Guaranteed income pilot program will use lottery to pick 5,000 recipients of $500 monthly checks – Chicago Sun-Times*

With demand for the $500 monthly payments expected to outstrip the $31.5 million in available cash, Chicago will hold a lottery to pick 5,000 participants in what Mayor Lori Lightfoot has touted as the nation’s largest universal basic income program. She said Chicago cannot be a “successful thriving city until we address the needs of our residents, our neighbors, and use every tool in our tool kit to help lift them out of economic hardship.”
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Captain Obvious
4 years ago

In a rather remarkable turn of events, the first 5000 selected all had political or family ties to those picking the winners. What are the odds?

Luckily, Illinois government is an excellent role model, free of corruption. Otherwise, this could be abused.

Martin Eden
4 years ago

Lori, call it what it is… Free money!!! Money for nothing!!! Pay for people who do nothing!!!

Even worse, people who choose to not work, or are un-hire-able, now have no incentive to change…

Liberalism is a disease like cancer. It will kill the host.

Brock Landers
4 years ago

“You’ll own nothing and you’ll be happy.”
Klaus Schwab

Stinky Sphincter
4 years ago

White need not apply

Rick
4 years ago

They could just throw it out of a helicopter too.

Freddy
4 years ago
Reply to  Rick

I swear to God I thought turkeys could fly!

Pensions Paid First
4 years ago
Reply to  Freddy

They are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement.

Freddy
4 years ago

That was a great episode. Watching Less Nessman’s face in his live report was gold.

nixit
4 years ago

Is this the beta test for ending targeted aid (food,rent) and just giving people cash?

Lions Choice
4 years ago

More welfare giveaways — as if 60 years of failed Democrat welfare programs isn’t proof that free money creates generational dependency and permanent poverty.

debtsor
4 years ago
Reply to  Lions Choice

Failed Democrat welfare programs? You’re looking at the wrong metric. Welfare recipients overwhelmingly vote Democrat. These programs have been an overwhelming success creating generations of D voters. The point of welfare programs is to keep them poor and voting Democrat. That’s why AOC and Bernie and the Squad want to give away even more benefits – they believe that their progressive faction can steal away votes from the mainstream D’s by giving them expanded free stuff and increase the progressives’ power in government. Republicans used to do the same thing – by giving away corporate welfare creating generations of republican… Read more »

Last edited 4 years ago by debtsor
Ex Illini
4 years ago

More money for weed and scratch-offs.

nixit
4 years ago
Reply to  Ex Illini

The tax is so high on weed, the govt will get most of that money back.

Stinky Sphincter
4 years ago
Reply to  nixit

No taxes on street weed or other drugs. Cheaper than buying from the state as well

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Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.

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