How about instead of giving money away talk about population control and making birth control and abortions free and legal.
Make people take responsibility for their decision to have children and how they will support them.
Talk about changing the Social Security is setup as a ponzi scheme and make contributions from individuals larger so that it is not dependent on so many future workers.
There is a discrepancy btw the democrats trying to tell us how we have to let all the illegal immigrants in so that we have them for the menial jobs and declining birthrate in the United States.
Then Yang telling us that robots are taking over so we have to pay people to exist or write poetry or some such nonsense.
I so thing that technology is slowly coming and it should be addressed by population control, not turning the United States into some kind of collective of non-working individuals.
2
@marie
After seeing this ... I am convinced that this is our next president.
https://youtu.be/cTsEzmFamZ8
Andrew Yang may be Mr. Clean but he's also Johnny-One-Note. What practical results will giving everyone $1000 a month have? Will it be tax-deductible? Those people swept away by automation (and will that really be as large a number as he says?) will at best be earning "second job" incomes working at Walmart. Do you think $1000 more per month will put them over the top? He may have come to his aha moment about automation in rust belt states, but in fact Hillary lost those states because her nose was too high in the air to address the lives people there were actually living. She lost the election, Trump didn't win it. Better to nominate someone like E. Warren who actually sees deeply into what makes this country dysfunctional.
3
@free range After viewing this pod cast I was convinced that this is our next president.
https://youtu.be/cTsEzmFamZ8
It is great to see a candidate who is making us to discuss the real challenges of this country, instead of imagined fears based on emotion. It is sad to see politicians have to win the election attacking the others without providing real solutions.
11
I believe he is obviously correct about his core issue.
As were Jay Inslee and Kristin Gillibrand.
But I don’t support single issue candidates.
After reading this I still don’t know where he stands on most things I care about.
7
@David Grinspoon - His website and policy page (yang2020.com/policies/) is extensive and detailed with over 160 policy initiatives. He has also appeared in dozens of long form interviews carried on Youtube where he discusses them. He's hardly a single issue candidate even though that's what most of the legacy media outlets cover, to our detriment. It's almost as if they can't be bothered to inform the electorate, but we can take that responsibility ourselves.
6
I've heard Andrew Yang speak and he's got a huge problem. He's intelligent and logical. And he's hoping that his logic will stir the public, who have proven time after time that they (we) only respond to emotional sound bites.
I do have an economic question for Mr. Yang, though. If everyone in the country gets $1k - doesn't the price of literally everything increase to match that? This is to say: if everyone has $1,000 per year free and clear - wouldn't having $1,000 become synonymous with having absolutely nothing?
8
If it’s mostly a VAT, people with a high-consumption lifestyle will probably be paying more in than they get out. People who only buy the necessities of life will be keeping most of that $1000.
1
@Iceowl Well, I respond to intelligence and logic, and apparently (judging by Yang's continued rise in popularity) a lot of other people do too!
As for UBI leading to inflation, Andrew Yang addresses this concern on his website:
https://www.yang2020.com/blog/ubi_faqs/wouldnt-cause-rampant-inflation/
Short answer: it won't because it's not new money and there will still be competition.
1
Interestingly, I'm a little less enthused by Mr. Yang's candidacy after reading this piece. If he's attracting libertarians and Trump supports something is amiss. I guess I need to understand better where he stands on traditional progressive issues, like abortion, protecting the environment, healthcare and workers' rights.
6
@Number23 He's attracting Trump supporters because he's the only candidate who understands why Trump won... If you think Trump won because of anything other than the pitiful economic prospects faced by Americans in the Rust Belt and elsewhere, then you are mistaken. Yang attracts these voters, because he speaks honestly and persuasively to their main concern: their economic livelihood. Don't worry, Yang is firmly in line with the other Democratic candidates on all the progressive issues; but brings a futuristic vision that they all lack.
13
Many Trump voters were Obama voters - why reject them? We can find common ground in our goals for American prosperity, freedom and health, and if Yang can help us agree on the path to getting there, maybe we’ll be able to unify and work together on it.
