DAVID: SO IMAGINE GETTING 500
BUCKS EVERY MONTH JUST FOR
EXISTING.
NO STRINGS ATTACHED THAT'S EXACT
LY WHAT SOME PEOPLE IN THE
TOWN IN CALIFORNIA WILL GET TO
EXPERIENCE AS PART OF A TEST OF
SOMETHING CALLED UNIVERSAL BASIC
INCOME.
FOX NEWS IS IN STOCKTON WITH THE
DETAILS.
CLAUDIA?
>> REPORTER: WELL, DAVID THE
PLAN IS TO GIVE SOME OF STOCKTON
'S POOREST FAMILIES AS
YOU MENTIONED $500 A MONTH FOR A
YEAR TO SEE IF THAT CAN LIFT
THEIR SPIRITS AND PUT THEM ON A
PATH TO PROSPERITY.
>> IF YOU GET PEOPLE A BASE
AMOUNT THAT THEY'RE RECEIVING
REGULARLY, THAT CAN REALLY BE A
HANDOUT, THAT HELPS THEM TO
REALLY GAIN THEIR OWN ECONOMIC
SUCCESS GOING FORWARD.
>> REPORTER: IT IS A REAL WORLD
DEMONSTRATION OF UNIVERSAL BASIC
INCOME PAYING PEOPLE JUST FOR
BEING ALIVE.
IT'S A POPULAR CONCEPT IN
SILICON VALLEY AMID FEARS THAT
AUTOMATION WILL WIPE OUT JOBS,
AND A TECH-BASED NON-PROFIT IS
FUNDING STOCKTON'S CASH GIVE
AWAY THROUGH A $1 MILLION GRANT,
EVEN SO CRITICS SAY PAY SHOULD
BE EARNED AND POINT OUT BASIC
INCOME IS STILL A FORM OF
WELFARE.
SOME ECONOMISTS SAY GIVING OUT
FREE MONEY TO BE A DISINCENTIVE
TO WORK BUT HERE IN STOCKTON
WHICH HAD TO DECLARE
BANKRUPTCY IN 2012 AND WHERE ONE
IN FIVE RESIDENTS IS
STATISTICALLY POOR MANY
RESIDENTS TOLD US AN EXTRA $500
A MONTH WOULD BE A BIG HELP.
>> I WOULD DEFINITELY SPEND IT
IN MY COMMUNITY JUST SO IT GOES
BACK TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY MAYBE
BUYING LOCAL, FRUITS, VEGETABLES
>> PAY OFF BILLS.
>> IT WILL HELP A LOT ESPECIALLY
FOR THE DIVORCE RATE AND FOUR
CHILDREN THAT'S A LOT OF HELP
FOR ME TO PAY MY BILLS.
>> I WOULD ACTUALLY TAKE MY
CHILDREN ON A TRIP TO DISNEYLAND
>> REPORTER: TAKE THE KIDS TO
DISNEYLAND, WHY NOT.
THE RECIPIENTS CAN SPEND MISS
MONEY HOWEVER THEY LIKE NO
STRINGS ATTACHED MANY OF THE
FINER DETAILS HAVE YET TO BE
RELEASED LIKE WHO GETS THIS
MONEY AND HOW THEIR SPENDING
HABITS WILL BE TRACKED AT THE
END OF THE YEAR-LONG
DEMONSTRATION WE'LL HEAR FROM
THE LUCKY RECIPIENTS FIRSTHAND
TO FIND OUT IF THE CASH WAS
ENOUGH TO BOOST THEIR CONFIDENCE
AND TO GO "STOCKTON'S POVERTY AS
ORGANIZERS CLAIM AND THIS PILOT
PROGRAM GETS UNDERWAY THIS FALL.
DAVID: I LIKE THAT ONE HONEST
GUY WHO SAID I'D GO TO DISNEY
LAND WITH THE KIDS AT
LEAST HE WAS ONE HONEST GUY,
CLAUDIA THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
LAUREN?
>> LAURA: LAUREN: THAT WOULD BE
LIKE ONE DAY, A FAMILY OF FOUR,
$530 NOT INCLUDING PARKING I
DIGRESS LET'S BRING IN BACK
CONSERVATIVE COMENTATOR AND
ROBIN FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN
REGIONAL FIELD DIRECTOR.
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OF
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME, GOOD
IDEA KRISTIN?
