When tech billionaire Elon Musk talks, people tend to listen – even when he’s floating ideas that sound like a late-night brainstorming session with a bunch of Leftists. His latest: a proposal for “universal high income,” where the federal government sends everyone checks to offset AI-driven job losses.

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Musk argues AI will create so much abundance that inflation won’t be an issue. Critics, however, say that’s wishful thinking – and potentially fiscally catastrophic.

And then there’s the fraud.

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Universal income is a dream come true for Democrats who would LOVE to control everyone’s income according to their hair color, height, religion and MOST OF ALL, their political party. Imagine a system where your benefits hinge on who’s in power or how you vote, with payments delayed or reduced when you fall out of favor. That’s the kind of scenario that would 1000% happen under Democratic control of the federal government. And don’t try to argue with me about it. You KNOW it would happen. And good luck getting your “guaranteed” check on time the moment you DO fall out of favor with the Democrats.

And let’s be honest – some folks would end up getting a little extra “bonus” treatment, dressed up in buzzwords like “underserved.” But the real game isn’t hard to spot: reward the loyal voters, keep the checks flowing, and call it fairness.

There’s also the not-so-small problem of cost. Some economists warn a plan like this could blow a hole in government budgets if anyone actually tries it – especially at a time when we’re already drowning in Social Security obligations and a growing pile of other benefits and entitlements.

Another issue to consider is that we will all become the blobs in the movie Wall-E where people float around in automated hover chairs, glued to screens, barely moving.

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In the Techno-Optimist Manifesto published in 2023 by Marc Andreessen (a venture capitalist and tech entrepreneur), he said, “We believe a Universal Basic Income would turn people into zoo animals to be farmed by the state. Man was not meant to be farmed; man was meant to be useful, to be productive, to be proud.”

Thankfully, most of the people commenting underneath Musk’s proposal appear to be against the idea of universal income. So maybe there IS hope for the human race after all!

Musk might be onto something about AI shaking up the job market – that part isn’t crazy. But handing Washington control of everyone’s paycheck? That’s not a safety net, that’s putting the federal government in charge of who eats steak and who eats ramen.

Once that kind of power gets centralized, it doesn’t stay fair or neutral. As it sticks around, it will grow teeth, and suddenly your “guaranteed income” starts looking a lot more like permission money – and good luck arguing with the people signing the checks.