A NM test project is underway called ‘Guaranteed Basic Income,’ where families receive $500 per month for one year – no strings attached.
Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, there is a catch! If you are a legal U.S. citizen – you don’t qualify for this program! Learn more HERE.
This new project is privately funded. However, some NM legislators are pushing for guaranteed basic income, funded by taxpayers, to become law. Many supporters say this taxpayer-funded financial support will lift people out of poverty.
We asked New Mexicans to send their comments to us and tell us what they think of this news and we got lots of responses! Listed below are some comments that NMBC will share with legislators.
- “This program, if adopted by our state, would be deadly. Everyone starts out the same and it is up to each individual to use their skills to move them forward in society. We already have programs for those who fall on hard times and the disabled to help them. We don’t need more. Look at the harm the federal and state payments did during the pandemic. Once businesses could open up, workers didn’t want to go back as they were making more or just as much to NOT work. Funds would be better used to TRAIN people on useful skills that lead to a more productive life. We need skilled workers in the trades. When we lived in Wichita, KS back in the early 2000’s the city and aerospace industry got together as they realized the skilled workers needed to build their products were going to be retiring in the next 10 years. They put together several different trade schools that were designed for this. Our oldest grandson did this while he was still in HS. I don’t know the full outcome of this, but I think it worked. This is something that I feel the entire state needs to look at. We have shortages in several areas in the trades, health care, businesses and other areas. Let’s invest in our citizens and help them move up and become contributing and productive! Production is the basis of moral.”
- “Let’s have full disclosure; who is funding this initiative? Should this idea be publicly funded eventually? This is another step toward socialism – take from the hard workers of NM and give to those who will not. Our “Progressive” legislators are testing the waters with this initiative to see how deep they can dig (and keep digging) into the pockets of hard working taxpayers. It will attract non citizens to our State who are dependent, thus sealing our fate as a “welfare state”. This will not increase one’s motivation to be self sufficient and will not decrease the poverty level. This will increase the out migration of the ambitious, thus degrading our economy and increasing the poverty in NM. All part of the “great reset” promised by our 44th president. We must stop this!”
- “I am outraged that we would even consider sending any amount of money to non citizens. This state had plenty of citizens that are on or under the poverty line. I am not in favor of giving money to anyone. There are jobs available people need to work to survive and thrive. Humans do not do well when they are idle.“
- “Yes, it’s true that automation has made inroads into stuff that people used to do. It’s true that artificial intelligence may speed that along. But as of now, human labor is still needed for many things. There should be no economic incentives for not working. It would be far better for governments and nonprofits that genuinely want to improve people’s lives to make work more financially rewarding by abolishing the Sixteenth Amendment (income taxes) and replacing it with a national sales tax. It would be even better if the Federal Reserve would be abolished along with its constant debasing of the U.S. dollar through “quantitative easing”, the electronic version of printing money.“
- “This is the stupidest thing I have heard, there is no way this will ever be no strings attached of course us taxpayers will have to eventually pay for it, it will be wrapped into something else. Then to only allow NON-US CITIZENS- this is ridiculous, they already get everything handed to them and now you want to give them more money for being here illegally and not providing anything to our Country! Absolutely NOT!“
- “I don’t believe any part of the United States Government (this DOES include the State of New Mexico) should be funding any criminal with taxpayer dollars. The illegal aliens crossing our borders are criminals. We have laws for the proper way to enter our Country. Breaking those laws means a crime has been committed. Supporting the invaders means aiding and abetting a criminal, making the State of New Mexico guilty of a crime. If I stole a car, would the State give me a free gas card?“
- “Absolutely NO to money given to people coming to the US illegally, which means pretty much anyone coming across the border. We aren’t ready for universal pay but, I think we will see a natural change sometime in the near future. Not only farming jobs but computer work as well. All these kids went into computer science and did great but, the computers can now out work the users. Millions of them will be be out of work soon. Many other sectors as well. It will be interesting.“
- “So we’re taking money from hard working tax paying people, who are already taxed TO DEATH and giving it to illegals to do nothing? Why not give them jobs to earn it? Have them clean up highways and trash etc? Total socialism. What’s next Communism?“