Scott Santens
@scottsantens.com
Unconditional / Universal Basic Income (UBI) knowledge resource
Founder & CEO of UBI-focused nonprofit ITSAfoundation.org
Host of The Basic Income Show youtube.com/scottsantens
My #UBI FAQ: scottsantens.com
Contact me: linktr.ee/scottsantens
Founder & CEO of UBI-focused nonprofit ITSAfoundation.org
Host of The Basic Income Show youtube.com/scottsantens
My #UBI FAQ: scottsantens.com
Contact me: linktr.ee/scottsantens
Pinned
Scott Santens
@scottsantens.com
· Dec 5
I've been researching the idea of Unconditional Universal Basic Income since 2013. Here's a collection of findings I've compiled from various UBI experiments and studies of cash transfer programs around the world.
This will be a VERY LONG and ongoing thread focused entirely on empirical evidence. 🧵
This will be a VERY LONG and ongoing thread focused entirely on empirical evidence. 🧵
If this had happened under Biden or Obama, the GOP would have absolutely lost its shit. Even if the purpose were actually for something like strategic stockpiling of supplies, FOX News would've been shouting nonstop that these were actually concentration camps.
THESE ARE ACTUAL CONCENTRATION CAMPS
THESE ARE ACTUAL CONCENTRATION CAMPS
In the last month ICE has bought warehouses in:
- Hagerstown, MD: $102 million
- Surprise, AZ: $70 million
- Hamburg, PA: $87 million
- Tremont, PA: $120 million
- San Antonio, TX: $82 million
- El Paso, TX: $123 million
- Social Circle, GA: price unknown
This is unprecedented.
- Hagerstown, MD: $102 million
- Surprise, AZ: $70 million
- Hamburg, PA: $87 million
- Tremont, PA: $120 million
- San Antonio, TX: $82 million
- El Paso, TX: $123 million
- Social Circle, GA: price unknown
This is unprecedented.
February 9, 2026 at 7:01 PM
If this had happened under Biden or Obama, the GOP would have absolutely lost its shit. Even if the purpose were actually for something like strategic stockpiling of supplies, FOX News would've been shouting nonstop that these were actually concentration camps.
THESE ARE ACTUAL CONCENTRATION CAMPS
THESE ARE ACTUAL CONCENTRATION CAMPS
Reposted by Scott Santens
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
"Congress should move immediately to pass the Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act, or FANFSA. This law would prohibit law enforcement and intelligence agencies from purchasing data, such as a user’s location or viewing history, that would otherwise require a warrant, court order, or subpoena."
"TikTok’s Terms of Service now explicitly include tracking of location and citizenship status (among other identity markers, such as sex)." newrepublic.com/article/2059...
How TikTok 2.0 Became a Weapon for ICE
In just one week, the company has gone from being Gen Z’s preferred social media platform to a tool for spying on Americans and the suppression of information.
newrepublic.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:29 PM
"Congress should move immediately to pass the Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act, or FANFSA. This law would prohibit law enforcement and intelligence agencies from purchasing data, such as a user’s location or viewing history, that would otherwise require a warrant, court order, or subpoena."
Reposted by Scott Santens
a friend pointed out to me a historical fact that i had forgotten but cannot stop thinking about- anne frank was not executed at her concentration camp but instead died of typhus
The government says the people being deported are violent criminals, and they treat them inhumanely. But mostly they are subjecting ordinary people to extraordinary punishments.
February 9, 2026 at 3:04 PM
a friend pointed out to me a historical fact that i had forgotten but cannot stop thinking about- anne frank was not executed at her concentration camp but instead died of typhus
This is why I frequently state that we should have started universal basic income 50 years ago. UBI is how to actually distribute a percentage of GDP growth universally. It should not all flow to the top 1%, and we should tax wealth as part of correcting the past 50 years with a high enough UBI.
From 1975 to 2023, $79 trillion in wealth was transferred from the bottom 90% to the top 1%.
www.commondreams.org/opinion/trum...
www.commondreams.org/opinion/trum...
Trump, Extreme Wealth Concentration, and Our Societal Crisis | Common Dreams
The US government simply has not done enough to ensure that the livelihoods of all Americans are protected or improved in this new Gilded Age. What it has done is made sure the rich get richer by the ...
www.commondreams.org
February 9, 2026 at 3:17 PM
This is why I frequently state that we should have started universal basic income 50 years ago. UBI is how to actually distribute a percentage of GDP growth universally. It should not all flow to the top 1%, and we should tax wealth as part of correcting the past 50 years with a high enough UBI.
Reposted by Scott Santens
If Universal Basic Income was part of your life, would you find yourself more or less connected with your community?
