Fox News host Tucker Carlson criticized Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney’s temporary universal basic income (UBI) proposal during a Monday night “Tucker Carlson Tonight” segment.
As a step to help the American public make ends meet during the economically harmful actions taken to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Romney proposed Monday to temporarily give every adult $1,000.
“That’s likely a well-meaning idea, a lot of smart people are behind it, but it’s also decadent and foolish,” Carlson said of the plan, which was first put forward this election cycle by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
WATCH:
“Name a place that’s become happier and more prosperous under a scheme like that,” the Daily Caller co-founder said. “Indian reservations? The inner city? Rural areas where half the male population gets monthly disability checks? Or for that matter, if we are being honest, how many happily idle inherited money people do you know? Rich people? None. They’re all drunk. Of course they are. People need to work, they want to work.” (RELATED: Tucker Carlson: Shutting Down Economy Poses ‘Its Own Kind Of Public Health Risk’)
Carlson praised a German system that allows stressed employers to placed employees on “reduced hours,” with the government making up the difference:
“This idea has a clear goal and it achieves it,” he said. “During the 2008 financial crisis, Germany’s economy shrank by a higher proportion than ours did in America. At the same time, Germany’s unemployment rate actually fell … more people were working than before. That’s the key as we look forward to turbulent times. Employment, stability, meaningful work.”