Hillary did recognize the pain - she famously referenced one basket of Trump supporters as deplorable, but there was little attention to the distinction she meant to draw between them and a different basket of Trump supporters who she thought were experiencing real economic difficulties and had legitimate objections to the status quo.
It would mean a lot to have a candidate who can recognize people’s pain without insulting them or seeming to. I hope more candidates find ways to speak respectfully of and to our fellow Americans who they seek to represent as president.
1
@Number23 And here is one example of how Yang draws from all sides: his policy platform is pro-choice, but he is also supported by many who are pro-life and recognize that the Freedom Dividend will help reduce the number of abortions (many of which are chosen for largely financial reasons).
Andrew Yang is the only candidate who appears to be fully grounded in the 21st century and committed to, as his tagline states, moving forward, rather than left or right. More so than any candidate, he understands the economy, climate change, and the other core issues, many of them quite existential, impacting our lives. He understands why Trump won; the other Democrats have no clue. And, his proposals make sense. Listening to him is, as others have commented, like a breath of fresh air. He's intelligent and forward-looking, yet completely grounded in reality. The other candidates are painfully pedestrian in comparison. They offer nothing new. I look forward to the next debate in the hopes that the moderators will actually give him more of a chance to speak, since he's the only one actually saying something worth hearing.
36
I recently read a book by Mr Yang on the subjects discussed in this article. He does a very good job of explaining the severe loss of jobs likely to occur with the advent of aggressive, ubiquitous use of AI/automation.
But his bottom line is the inevitability of AI/automation caused demolition of the human workplace. Against this inevitability, he offers palliatives, like the $1000 per month stipend and enhancement of leisure opportunities, that would be not only subjected to our dead-end political warfare, but also would leave most of those affected destitute.
In a way, Mr Yang's position is like that of the global warming believers who oppose major public sector investment to prevent the consequential damage.
Hopefully Mr Yang's candidacy will bring the other candidates into the discussion, and inject more vigorous opportunities for public sector action. Even crazy, buggy-whip mentality, ideas like saving five million, good paying, professional truck drive jobs by prohibiting autonomous trucks on public roads.
2
He's uncompromisingly liberal, smart about his policies, appeals to rational people who want to make the world a better place.
I'm less afraid of him catering to the establishment elites and rich donors, like I am regarding Elizabeth Warren. Sanders is by far my favorite at this point (considering that healthcare is a central economic driver of inequality), but I wouldn't be mad if Yang won.
He likely won't receive the nomination, but it's not for lack of appealing platform or policies. I made my first donation to his campaign this morning.
8
@db "Sanders is by far my favorite at this point (considering that healthcare is a central economic driver of inequality), but I wouldn't be mad if Yang won."
I just wanted to point out that one of Yang's three main policies, as listed on his website, is Medicare for All (along with the Freedom Dividend and Human-Centered Capitalism).
And as for him receiving the nomination... he will if enough of us vote for him!
You're a good man Andrew! Hopefully your message will continue to resonate because it's a good/solid one without a lot of fluff stuff and soaring rhetoric. I haven't settled on who I like the most among the Democrats, but for sure you are now on my radar screen, too. Keep it up!
10
I am not generally in favor of giving money outright, but between Yang’s argument, and my own recognition that we already spend at least that much in other ways, whether in providing social services, local or foreign aid, or, in the worst case, in incarceration, just to provide some equivalent of a social peace, it’s not such a crazy idea if we could do better by allowing recipients to live a better - physically and mentally- more productive life so as to avoid ending up homeless or in prison.
However, reality means that, as a society we would need to take better care of each other, so that money isn’t wasted on drugs and alcohol- but perhaps with parents who can now spend time with children, people getting together with neighbors volunteering on community projects, this will help lift or eliminate the malaise, isolation or depression that lead so many to self-destruction
5
@ml,
Very well stated.
I don't think of Mr. Yang so much as president as an advisor for a brand new brain trust to address a jobs training program that isn't promising jobs of the past but training people for directing the robotics that are the new frontier.
He's the first I remember addressing the workers' future...which is certainly a definite improvement over the "great again" crowd or even those who overlook the clear fact that many jobs are never coming back.
He is the best at presenting a singular, clear vision and a path for workers who have been and/or will be replaced.