February 9, 2026 at 2:59 PM
If Universal Basic Income was part of your life, would you find yourself more or less connected with your community?
Reposted by Scott Santens
Wow, hundreds you say?
globalnews.ca/news/1155888...
Break up the monopolies. Tax the rich. UBI. :/
#cdnpoli
globalnews.ca/news/1155888...
Break up the monopolies. Tax the rich. UBI. :/
#cdnpoli
February 9, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Wow, hundreds you say?
globalnews.ca/news/1155888...
Break up the monopolies. Tax the rich. UBI. :/
#cdnpoli
globalnews.ca/news/1155888...
Break up the monopolies. Tax the rich. UBI. :/
#cdnpoli
Reposted by Scott Santens
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.
Real ballsy to do a Super Bowl ad for AI right now selling its ability to book you a massage.
February 9, 2026 at 2:31 AM
Real ballsy to do a Super Bowl ad for AI right now selling its ability to book you a massage.
TurboTax literally makes 100% of its revenue from lobbying to keep taxes annoying and complicated.
February 9, 2026 at 12:57 AM
TurboTax literally makes 100% of its revenue from lobbying to keep taxes annoying and complicated.
Reposted by Scott Santens
"Writing" 200 AI books/year, Canadian politico's hoarding rentals, Border Patrol agents living on rice and beans, Florida teens working as Mar-a-Lago's "masseuses"- If we had UBI, *none* of this would be necessary. If we keep doing bad stuff cuz we fear poverty, BAN. POVERTY.
February 8, 2026 at 10:10 PM
"Writing" 200 AI books/year, Canadian politico's hoarding rentals, Border Patrol agents living on rice and beans, Florida teens working as Mar-a-Lago's "masseuses"- If we had UBI, *none* of this would be necessary. If we keep doing bad stuff cuz we fear poverty, BAN. POVERTY.
Reposted by Scott Santens
What is lacking in this op-ed are policy prescriptions to address economic uncertainty arising from AI-related job displacement. We need universal programs such as Medicare-for-all and Universal Basic Income to provide workers a floor if they get AI-displaced.
February 8, 2026 at 8:27 PM
What is lacking in this op-ed are policy prescriptions to address economic uncertainty arising from AI-related job displacement. We need universal programs such as Medicare-for-all and Universal Basic Income to provide workers a floor if they get AI-displaced.
Reposted by Scott Santens
I'd like to think that if we lived in a society that had UBI and guaranteed housing and looked after everyone that there would still be people doing difficult or essential jobs out of the necessity of them needing to get done, and you don't need to threaten people with starvation to make them work
February 8, 2026 at 8:38 PM
I'd like to think that if we lived in a society that had UBI and guaranteed housing and looked after everyone that there would still be people doing difficult or essential jobs out of the necessity of them needing to get done, and you don't need to threaten people with starvation to make them work
Reposted by Scott Santens
I’ve now concluded my four year secondment to Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government, where I brought my expertise in #basicincome to inform and shape the design, implementation and delivery of the Basic Income for Care Leavers in Wales pilot. A career highlight for sure, and an honour to work on.
February 8, 2026 at 3:07 PM
I’ve now concluded my four year secondment to Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government, where I brought my expertise in #basicincome to inform and shape the design, implementation and delivery of the Basic Income for Care Leavers in Wales pilot. A career highlight for sure, and an honour to work on.
Reposted by Scott Santens
We really do need UBI more than ever before. Read this article. It shows all the ways we cannot afford to prevent UBI from becoming a thing as well as how we actually pay for it, and many of its downstream benefits:
tinyurl.com/2uvf37u6
#UBI #Dignity #Economics
tinyurl.com/2uvf37u6
#UBI #Dignity #Economics
Universal Basic Income
Why We Need it Now More than Ever
tinyurl.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:26 PM
We really do need UBI more than ever before. Read this article. It shows all the ways we cannot afford to prevent UBI from becoming a thing as well as how we actually pay for it, and many of its downstream benefits:
tinyurl.com/2uvf37u6
#UBI #Dignity #Economics
tinyurl.com/2uvf37u6
#UBI #Dignity #Economics
Reposted by Scott Santens
We are more focused on capturing what you think and showcasing the stories of real people who experienced UBI rather than convincing you towards one side or the other.
If you're new to UBI, no worries because you can learn more at bootstrapstv.com
If you're new to UBI, no worries because you can learn more at bootstrapstv.com
Bootstraps, a docuseries | Substack
Exploring the human experience of Universal Basic Income (UBI) through open discussion and a docuseries following 11 households whose lives were transformed by a groundbreaking 2.5-year basic income experiment. Click to read Bootstraps, a docuseries, a Substack publication.
bootstrapstv.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM
We are more focused on capturing what you think and showcasing the stories of real people who experienced UBI rather than convincing you towards one side or the other.
