The trouble is, the people doing the studies and the people in charge of deciding where public money is spent and acquired, are different groups.

Many people are driven by feelings. We all are to some extent. But for many people feelings are primary. This comes up all the time.

You can show charts and studies and everything, but they don't care. You have to make them feel good about it.

Frankly I'm kind of sick of pandering to overgrown toddlers, but there's no escape from it.

Even Milton Friedman, the Nobel winning economist credited for libertarianism and neoliberal economics was in favour of UBI.

He specifically advocated for simplifying the tax code, and abolishing the welfare state in favour of progressive tax rates which included a negative income tax, which is a more extreme UBI.

Right wing policy makers just heard the simplify tax code and abolish welfare state part.

Never, so long as there's the notion that you have to "earn" or "deserve" it.

For some, life has to be suffering. I think that people can't get past that way of thinking.

What? You mean without the cruelty? Why even bother?

But Dave from the local bar says he knows someone who took advantage of the benefits system so it's obvious that everyone takes advantage of it and are just lazy and would rather get money for nothing... /S

This is not going to go down well on Lemmy, but: not many studies boil down to this, unfortunately.

This article really changed my view on this https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/giving-people-money-helped-less-than