20
Andrew Yang is on the money, and it’s interesting to see how people think he’s a futurist. They’re obviously not aware about the disruption from automation in the past and in the current. Especially in the swing states, which he zoomed in on.
Though $1000 per month to cushion the blow of automation and social upheaval doesn’t seem like a lot. And he also conveniently doesn’t mention the disruption caused by globalization or climate change. It’s really going to be the conundrum for whoever is the real president next, not just an attention-grabbing fraudster like Trump.
47
If you believe that giving every American $1,000 a month is a good idea, then you probably won’t mind if a lot of homes or condos in your neighborhood are converted to rentals. The reason tenants don’t as a rule take care of their house as well as the homeowner, that government doesn’t spend money as carefully as private businesspeople, or that people given free money and other stuff don’t become hard workers and instead (as the last 50 years show) become part of a multi-generational group of welfare recipients, is that when there is no incentive to excel or even work, many people will not do so. Mr Yang’s naïveté on this point is enough to disqualify him.
6
as $12,000 a year is not enough to live on, clearly there would still be incentive to work. Also, it’s not true that renters don’t take care of their place, what a silly prejudice.
15
I trust that you won’t have a vote in the Democratic primaries.
1
@ehillesum hasn't listened to Yang. we need to re-define what work is.
5
I have never voted in democratic primary but I have voted democrat in the last 4 presidential elections. Andrew Yang has inspired me to not only vote in primary but to volunteer for his organization. Doubt Ill vote if he doesn't get nomination... Like many of his supporters, I prefer logic over emotion; I prefer solutions over soundbites; I prefer youth and vigor over old, tired political rhetoric. He presents data to support his claims about the existential threat of automation and AI that justifies a basic income. I fear his ideas are a little early but better early than late. There are a lot of controversial ideas within his campaign, but undeniably technology has become one of the most important issue that has to be dealt with to sustain the future of our democracy. With Amazon/Facebook/Google monopoly discussions, upcoming Facebook Libra cryptocurrency, Amazon automation supply-chain providing cheaper same-day delivery with robots than brick and mortar stores, and online manipulation of our democracy, the President needs to be equipped to both acknowledge technologies problems and provide solutions. I hate to be age-ist but frontrunners in their 70s barely addressing technology is a concern for a future presidency.
40
@Andrew If you love this country, you MUST vote regardless of who the nominee turns out to be. Please!!
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@Andrew Right on, go Andrew, go. Thank You for your efforts.
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Andrew, if you vote Democratic, even if the nominee is not Yang, you will be voting to give him a chance to serve a badly needed role in the Cabinet, where he might have a better opportunity to influence policy. I also very much like his message and his manner. Not voting, however, is a vote for Trump - and that is a step in the wrong direction. Please don’t do that!
25
Andrew Yang is doing us all a service by addressing the coming 4th industrial revolution where “automation will lead to mass unemployment”. He is also spot on about how “corporate profits are warping the economy”. However, Andrew Yang is another candidate who does not understand that there is a role for government to play in promoting the general welfare which goes beyond just handing each citizen a monthly lump sum. Many of our problems today are global in nature. Climate change, foreign policy, clean air and water, to name just a few, need to be addressed by a strong federal government. We need a candidate who has experience in governing and a more well rounded platform. Andrew Yang has neither. MATH is great. I hope we will all become thinking citizens. Our country will be much stronger for it.
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@Dale I suggest you go to his website, where he has over 100 policies addressing all of the concerns you have listed here. While UBI is one of the main policies of his campaign he is actually very well-rounded.
www.yang2020.com
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@Dale
One of the excuses I hear time and again for not becoming more environmentally conscious is that it's too expensive. Organic food (heck just fresh food instead of cheap processed stuff), less oil-based products, retro fitting homes for energy efficiency, even the leisure time to research how to live more consciously are luxuries for those working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet.
I'm not a fan of welfare - lots of fraud that costs a lot to thwart. But a straight up $1000/person stipend might just be a better plan. I'm willingly to be opened minded about it if other programs are tightened up a bit or eliminated all together.
