No Crisis Goes to Waste: MSNBC Uses Corona to Push Universal Basic Income

[See NewsBusters for more.] Liberal MSNBC host Ali Velshi on Sunday used the COVID-19 pandemic to push for Universal Basic Income (UBI) for all Americans. Touting it as a “big idea,” Velshi largely dismissed the critics and glossed over cost. The MSNBC host, who has a history of promoting far-left economic ideas, began, “UBI is a big deal.... There's lots of versions. But it goes something like this: Every citizen regardless of employment status gets a modest income from the state, no strings attached, which allows them to live above the poverty line.” Though he started by linking the need for UBI to the coronavirus, Velshi mostly focused on automation in our modern economy: “In an increasing number of physical stores, you don't need to interact with a human to do your business. More people into the workforce but more jobs ultimately will not.” The MSNBC graphic simply claimed, “Universal Basic Income can be normal.”