Michael Tubbs had just been elected the youngest and first Black mayor of Stockton, California, when he announced his intention to launch what would be the country’s first universal basic income program in decades.
The year was 2017, and the plan was to pay some residents $500 a month, no strings attached. Tubbs received death threats over the program. His critics accused him of disincentivizing work – if the government is handing out free cash, his critics asked, why would anyone want to get a job? They claimed that this was just a way for Tubbs to give money to those in his inner circle.