Further I find Yang refreshing in his acknowledgment of a stay at home wife/mother and that the next industrial revolution isn't going to be kind to the working man.
For the record, I'm a life-long Republican who despises He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and one of those high income folks the 99% loves to blame for everything. I'd be donating that $1000 to worthwhile charities.
18
As more occupations are replaced by machine labor we will have a large portion of the population that is not needed to work. Eventually we will need to consider a base living wage that is not dependent on work, but is given as a right of existence. This will be a difficult transition for our societies where the concept of a capable, able bodied person receiving pay without working is considered immoral by many. However, the alternative to a base living wage without a requirement to work will be to have a large segment of the population who have no legal way to make a living. When legal options are not available to people to survive they will certainly pursue illegal options. http://www.wealthexamined.com/
12
Andrew Yang is the most genuine,thoughtful candidate on the Democratic side. He speaks the truth and that will get him a lot further than people and pundits expect— maybe all the way to the White House!!!
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I think it´s good for a country like US put this kind of subjetc under debate.
Regarding employment, the world gurus who study the subject mention that the new technological wave is different from the previous ones (obviously they are always opinions). http://nuevaeconomiaycomhare.blogspot.com.ar/2016/03/como-esta-el-mundo-respecto-de-empleo.html On the other hand, I repeat, although it is hard to believe today, the only way for humanity to achieve to evolve, in the broad sense of the word (political, economic, social and spiritual), is to learn to share resources, without falling into communism or strict socialisms or populism, but with greater global agreements and systems similar to those Scandinavian (in my opinion). The fact that will mark the beginning of the change will be this: http: //neweconomics and share.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/la-ayuda-de-maitreya-esta-muy-cerca.html
3
Media owes him more coverage
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Make America Think Harder?
How about Make America Think?
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Automation and AI is designed to do more with less, and the less (1%) will of course have more $ as a result. Andrew Yang is correct here. The bigger question is will all this automation and AI in return purchase all the goods and services produced and pay taxes to keep our fare system going? I think it will not. Hence the $12K annual income distribution by AY. He's thinking big picture and outside the box here.
41
“And as voters realize he is serious and substantive, his campaign is gaining steam.” What a charming 19th century metaphor for a 21st century candidate who is offering a substantial solution for adapting to the passing of the factory era.
113
Mr Yang might be very intelligent and full of ideas worth exploring but he has absolutely no experience in governing. Issues such as foreign policy, defense, health care, gun safety, education and so forth and so on are issues that require some level of experience. We experimented with a businessman with 45 and all it has gotten us is chaos. I think we need someone who has governed in some capacity. No more OJT at the highest level of government.
7
@Julia Ellegood neither had Barack Obama. Governing is about a leader with good judgement surrounded by a experimented cabinet.
44
Experience can come handy. However, if we must assess governance and performance from this criteria, I am not sure I can say our country is in a good place. Experienced officials have led us to many conflicts around the globe; they were bested by adversaries; they have ignored that individual economics on decline; they have raised expenditures with poor outcomes; they failed to protect our borders. I can go on and on.
The sample size of failures show that experience in politics just show that they are experienced in politicking; it not necessarily mean that they have the right skills, understanding and solution to tackle 21st century problems.
The analysis you shared is more like an articulation of recency bias rather than analysis of all performances of governance based from the criteria you want to set in place.
13
@Julia Ellegood I think you mistake experience with intelligence and empathy. Trump lacks all of the above. And then you have people like Mitch McConnell or Lindsey Graham or even Mitt Romney who have plenty of experience but lack any consideration or empathy for most Americans. Even candidates like Warren or Sanders lack experience in many areas (e.g. foreign policy, defense, etc).
But what Yang, Warren or Sanders have are intelligent thoughtfulness and empathy for regular people. Sort of like Barack Obama (1 term junior senator).
9
This will sound like an exaggeration, but I believe Andrew Yang is a person who can lead not only America but the rest of the world to a better future.
I've listened to him on various podcasts and seen him speak at various events via YouTube. He's not ideological and he is very good at identifying the root causes of issues that make our societies weaker. He has a well thought out answer for all the major issues as well as many minor issues. And he seems to be getting support from both sides of the political spectrum.
