Tom Pogson
@basicbc.bsky.social
Musician, writer, and Basic Income Victoria BC Guy who knows the abundance of a better world IS possible.
https://linktr.ee/Basicbc
https://linktr.ee/Basicbc
Pinned
Tom Pogson
@basicbc.bsky.social
· Dec 1
Explore the usual questions at www.scottsantens.com/basic-income...
Link also in bio.
Guy Standing also goes through them with a chapter on both "how to pay for it" and "won't people quit?" In his book "Basic Income and How We Can Make it Happen" (2015 Pelican Books.)
Link also in bio.
Guy Standing also goes through them with a chapter on both "how to pay for it" and "won't people quit?" In his book "Basic Income and How We Can Make it Happen" (2015 Pelican Books.)
Reposted by Tom Pogson
We aren’t buying as much as we used to. Recently I’ve been seeing people post about buying rotten food.
Anyone else see this? Farmers are selling. Grocery stores don’t have as many employees.
Concerned.
Anyone else see this? Farmers are selling. Grocery stores don’t have as many employees.
Concerned.
February 9, 2026 at 11:28 PM
We aren’t buying as much as we used to. Recently I’ve been seeing people post about buying rotten food.
Anyone else see this? Farmers are selling. Grocery stores don’t have as many employees.
Concerned.
Anyone else see this? Farmers are selling. Grocery stores don’t have as many employees.
Concerned.
Reposted by Tom Pogson
i think anyone who's opposed to UBI should have to try signing up for any government benefits program even once. shit is genuinely evil. oh you need food assistance? ok prove to us you're a Deserving Poor. if you don't work you don't get help. if you can't work then get fucked i guess
February 10, 2026 at 5:13 PM
i think anyone who's opposed to UBI should have to try signing up for any government benefits program even once. shit is genuinely evil. oh you need food assistance? ok prove to us you're a Deserving Poor. if you don't work you don't get help. if you can't work then get fucked i guess
Reposted by Tom Pogson
Big update -- read our latest newsletter
Major UBI Skeptic Flipped, Plus We Went Viral with a Nobel Laureate Couple
www.ubiworks.ca/blog/ubi-wor...
Major UBI Skeptic Flipped, Plus We Went Viral with a Nobel Laureate Couple
www.ubiworks.ca/blog/ubi-wor...
Major UBI Skeptic Flipped, Plus We Went Viral with a Nobel Laureate Couple
UBI Works Newsletter, Feb 2026
www.ubiworks.ca
February 10, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Big update -- read our latest newsletter
Major UBI Skeptic Flipped, Plus We Went Viral with a Nobel Laureate Couple
www.ubiworks.ca/blog/ubi-wor...
Major UBI Skeptic Flipped, Plus We Went Viral with a Nobel Laureate Couple
www.ubiworks.ca/blog/ubi-wor...
Reposted by Tom Pogson
I don’t think people really understand how much a universal basic income would open up their possibilities for making choices. At the moment all our choices are limited by financial necessity considerations. Think about the possible alternatives.
Just had to send another of those replies to a request for peer review: "The book sounds interesting, but I’m afraid I don’t exchange my labour for free e-books. The amounts paid in cash for such work are pitiable enough.” sigh
February 5, 2026 at 6:28 PM
I don’t think people really understand how much a universal basic income would open up their possibilities for making choices. At the moment all our choices are limited by financial necessity considerations. Think about the possible alternatives.
Reposted by Tom Pogson
The pro-health case for basic income is overwhelming
A major basic income supporter has been nominated in an upcoming byelection to replace Chrystia Freeland
Dr. Danielle Martin, Chair of University of Toronto Family Medicine
Hear what she has to say about basic income:
Dr. Danielle Martin, Chair of University of Toronto Family Medicine
Hear what she has to say about basic income:
February 9, 2026 at 7:30 PM
The pro-health case for basic income is overwhelming
Reposted by Tom Pogson
Imagine if every Canadian had $500K of common wealth invested in the upside of global economic prosperity, like every Norwegian enjoys.
We are a nation of vast resources.
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/n...
We are a nation of vast resources.
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/n...
