Would You Take the Check? The Answer Is Complicated
Dalton Conley tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave: yes, he'd take the UBI check — because you don't have a choice. A thousand dollars a month transforms life in rural Mississippi and barely registers in New York City. Jerremy says he'd opt out; Conley says almost nobody thinks that way. Social Security is untouchable because it's near-universal and tied to work — UBI needs that same armor. Conley's lab found that a kid genetically predisposed to insomnia raises parents' drinking and smoking for decades after they leave the house.
- (00:14) Yes, Conley takes the check – because universal means no opt-out
- (00:40) $1,000 transforms Mississippi – barely registers in New York City
- (01:25) Poverty measurement – debated since Molly Orshansky drew the line in 1963
- (02:32) Jerremy would opt out – Conley says he's a tiny, wonderful minority
- (04:24) Give it to Bezos too – that's what makes UBI politically bulletproof
- (05:06) Global UBI – world government territory, but Europe might get there first
- (05:21) Social Security is untouchable – UBI needs to build that same armor
- (07:54) Your kid's genes change you – ADHD raises parental drinking for decades
- (09:50) Lightning round – they don't get lazy, they get free
- (11:30) The blind spot – trillions in debt, nobody asks where it comes from
- (12:47) Hosts debrief – is free dental care the actual linchpin?