I'm rooting for America to choose this man as their next president. I believe his leadership will have a positive impact on my country as well.
208
Yang supporter here. First time I've ever donated to a political campaign in my life. He's smart and solutions-oriented, with virtually no political pandering to this group and that group. And his Freedom Dividend will be a game changer for many. Yang 2020!
43
As our world is exponentially accelerating both in complexity and into new frontiers in so many fields, it baffles me that we are going for the quasi octogenarians in evident cognitive decline as our hopes for the future. Yang is the future of at least a decade ago. Our society is falling apart and no one else can correct our course away from an obliterating dystopia.
18
Andrew Yang is certainly the president that America needs. Whether or not America deserves him is another matter. We'll see in the primary.
103
Once we have selected our Democratic candidate for President, he or she should make it clear that the other candidates who made it into the debates should be appointed to the new Cabinet. There's a whole lot of brainpower in those candidates, and we'd be the losers if we fail to make them part of the government.
252
Brain power? Are you kidding? What have most of these people ever done? Government jobs? Yes. College professor? Yes. Joe Biden? He is a joke. There isn't enough money in the world to finance these collections of programs. Who is going to take risks in business, in science and medicine to make the world a better place when these nitwits take everyone's money? Nobel prizes are not won by socialists, communists and 3rd world citizens. Freedom, is what separates us from rest of the world, they should copy us not the other way!
3
@Susan H - Most of the other candidates already have day jobs - important jobs they wanted, campaigned for and currently hold.
One of my biggest issues with them all is that they are by necessity neglecting those jobs to run for an upgrade. If they had the courage of their convictions, they'd step down from their Senate and Mayoral positions and run full tilt for what they want; they seem to instead want to have the 'old job' to fall back on.
3
This piece was a helpful introduction to Mr. Yang. All I knew was the "$1,000/month," which doesn't sound to me like a helpful starting point for a healthy economy. The MATH slogan certainly is appealing, and I like hearing Mr. Yang's big picture analysis of the economy. So thanks! I look forward to learning from his contributions to our national conversation.
I do have to add, along with the useful, positive "discovering the lesser known candidates" articles, why is it that Senator Warren's are all about why she won't be chosen in the end? Where is the piece from the dewey-eyed enthusiast who just found out how steady, humane, experienced and fantastically prepared Warren is? Where is the easy to understand analysis of her? Or show your hand, NYT. Why are you so closed to her candidacy?
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@Mary Zambrana
Warren is weak, too willing to please the establishment.
She supported Bernie, and then endorsed Hillary. That revealed who she really is.
Trump will have a field day with her, even without the Native American heritage fiasco.
6
@Mary Zambrana, Warren has received a fair share of press coverage. I’ve donated to both candidates. However, I prefer the simplicity and fairness of Yang’s UBI. It doesn’t pit certain groups against one another. It equally benefits a part time worker, a student, or someone to who needs to stay home with a special needs child.
Many of us can use a cushion for very unique reasons. With UBI, nobody is left out and there won’t be massive administrative costs to manage it.
8
Hello Mary:
Yang would make a heck of a VP for Warren.
Cheers,
Jeff Pucillo
10
Yang is the antithesis of the current rump in the Oval Office in both word and deed; he is a truth-sayer, a self made man, entirely rational and book smart with bold ideas to take America and the World into the 21st century and beyond.
46
This hagiographic essay on Andrew Yang stands in dramatic contrast to The Times' denigration of Bernie Sanders.
While The Times' Yang essay breathlessly reports that he "raked in about $1 million- more than a third of what his team raised during the entirety of the second quarter, ignoring that it is a fraction of the small-money donations pulled in by Bernie Sanders. The Times also notes that his 2.6% support in national polls has allowed Yang and his team "to flirt openly with the idea that they have achieved something that long eluded them: mainstream recognition."? And Bernie Sanders 16%+ national support?
This demonstrates that The Times is still playing favorites, highlighting also-rans and conservative voices, while alternately denigrating and ignoring the national leader in pushing the increasingly mainstream progressive agenda: Bernie Sanders.
It's time for The Times to start playing fair, and put an end to its egregious campaign to stop Bernie Sanders.
