On the topic of Andrew Yang, the stuff Yang is saying is stuff I said from the beginning here on Steem and in other circles. I've always been a supporter of what I call "Citizen's Income" and the book which ultimately influenced me way back in 2013 was a book called Path to a Better World by James Albus. The latest book to influence me like that one is Radical Markets which is also a similarly interesting book.

The big idea of Citizen's Income is that it can unite a country around a shared stake in the future. If we all get the dividend, then we all have a rational reason to want our country to be more economically successful. I also think while I don't like capital gains taxes, I don't mind VAT because if it goes against luxury items that most people pay extraordinarily inflated price for anyway it's not a big loss compared to more essential stuff like retirement income (capital gains).

References

1. https://www.amazon.com/Path-Better-World-Prosperity-Opportunity/dp/1462035329
2. http://radicalmarkets.com/