World’s largest sovereign wealth fund made $247 billion in 2025, driven by tech and banking rally
Norway's $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund holds stakes in many of the world's biggest companies, including Apple, Nvidia and JPMorgan Chase.
www.cnbc.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Imagine if every Canadian had $500K of common wealth invested in the upside of global economic prosperity, like every Norwegian enjoys.
We are a nation of vast resources.
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/n...
We are a nation of vast resources.
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/n...
Reposted by Tom Pogson
What @dsmitheconomics.bsky.social gets wrong about UBI in his @thetimes.com piece this weekend.
cc @scottsantens.com
cc @scottsantens.com
The Sunday Times Gets UBI Wrong:
Why “Wait and See” Isn’t Good Enough
ajustsociety.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:40 PM
What @dsmitheconomics.bsky.social gets wrong about UBI in his @thetimes.com piece this weekend.
cc @scottsantens.com
cc @scottsantens.com
Reposted by Tom Pogson
We need to be talking about Universal Basic Income.
February 9, 2026 at 3:36 AM
We need to be talking about Universal Basic Income.
Reposted by Tom Pogson
Guaranteed income pilots evidence that recurring, unconditional payments have helped residents afford food and rent, reduce debt, and improve well-being. City & State NY argues such policies should be expanded to New York families. zurl.co/KV2IP
Opinion: New York families deserve more than survival. A guaranteed income will help.
Pilot programs in Ithaca, Rochester and Mount Vernon show the value of providing cash support without strings attached.
zurl.co
February 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Guaranteed income pilots evidence that recurring, unconditional payments have helped residents afford food and rent, reduce debt, and improve well-being. City & State NY argues such policies should be expanded to New York families. zurl.co/KV2IP
Reposted by Tom Pogson
We absolutely can afford a UBI, and we do need it, regardless of any impacts AI ends up having.
The cost of UBI is its net cost, not its gross cost. If you get $15k and pay $7k higher taxes as part of the deal, that cost is $8k not $15k.
Try calculating the costs of not doing UBI. Include fascism.
The cost of UBI is its net cost, not its gross cost. If you get $15k and pay $7k higher taxes as part of the deal, that cost is $8k not $15k.
Try calculating the costs of not doing UBI. Include fascism.
My Sunday Times piece: The idea that we will need a universal basic income because of all the jobs that will be displaced by AI is gaining traction, but it is wrong on several counts:
We can’t afford a universal basic income — and don’t need it
www.thetimes.com/article/70cd...
We can’t afford a universal basic income — and don’t need it
www.thetimes.com/article/70cd...
We can’t afford a universal basic income — and don’t need it
If AI massacres jobs, the state will never find £1.5 trillion a year to keep us going. Targeted help would be far more sensible
www.thetimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:48 PM
We absolutely can afford a UBI, and we do need it, regardless of any impacts AI ends up having.
The cost of UBI is its net cost, not its gross cost. If you get $15k and pay $7k higher taxes as part of the deal, that cost is $8k not $15k.
Try calculating the costs of not doing UBI. Include fascism.
The cost of UBI is its net cost, not its gross cost. If you get $15k and pay $7k higher taxes as part of the deal, that cost is $8k not $15k.
Try calculating the costs of not doing UBI. Include fascism.
Reposted by Tom Pogson
Democrats/liberals/leftists should look at this chart shown by @scottsantens.com. It shows the best reason as to why the business and media establisment went so pro-Trump. Covid aid and full employment actully did start to reduce inequality and they went pro Trump in desperation to end it.
A key measure of economic inequality called the Gini coefficient sits at 60-year highs after a reversal from multidecade lows seen amid the rollout of pandemic stimulus payments + expansions. We should have implemented universal basic income and healthcare during COVID.
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/30/w...
www.cnbc.com/2026/01/30/w...
February 8, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Democrats/liberals/leftists should look at this chart shown by @scottsantens.com. It shows the best reason as to why the business and media establisment went so pro-Trump. Covid aid and full employment actully did start to reduce inequality and they went pro Trump in desperation to end it.
When you see posts about food banks (therefore charity), pwd asking for above povery incomes (therefore "those who really can't work") and welfare ("leaving it like it is/was") getting trolled.
Screw 'em.
Build the future and raise the floor for all.
Screw 'em.
