Hawaii can’t even house the homeless.
Via The Daily Mail:
It may have been the last state to join the United States, but Hawaii may trail blaze and become the first to offer guaranteed basic income.
A bill was recently passed through both the houses and state legislature in a unanimous vote that declares that all Hawaiians ‘deserve basic financial security’ and prompts state agencies to look over ‘universal basic income’ along with other policy.
‘As innovation and automation and inequality disrupt our economy, we want to make sure that everybody benefits and nobody is left behind,’ said state Representative Chris Lee of Kaliua to Mother Jones.
‘It’s past time that we had a serious talk about not just tweaking our economic policies but having a new discussion from the ground up about what our values and priorities are.’
While Alaska has provided state residents a stipend funded by oil revenue since 1976, Hawaii is the first to consider the income to cover living expenses.
Hawaii’s cost of living – the highest in the country – motivated the passing of the resolution in May along with the states reliance on low-paid service industry jobs.
According to Lee, Hawaii has a very limited manufacturing and tech sector which puts the service-focused economy at risk.
HT: Getaclue