Getting rid of the income cap would actually give people a way out of poverty.

Yeah he didn't get it all wrong, just most.
I could go for days, but lets us not quibble, the internet has plenty of that.

Not exactly a reflection on UBI, but if you life Value theory I recommend Mazzacato's The Value of Everything, recommended reading by Pope Francis during the pandemic.

Absolutely, and it is access to capital that determine how much we can participate. Catholic church did try to address this with idea of distributism, the Last Pope Leo, largely forgotten about save a few niche websites out there.

In my head there are two wolves: John Calvin and Milton Friedman and I hope they eat each other.

Shit dude, I'm sorry.
That sucks.

Can you recommend any reading on the topic?

But all the steps forward would lead you Universal Basic Income @ubiworks.bsky.social which would be better than an outdated bureaucratic system based on Calvin's idea of God seeing the event horizon...but then that's why I'm more of an Augustinian.

Don't get me wrong, this is a step forward, another one would removing the income cap which enforces poverty more than reduces it. On PWD you're allowed to earn $800/mon $9600/yr - but f you removed those caps people might actually be able to claw their way up instead of an enforced plateau

The application is than reviewed the Ministry of Poverty (Enforcement?) Reduction and about a month later you get a ruling about whether you've been un/worthy enough.

It's an incredibility top heavy administrative burden on the tax payer, and just giving people money would be so much cheaper