If you're new to UBI, no worries because you can learn more at bootstrapstv.com
If you're new to UBI, no worries because you can learn more at bootstrapstv.com
Reposted by Scott Santens
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.
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 Scott Santens
If pro life people were actually pro life it would extend throughout a human's whole life.
Health care, food, no death penalty, basic income.
All the pro life phonies are against anything of the sort.
It is an attempt to control and trod on women.
Health care, food, no death penalty, basic income.
All the pro life phonies are against anything of the sort.
It is an attempt to control and trod on women.
February 7, 2026 at 10:58 PM
If pro life people were actually pro life it would extend throughout a human's whole life.
Health care, food, no death penalty, basic income.
All the pro life phonies are against anything of the sort.
It is an attempt to control and trod on women.
Health care, food, no death penalty, basic income.
All the pro life phonies are against anything of the sort.
It is an attempt to control and trod on women.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Democratizing the arts looks like universal income, low-barrier grants for both emerging and working artists, well-funded municipal arts & recreation programs, vibrant third spaces, and a well-funded public school system with progressive curriculum.
Not a free pass for corporate-owned slop engines.
Not a free pass for corporate-owned slop engines.
Every instance of "AI democratizes the arts, you're classist and ableist and a gatekeeper for trying to stop it" is a slap in the face to the literally centuries of poor, disabled people making art on the margins and a crass lie in service of a machine that strips down and regurgitates dreams
February 7, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Democratizing the arts looks like universal income, low-barrier grants for both emerging and working artists, well-funded municipal arts & recreation programs, vibrant third spaces, and a well-funded public school system with progressive curriculum.
Not a free pass for corporate-owned slop engines.
Not a free pass for corporate-owned slop engines.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Spent some time with Opus 4.6.
First time I felt scared when using AI.
Not _of_ it, but for the future.
It’s incredibly impressive.
We’re going to need universal basic income
First time I felt scared when using AI.
Not _of_ it, but for the future.
It’s incredibly impressive.
We’re going to need universal basic income
February 8, 2026 at 12:26 PM
Spent some time with Opus 4.6.
First time I felt scared when using AI.
Not _of_ it, but for the future.
It’s incredibly impressive.
We’re going to need universal basic income
First time I felt scared when using AI.
Not _of_ it, but for the future.
It’s incredibly impressive.
We’re going to need universal basic income
Reposted by Scott Santens
This is why the are already dropping the felony charges against the 22 folks arrested last week. They don't have the goods and no one to do the work to prosecute.
The top lawyer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota has left the agency, the same week an ICE attorney was removed after telling a district judge that “this job sucks” and that the Trump administration is “overwhelmed” with immigration cases.
ICE chief counsel in Minnesota retires amid growing number of immigration cases | CNN Politics
The top lawyer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota has left the agency, the same week an ICE attorney was removed after telling a district judge that “this job sucks” and that the Tru...
www.cnn.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:22 PM
This is why the are already dropping the felony charges against the 22 folks arrested last week. They don't have the goods and no one to do the work to prosecute.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Jeff Bezos makes enough money to fully fund this literally every two minutes.
Former Washington Post journalists have launched a GoFundMe to help repatriate fired staff members who are effectively stranded in foreign countries.
One of the richest men in the world fired them from the paper and didn’t even pay to ensure they got home.
Abolish the billionaire class:
One of the richest men in the world fired them from the paper and didn’t even pay to ensure they got home.
Abolish the billionaire class:
Donate to Support for Washington Post international employees, organized by Michelle Lee
Among the hundreds of journalists laid off by The Washington Post on … Michelle Lee needs your support for Support for Washington Post international employees
www.gofundme.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:13 AM
Jeff Bezos makes enough money to fully fund this literally every two minutes.
Reposted by Scott Santens
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
February 8, 2026 at 5:06 AM
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
Reposted by Scott Santens
Organizers have collected 14 lotion bottles, two deodorant bottles, and one AA Battery that detainees have thrown over the fences with notes attached to them.
The full story: lataco.com/captive-loti...
By Aisha Wallace-Palomares
The full story: lataco.com/captive-loti...
By Aisha Wallace-Palomares
February 6, 2026 at 2:27 AM
Organizers have collected 14 lotion bottles, two deodorant bottles, and one AA Battery that detainees have thrown over the fences with notes attached to them.
The full story: lataco.com/captive-loti...
By Aisha Wallace-Palomares
The full story: lataco.com/captive-loti...
By Aisha Wallace-Palomares