The messy reality of UBI

Give a Buck is Mashable’s deep dive into Universal Basic Income — an idea gaining currency in a time of pandemic and mass unemployment. Now more than ever, our future depends on whether we can pay the bills.

Making universal basic income a reality in the United States will be a difficult process fraught with untold missteps, but perhaps not just for the reasons bandied about by talking heads on either side of the political divide. Like with so many things, it’s the details that get you. 

The idea of universal basic income, or UBI as it is more commonly referred to, is beyond just having a moment. Teed up by academics and policy wonks, driven home by real-world pilot programs, super charged by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and exploded by the coronavirus pandemic, the time for a stabilizing and unconditional cash payment made to every American adult is decidedly now. However, as the federal government’s attempt to distribute a one-time stimulus payment has made…