Build the future and raise the floor for all.
a man with his hand on his chin looks surprised
Alt: an african american man with his hand on his chin looks surprised, looking around him.
media.tenor.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:59 PM
When you see posts about food banks (therefore charity), pwd asking for above povery incomes (therefore "those who really can't work") and welfare ("leaving it like it is/was") getting trolled.
Screw 'em.
Build the future and raise the floor for all.
Screw 'em.
Build the future and raise the floor for all.
There are many similarities between now and 400 years ago.
Raising the floor for each and every one was another.
Raising the floor for each and every one was another.
February 7, 2026 at 7:41 PM
There are many similarities between now and 400 years ago.
Raising the floor for each and every one was another.
Raising the floor for each and every one was another.
Reposted by Tom Pogson
Even Full-Time Workers Struggle to Afford Food in Canada. #cdnpoli thetyee.ca/News/2026/02... #cdnpoli
Even Full-Time Workers Struggle to Afford Food in Canada: Study | The Tyee
Researcher Tim Li says it’s a sign that wages aren’t keeping up with inflation.
thetyee.ca
February 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Even Full-Time Workers Struggle to Afford Food in Canada. #cdnpoli thetyee.ca/News/2026/02... #cdnpoli
Reposted by Tom Pogson
Life is now.
Take it from a widower looking back from someday that "being enough" for your someday isn't good enough.
Everyone should have the leverage to live in their own one right now, today.
Take it from a widower looking back from someday that "being enough" for your someday isn't good enough.
Everyone should have the leverage to live in their own one right now, today.
February 6, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Life is now.
Take it from a widower looking back from someday that "being enough" for your someday isn't good enough.
Everyone should have the leverage to live in their own one right now, today.
Take it from a widower looking back from someday that "being enough" for your someday isn't good enough.
Everyone should have the leverage to live in their own one right now, today.
Reposted by Tom Pogson
Hey look, yet another pilot that shows GBI (guaranteed basic income) works. Meeting people's basic needs works. Housing, food, health care, education.
"By the end of the two-year period, 94% of participants reported they were housed."
A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends.
Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends.
Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
Homeless Oregon youth got $1,000 a month for two years. Most found housing after • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon is the second of its kind in the nation to implement the direct cash transfer program after New York City.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Hey look, yet another pilot that shows GBI (guaranteed basic income) works. Meeting people's basic needs works. Housing, food, health care, education.
Reposted by Tom Pogson
Which book are you picking up first?
Books you can't miss while learning about basic income (1/4). See more recommendations at www.bootstrapstv.com (link in bio)
Books you can't miss while learning about basic income (1/4). See more recommendations at www.bootstrapstv.com (link in bio)
February 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Which book are you picking up first?
Books you can't miss while learning about basic income (1/4). See more recommendations at www.bootstrapstv.com (link in bio)
Books you can't miss while learning about basic income (1/4). See more recommendations at www.bootstrapstv.com (link in bio)
Ran into another clip on YouTube about the total wealth out there is 17 trillion and that it would be disastrous to try and share it in any way at all.
Quick search on this:
Quick search on this:
February 5, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Ran into another clip on YouTube about the total wealth out there is 17 trillion and that it would be disastrous to try and share it in any way at all.
Quick search on this:
Quick search on this:
Reposted by Tom Pogson
What's interesting is that at the time this was thought to be true but it turned out it wasn't. Yes, men in Congress in the 1970s freaked out about divorce rates from basic income pilot data. They screwed up the analysis. It was later discovered that relationships improved.
bsky.app/profile/scot...
bsky.app/profile/scot...
This is literally true. There was a proposal in the US in the early seventies to bring in a basic income, there were trials, and they succeeded on every measure -- but the divorce rate went up as women didn't have to live with men they didn't love. So the proposal was scrapped.
There's two main reasons there's a segment of society against UBI
1. THOSE people, CERTAIN people will get FREE THINGS!!!! THAT I AM PAYING FOR!!!!
This thinking is wrong and bad. If one truly believes that...more money is being spent on all the other bullshit that doesn't help.
2. Divorce.
1. THOSE people, CERTAIN people will get FREE THINGS!!!! THAT I AM PAYING FOR!!!!
This thinking is wrong and bad. If one truly believes that...more money is being spent on all the other bullshit that doesn't help.