15
Bernie Sanders has been repeating the same ideology over and over since the 1970s. He is a divisive blamer, very similar in that way to DJT. Most of his ideas have no chance of passing Congress, especially the Senate.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing him win the nomination, just so that all of his supporters would see his candidacy go down in flames in the general election and they would finally have to shut up about how he really win, really. But that would mean 4 more years of Trump.
Yang has an Obama aura about how: calm, thoughtful and serious without the endless pandering that Warren and Sanders do to appease the factions of the left wing of the Democratic party. Of course it is unlikely that he will survive the process, but I'm glad that he's staying in it for a little while longer.
9
@Sean I was a Sanders supporter till not long ago, and I feel you. But honestly, I stopped complaining about media bias against him once I realized that he too is highly subjected to rapid cognitive decline (such as seen so dramatically in Biden and Trump). And I'd argue that Bernie's stubbornness sometimes strikes me quite like a loss in function. Speaking of Yang, he used to be all for UBI and now he gets testy every time he hears about it and goes on with his wage slavery-soul crushing-massively bureaucratic federal jobs guarantee. I just switched to a better candidate for the present and the future.
13
@Sean - Bernie will be almost 80 years old on Inauguration Day. If *I* was running for such high office to replace an unmitigated disaster in unprecedented times and looked in the mirror and saw an almost 80 year old looking back at me, I'd have to take a good long look at my own ego-driven self righteousness.
No. Just NO. Give the newer generations a chance, Bernie's had his (as has Biden) and what exactly has he accomplished in the Senate? To the extent has had done well by us, he should stay there. He already has an important job.
10
Andrew Yang may not make it this time--though who knows in this crazy political climate--but he and his big idea are getting notice and that's a very good thing.
76
Hopefully main stream media will finally pay serious attention to the only presidential candidate that is talking and providing solutions to AI / Automation. In our daily lives, we see evidence of Automation accelerating all around us, and this impending crisis will ultimately result in millions of job lost in America. We need someone who understands and address this crisis. Only Andrew Yang is making the Freedom Dividend a central platform of his campaign. He also has 100+ detailed policies in his website. Please spend a few minutes to review all candidates policies before voting in the upcoming critical 2020 elections.
34
I had dismissed him until I heard him speak. He talks clearly and plainly about issues. His campaign is truly about what he can do for other people, it's not about his own ego.
118
I’m glad Yang’s campaign got some attention by the media. He’s deserved more than the lady who turns away hurricanes by the power of her mind... and love. Obviously.
I’m curious about him as I’ve never met a Yang supporter till now. But, the Fall semester has begun and so I’ll visit a few campuses to see what’s happening here.
Initially, I thought his universal basic income idea was a joke or one of those solutions you hear about when listening to student recommendations in a class project. I still think it provides band-aid only for the human catastrophe he warns us about. A drug. An opioid... for a depressing future he’s insufficiently been able to scare us about (because that would tie him inexorably with cultists and doomsday prognosticators).
But, he’s developed an enthusiastic base. Almost as enthusiastically evangelical of him as the one Sanders has.
What’s interesting is that yang’s rise coincides with the decline of Tulsi, despite her performance in debate #2. Sure, Tulsi recently couldn’t even name her new media secretary, but why would their worlds overlap?
Yang’s supporters might live in the threads of Reddit, but they will have to make their presence public on a bigger scale to give his campaign the physical credibility it needs to catch on.
I’m really surprised Yang is winning over younger people from Bernie. I’d imagine some of that support is from Millennials who switched from Bernie to Buttigieg early on.
6
@Patrician I’d respect your comment more if you showed intelligence with understanding the core issues Williamson is illuminating as well - start with “health” care.
Since you are flippant with your words I will not respond further. My suggestion though is MATH - thank you and peace
1
@Barb
Uh oh, The Universe seems upset at me. I have received my first Barb...
It’s good to laugh at oneself every now and then. I certainly do. Peace.
2
Heard Yang speak on Foreign Affairs. He has a 3rd grade understanding - so no thanks Andrew. I for one have had enough of businessmen telling us they have the solutions the world needs when they really have no clue.
