Exiting Rahm forms ‘universal income’ task force in Chicago; $500 monthly base pay to poor families

While Democrats are known for promising the world in exchange for votes, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel outdid himself with a proposal that gives away free money to poor families in the Windy City, no questions asked.

A task force will be formed to consider implementing the so-called “universal basic income” program —  a socialist pipe-dream — in the city, Fox News reported.

As Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell accurately noted, it’s “buying votes at $500 a pop.”

Having recently announced that he will not be running for reelection, the mayor is looking to “cement his progressive legacy,” according to the cable news network.

The program would make $500 monthly payments to 1,000 Chicago families without conditions, and the newly formed panel is tasked with deciding whether the welfare initiative could work in the city.

The universal basic income idea, a stipend for the poor, is designed to tackle poverty amid the loss of jobs due to automation and the offshoring of industries, according to Fox News.

And with Rahm on his way out the door — some suggest a 2020 presidential run may be in the making — his successor would be faced with footing the bill, if the program is implemented.

Chicago North Side Ald. Ameya Pawar, who first proposed the give-away, countered this notion in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.

“Chicago would be the largest city in the country to take this step,” Pawar explained. “I think the mayor sees this as a chance to lead the way as cities try to grapple with poverty and income inequality at a time the federal government is not addressing those things. This would be a legacy issue [for Emanuel].”

Joining Pawar in chairing the panel is the local head of the hard-left Service Employees International Union, meaning the proposal has an excellent chance of succeeding.

But in the end, history shows it’s likely to do more to kill any incentive people may have to better themselves than it does to help them. The idea also leaves Chicago’s poor even more dependent on government — see Democrats.

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Tom Tillison

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