>> WELL ACTUALLY, ON THE BROADER
SCALE UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME IS
SOMETHING THAT CONSERVATIVE
ECONOMISTS HAVE ALSO PROPOSED
BUT THE CONCEPT BEING WHEN YOU
GIVE UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME FROM
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IT'S
SOMETHING THAT ELIMINATES ALL
OTHER WELFARE PROGRAMS SO ALL
OTHER ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS SO
YOU'RE JUST GIVING PEOPLE THAT U
BI, SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT
PEOPLE HAVE PROPOSED WITH
INCREASING AUTOMATION AND
GLOBALIZATION AND LOWER WAGES
PEOPLE WORKING MULTIPLE JOBS A
WAY TO ACTUALLY SUSTAIN THE
ECONOMY AND ALSO ENFORCE ANOTHER
CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLE WHICH WE
LEAVE SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY
BUILDING COMMUNITIES THAT TIME
CAN BE BETTER SPENT INSTEAD OF
MAKING MINIMUM WAGE IT CAN BE
BETTER INVESTED IN FAMILY AND
COMMUNITIES SO THIS IS ACTUALLY
SOMETHING ON A BROADER SCALE
MIGHT 10-15 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD
THAT WE DISCUSS BUT IN THIS
EXPERIMENT $500 A MONTH EXTRA IS
NOT ENOUGH TO GET ANY REAL
RESULTS AND AS YOU SAW THERE
IT'S NOT GOING TO INCENTIVE
INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE TO SAVE THIS
MONEY OR INVEST IT IN A WAY TO
HELP THEIR CAREER.
LAUREN: I LIKE THE SPIN SILICON
VALLEY PUTS ON THIS ROBIN, MARK
ZUCKERBERG HAS BEEN ON THE
RECORD AND SAID THIS IS A WAY
THAT YOU CHASE YOUR DREAMS,
YOU'LL HAVE A CUSHION SO YOU CAN
GO ABOUT AND DO WHATEVER IT IS
YOU REALLY WANT TO DO.
DO YOU BUY THAT OR DO YOU THINK
THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF GUILT FOR
THE PEOPLE WHO CREATE THE ROBOTS
AN THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT
BASICALLY STILL ARE HUMAN JOBS?
>> YOU KNOW I SEE EXACTLY WHERE
YOU'RE GOING AND I CAME OUT IN
FULL DISCLOSURE AGAINST THIS
POLICY WHEN MARK ZUCKERBERG DID
PUT THIS OUT AS A NATIONWIDE
PROGRAM POTENTIALLY AND HE WAS
FIELDING A POTENTIAL 2020 RUN
HIMSELF WHEN HE WAS DOG THE 50
STATE TOUR, SO I CAME OUT
AGAINST THAT BUT I WANT TO SAY
THAT A STUDY WAS JUST RELEASED
YESTERDAY WHICH I FOUND
FASCINATING BECAUSE WE ALREADY
SORT OF HAVE THIS IN ALASKA WITH
THE ALASKA PERMANENT FUND IT'S A
$61 BILLION PROGRAM THAT'S
FUNDED FROM OIL MONEY AND SO
ALASKA RESIDENTS ALL OF THEM GET
SOME FORM OF A BASIC INCOME OFF
OF THAT AND I WANT TO POINT OUT
THAT THE STUDY RELEASED
YESTERDAY SHOWED EMPLOYMENT WENT
UP BY 17% AND THAT PEOPLE
ACTUALLY TOOK ON ADDITIONAL
EMPLOYMENT SO I'M CURIOUS TO SEE
HOW THIS EXPERIMENT GOES.
LAUREN: THAT IS A VERY GOOD
POINT BECAUSE THE WAY OUR
WELFARE SYSTEM WORKS NOW, IF YOU
MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY, THEY
PULLBACK WHAT YOU GET.
IF THERE'S NO STRINGS ATTACHED
HERE, THIS COHEN COURAGE PEOPLE
TO WORK EVEN MORE AND INCREASE
EMPLOYMENT.
>> IT ABSOLUTELY COULD BUT AT
THE END OF THE DAY IT'S GOING TO
SOUND LIKE FREE MONEY TO A LOT
OF PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY, THERE ARE SKILLS
THAT HAVE YOU TO HAVE AS A
PERSON TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT
MONEY WISELY SO IT DOESN'T
MATTER IF YOU GET 500 OR 500,000
THAT MONEY COULD BE GONE IN TWO
DAYS IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO
HANDLE IT.
LAUREN: HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU
GUYS THINK WOULD REALLY BE
NEEDED TO MAKE THIS WORK
NATIONWIDE.
ROBIN WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> OH, MY GOODNESS WELL $500
AIN'T GOING TO CUT THE MUSTARD
IN CALIFORNIA I CAN TELL YOU
THAT MUCH.
>> OR NEW YORK.
>> NO EXACTLY IT'S ANYONE'S
GUESS.
LAUREN: ECONOMISTS HAVE THROWN
AROUND THE NUMBER ABOUT $40,000
A YEAR AS SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE
PROPOSED BUT WE'RE A LONG WAY
FROM THAT AT THIS POINT.
LAUREN: AND SILICON VALLEY IS
GOING TO USE THEIR PRIVATE MONEY
TO FUND THAT.
>> ON MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF
CASH SO APPLE CAN --