First , the bad news : Even if the economy improves , middle-class career paths will continue to disappear as globalization and technological innovation render more jobs obsolete . Now , the good news : The fear , stress and humiliation caused by unemployment ( and underemployment ) can be alleviated with a simple solution . And now , the even-better news : This simple solution is starting to find backers on both sides of the political spectrum . A monthly cash payment to every American , no questions asked , would solve several of our most daunting challenges . It 's called a basic income , and it 's cheaper and much more effective than our current malfunctioning safety net , which costs nearly $ 1 trillion per year . The idea of a basic income , sometimes called a guaranteed minimum income or a negative income tax , has been discussed for decades by notable economists like Milton Friedman . In the late 1960s and 1970s , the idea had bipartisan backing before losing steam . Recently , in the face of a sputtering economy , a weak job market and rising income inequality , it has been gathering supporters at an ever-quickening pace . In fact , just last month , former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich called a basic income guarantee `` almost inevitable . '' The concept of a basic income is not entirely abstract . Several countries , such as Brazil , have achieved notable success with their programs , lifting many people out of poverty . In countries like India , nongovernmental organizations are experimenting with pilot programs in specific areas , with promising results so far . The United States is already experimenting with a variation of basic income , even though most people do n't realize it . Alaska has a small version , called a Permanent Fund Dividend , which is incredibly popular and made the state one of the most economically equal places in America . Importantly , Alaskans do n't consider it `` redistribution , '' but rather `` joint ownership . '' The benefits of a basic income on a national scale would be wide-ranging . First , there 's the lift to the overall economy if everyone has money to spend . Next , there are the obvious psychological benefits of knowing you can always afford food and shelter . Then there 's the societal stability factor : If people 's basic economic needs are being met—no matter what the unpredictable job market is doing—we do n't have to worry about the potential for civil unrest as a result of mass unemployment . Economist Gar Alperovitz told me that a guaranteed minimum income would not only defuse the political crisis posed by worsening long-term unemployment , but would also open up the possibility of a reduction in the length of the work week . Due partly to technological innovation , we already have a situation where less work is spread among more people , and this phenomenon will increase in the future . With a basic income , this development is nothing to fear . `` Once people have the freedom to elect to work less , their capacity to engage in the work of rebuilding community and democracy can increase far beyond what is possible in today 's precariously overworked society , '' Alperovitz said . At the moment , the idea of a guaranteed minimum income might be more popular with liberals than conservatives . But lately , conservative thinkers have become more outspoken in their support of the concept . Philosopher Matt Zwolinski has made a libertarian case for a basic income . `` Conservatives care about limiting the power of government and increasing personal responsibility . ... Compared to our current welfare state , a basic income does both . Instead of a vast bureaucracy of over 120 different antipoverty programs at the federal level , you 've got a program so simple it could be administered by a piece of software . '' Furthermore , he said , instead of subjecting the poor to a host of invasive , paternalistic and degrading requirements designed to make sure they 're behaving in ways the government approves of , a basic income gives them cash , and asks them to take responsibility for spending that money to improve their own condition . Of course , all government programs have imperfections , and the basic income idea has an obvious one : There will still be people incapable of functioning in daily life—people who will spend their money before paying for basic necessities . What should be done about these `` moochers '' ? My answer is that housing shelters and soup kitchens could continue to exist , helping people who can not be helped in any other way . But the cost of these programs is just a tiny fraction of the overall safety net , and in cities with strong religious and philanthropic support , they would not need to be financed by the government at all . No one needs to sleep on the street . Another objection : What if people want to work more , not less ? No problem . Want multiple jobs ? Go right ahead and take them . As advocates of a basic income point out , nothing would keep people from working and earning as much as they want . The global economy will experience big and small changes in the coming decades . We must do something to avoid a future of high unemployment and misery . A guaranteed minimal income is a way to start .
David Wheeler : U.S. should provide a monthly cash payment to every American . Wheeler : A guaranteed minimum income can address unemployment issue . He says it would be a psychological benefit , lift the economy , and create stability . Wheeler : It is also cheaper than our current malfunctioning safety net .