This post is a response to the question ["Do you think that current aid programs in the U.S count as universal basic income? If they do, are they helpful or detrimental to our society?"] (@joshweertman/week08-questions-universal-basic-income) posed by 
Hive account@joshweertman. I think that there are programs that sort of correlate with this universal basic income, such as welfare, food stamps, and unemployment. I think that all of these things can be negatives for our society, as it encourages people (in my opinion) to work less and thus not contribute to society. This, in my opinion, is the downfall of universal basic income and policies like it because, like socialism, it encourages individuals to not work as hard unlike capitalism which encourages people to work hard and create new things for themselves. If this wasn't true, however, there are still too many issues with universal basic income. It is too expensive, and therefore is not worth it for the economy. It also doesn't take into account factors such as inflation and increase in costs for products, food etc. This system also doesn't allow for others who are struggling more than others, since it is an equal amount for everyone. This is something that I feel is also an issue with unemployment, because I feel a lot of people take advantage of unemployment and exploit it when they don't necessarily need it. However, on the other end, there are people who get fired/let go without warning and need the money, as they may be living paycheck to paycheck. The flaw in this is due to human nature, as too many people are greedy and deceitful, and therefore cause people to disapprove/dislike unemployment. This predicament is something to consider when discussing if universal basic income (and policies like it) is helpful to the US, because with this system in place you sort of have to take the good with the evil. Yes, the system does more than likely benefit those in need who require it, but there are also other people who are taking advantage of this system. I feel that it would be better to just eradicate it and not place these policies because, in my opinion, they tend to cause more trouble than they are worth.