4
@Darren McConnell what you wrote sounds very untrue, to the point that makes me think you might have ended up here afraid of Yang surpassing your preferred candidate in the polls. I listen to the same Yang and he sounds like a person with a good judgement that would surround himself with the brightest minds.
7
@Darren McConnell
The President is the face of a Nation, it's focal point, not the single repository of all necessary knowledge to 'run' the country. No one person can be fluent in all the policy ins and outs - the world has become too complicated for that. That's why Presidents have advisors and cabinets. Congress is there to override untenable or dangerous decisions made by the President. The President can veto congressional actions finds to be poor decisions (in certain situations).
That's how our government is supposed to function. With a bully in office or one party in control of all three branches, it doesn't work as well. And that's what needs fixing.
I'm watching Yang closely. He is thoughtful, humble and has a background in law. I don't see his face twisted into angry scowls as he speaks or hear him shouting insults and pointing fingers like other candidates.
Besides, our country was founded by men with little political experience who managed to give us a pretty good foundational document, yes? They were thoughtful men who were willing to work things out with those of differing opinions.
I'm willing to keep an open mind at this point and see how he makes his way through the primaries.
4
We are going to look back in 4-8 years and wish we had nominated Andrew Yang. He is speaking to our very near future and his solutions only seem crazy today. But they won't tomorrow.
He thinks comprehensively. He ties ideas of UBI and issues like climate change TOGETHER. He understands work and workers. He understands and underscores the value of mobility. The working class now, more than ever needs dignity, real freedom, and finally some personal POWER in an economy that the working class no longer has any ownership.
If it's not him and his proposals now, it will be someone else and Andrew Yang's platform later. We would do wise to listen to him more closely.
269
@Andrew Knopp I sneered at the idea of Yang when I first heard about a Silicon Valley entrepreneur running for president. I work in government so the last thing I wanted to hear was another wanna-be politician telling us how government should be run like a business. It shouldn't because government is in charge of public goods. Look at how a business-minded president has gotten us so far--red carpet for the wealthy and the rest of us be darned. Then I heard Yang's fighting sound bite from the second debate. Then I actually heard him speak eloquently about his policies at myriads of events by watching those YT videos. Now I am a believer, especially since he has the intelligence to understand that government should NOT be run like a business and the fact he ran for president because he believed he had to take matters into his own hand for his two kids.
Yes, there seems to be an unspoken agreement about how far Yang can really go, if for nothing else but the fact he is an Asian man. But if we look at the last 3 election cycles in which a black man was elected twice and a clown everyone else wrote off won. The country is craving for something different, but we never quite got it in 3 separate elections. It's also important to point out that Yang is not shy about his past business failures. I think that's why he's so thoughtful and wise. He IS the change the country has been craving for. At this stage I think we need to support him as much as we can so he can stay in the race.
28
@Andrew Knopp It is more than early enough in the campaign for Andrew Yang to eventually win it all. Four more years of our current national malaise will kill us. We need to get on a better path now, with Andrew Yang.
8
For all the writing about the power of his speech, this article would have done well to link to something of him talking about policy.
I've heard him a few times on the radio and, as with Buttigieg, came away impressed by how thoughtful and articulate he was.
Yang is definitely a futurist, in that he's prescient. He pulls no punches discussing the impact of the technology economy on the working man. He doesn't sugar coat. In acknowledging the challenges we face, and approaching then with an open, flexible mind, he positions himself as uniquely able to address them, outside of political lines.
I think he'd make an excellent executive, and I don't know that most Americans are equipped to really get on board with the things he talks about. But we need someone real at the helm, no more empty suits or ravenous greedheads. My heart would burst if we managed to elevate someone like Yang to a position of importance and impact.
364
@Dan except buttigieg takes money from billionaires and has the most amount of billionaire donors out of all the candidates. He's in the pocket of the special interests, whereas yang has the highest percentage of small donors out of every candidate (including warren/sanders). He's not beholden to the lobbyists and special interests, is it any surprise, the establishment media outlets are trying to silence him?
15
Dan: You mean working man AND woman.
2
@Dan "my heart would burst" says it perfectly. I really feel that too.
1