Guaranteed Income: Dignity and Trust that no other Safety Net Program Provides w/ Megha Agarwal of the Bridge Project

Trickle-Down Socialism

Pat talked to Megha Agarwal, the Executive Director of the Bridge Project about Guaranteed Income. The Bridge Project is New York City’s first guaranteed income program. Launched in June 2021 by The Monarch Foundation, the Bridge Project is designed to support low-income mothers in New York City during the first 1,000 days of their children’s lives by providing them with consistent, unconditional cash on a biweekly basis.

Early studies, some of which are discussed on this episode, are showing a plethora of benefits to providing no strings attached, unconditional income to young mothers. By providing an income "floor" under which no participant falls under, Guaranteed Income trials have demonstrated that mothers and babies thrive. Some studies have even shown that brain development is improved in babies whose mothers are provided with cash assistance (as compared with babies of mothers in similar neighborhoods with similar base incomes.) Additionally, mothers who receive a Guaranteed Income are giving help that is flexible - instead of food aid or help with housing costs, cash allows moms to make the decisions based on their needs and the needs of their children. Cash aid given to working mothers (or fathers, or single adults, in other trials) often results in the recipient finding more employment or better paying jobs. Megha Agarwal explains that unconditional cash allows for a level of trust and dignity that isn't matched by any other social safety net program.

Unlike some plans for Universal Basic Income, Guaranteed income is not designed to replace other forms of assistance. By providing an income floor, the underlying theory of Guaranteed Income is that no one should live below a certain income threshold. A strong Guaranteed Income program would signal that poverty is unacceptable and it would assure that no one had to live in poverty, a financial state that has been proven to have a multitude of deleterious effects on life outcomes as well as physical and mental health.

Also discussed on this episode, the potential benefits of a Guaranteed Income, as written by Erik Olen Wright in his exceedingly practical and theoretically expansive: "How to be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21st Century" and shared by @CMoneyBurns:
- Doesn't disincentivize work like some means-tested programs

- Can reduce size of bureaucracy

- Takes

- Strengthens Communities

- Helps Worker Co-Operatives by helping them compete with companies that can pay more for labor

- Helps increase attractiveness of Co-ops for loans from credit unions by increasing their credit worthiness and long-term viability

- Targeted support for small farmers, helps them compete against big agri-business

The Child Tax Credit is also discussed as it was the closest thing to Guaranteed Income we have experienced in the US. Dan suggests that Democrats write a clean bill that not only extends the currently defunct Child Tax Credit but they should double the amount of monthly payouts going to families under the bill. Democrats' weak politically messaging is also discussed. The Build Back Better Bill is criticized for the scattered, poorly messaged Omnibus bill that it is.

Also on this episode, Dan, Pat and CMoney add some class-consciousness, some historical context, and some complexity to the narrative that is being presented by Western media about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One source for this content, which we encourage you to examine, can be found at this link:

Why is Ukraine the West's Fault? Featuring John Mearsheimer

Follow the Bridge Project: @bridgeprojectny

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