2. Divorce.
February 5, 2026 at 4:07 PM
What's interesting is that at the time this was thought to be true but it turned out it wasn't. Yes, men in Congress in the 1970s freaked out about divorce rates from basic income pilot data. They screwed up the analysis. It was later discovered that relationships improved.
bsky.app/profile/scot...
bsky.app/profile/scot...
Ok, so, were here.
I've already seen plenty of post saying "if you saw people stealing food, no you didnt."
We're out of the 1st quarter of the 21st century.
Food Banks want to be put out of business.
Ensuring a basic income is where they've said to start.
share.google/o4U0cTmjmihD...
I've already seen plenty of post saying "if you saw people stealing food, no you didnt."
We're out of the 1st quarter of the 21st century.
Food Banks want to be put out of business.
Ensuring a basic income is where they've said to start.
share.google/o4U0cTmjmihD...
Thieves dressed as Robin Hood give away stolen food to protest Canada’s rising prices | CNN
Thieves dressed as Robin Hood raided a food store in Montreal on Tuesday night and gave away the stolen goods in a protest against rising food prices – just weeks after the same group targeted a groce...
share.google
February 5, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Ok, so, were here.
I've already seen plenty of post saying "if you saw people stealing food, no you didnt."
We're out of the 1st quarter of the 21st century.
Food Banks want to be put out of business.
Ensuring a basic income is where they've said to start.
share.google/o4U0cTmjmihD...
I've already seen plenty of post saying "if you saw people stealing food, no you didnt."
We're out of the 1st quarter of the 21st century.
Food Banks want to be put out of business.
Ensuring a basic income is where they've said to start.
share.google/o4U0cTmjmihD...
Reposted by Tom Pogson
$650 FOOD/MEDS & OVERDUE POWER BILL RN URGENT!
Disabled caregiver for her disabled daughter. Also fighting cancer. Hungry and going w/out their meds. If the power's shutoff they'll be w/o heat in a Canadian winter. 65 ppl $10 each gets them safe.
Pls RS/QS. Pls do what you can. #HelpFolksLive2026
Disabled caregiver for her disabled daughter. Also fighting cancer. Hungry and going w/out their meds. If the power's shutoff they'll be w/o heat in a Canadian winter. 65 ppl $10 each gets them safe.
Pls RS/QS. Pls do what you can. #HelpFolksLive2026
We are in desperate need for help. Please find it in your heart to help us. I’m up since 2am because I am so hungry. My daughter is sleeping because she is hungry. Please PayPal joannie_cowie@yahoo.ca We humble request for #mutualaid #cancerpatient #daughterisepileptic needs to eat with meds
It’s Joannie’s birthday today.
No help or donations yet.
Please help share or donate for @canadianjoannie.bsky.social
$0/$50 groceries
Over $200 hydro
PayPal or Etransfer joannie_cowie@yahoo.ca
💸💞💸💞
No help or donations yet.
Please help share or donate for @canadianjoannie.bsky.social
$0/$50 groceries
Over $200 hydro
PayPal or Etransfer joannie_cowie@yahoo.ca
💸💞💸💞
February 3, 2026 at 2:46 PM
$650 FOOD/MEDS & OVERDUE POWER BILL RN URGENT!
Disabled caregiver for her disabled daughter. Also fighting cancer. Hungry and going w/out their meds. If the power's shutoff they'll be w/o heat in a Canadian winter. 65 ppl $10 each gets them safe.
Pls RS/QS. Pls do what you can. #HelpFolksLive2026
Disabled caregiver for her disabled daughter. Also fighting cancer. Hungry and going w/out their meds. If the power's shutoff they'll be w/o heat in a Canadian winter. 65 ppl $10 each gets them safe.
Pls RS/QS. Pls do what you can. #HelpFolksLive2026
Reposted by Tom Pogson
the best stimulus is trickle-up economics
putting cash in the hands of working families who will spend it and invest it in their local economy
putting cash in the hands of working families who will spend it and invest it in their local economy
February 4, 2026 at 5:24 PM
the best stimulus is trickle-up economics
putting cash in the hands of working families who will spend it and invest it in their local economy
putting cash in the hands of working families who will spend it and invest it in their local economy