Just How Far Will Minnesota Democrats Go? Let’s Talk About Universal Income
During the 2020 Democrat presidential primary, many scoffed at Andrew Yang’s idea for Universal Basic Income. The idea that everyone could get $1,000 every month from the government was mocked by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Fast forward to 2023 and what was genuinely seen as an outlandish idea four years ago is now gaining legs amongst Democrats across the country – including some right here in Minnesota.
In an interview with MinnPost released Wednesday, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter talked about the city’s own trial run with universal basic income. The main takeaway? He thinks there’s room for the state or federal government to implement guaranteed income.
From MinnPost:
MP: This is my big question: You’ve got a smattering of cities around the country that have done similar pilot efforts, providing what supporters could call proofs of concept for guaranteed income — what’s next? Is the future more pilot programs? Or is a priority winning over critics? Or is the next step something even more ambitious, like overhauling state or federal welfare programs to include more guaranteed income initiatives?
…
MC: “As I have said from the beginning, I’m not arguing that St. Paul — within the context of our local property tax base — has the means to do something at scale, on a sustainable basis. I don’t think there’s many cities who could. We do have the ability at the state and federal levels to pass policies like this.”
While Democrats are not talking about universal basic income in St. Paul (yet), it’s important to ask whether it’s on their to-do list down the line. Just look at how far Democrats have gone this session already with marginal control in the legislature! With a near $18B surplus, Democrats aren’t interested in giving tax cuts to Minnesota families. Instead, they’re focused on raising taxes by an additional $2B and growing government spending by 25 percent.
Even Melvin Carter realizes that universal basic income isn’t sustainable long term with the current tax revenue in St. Paul – and that’s after raising property taxes by 15 percent at the end of last year. However, State Democrats have proven that once they’ve set their minds on something, they’ll do whatever they can to make their agenda a reality – even if it means stepping on everyday, working Minnesotans to get there.
So, how far will Minnesota Democrats go? Only time will tell.