Scott Santens
@scottsantens.com
Unconditional / Universal Basic Income (UBI) knowledge resource
Founder & CEO of UBI-focused nonprofit ITSAfoundation.org
Host of The Basic Income Show youtube.com/scottsantens
My #UBI FAQ: scottsantens.com
Contact me: linktr.ee/scottsantens
Founder & CEO of UBI-focused nonprofit ITSAfoundation.org
Host of The Basic Income Show youtube.com/scottsantens
My #UBI FAQ: scottsantens.com
Contact me: linktr.ee/scottsantens
Pinned
Scott Santens
@scottsantens.com
· Dec 5
I've been researching the idea of Unconditional Universal Basic Income since 2013. Here's a collection of findings I've compiled from various UBI experiments and studies of cash transfer programs around the world.
This will be a VERY LONG and ongoing thread focused entirely on empirical evidence. 🧵
This will be a VERY LONG and ongoing thread focused entirely on empirical evidence. 🧵
Reposted by Scott Santens
My god do we need UBI
“Researchers have found that when a new plasma center opens in a neighborhood, foot traffic at local grocery stores increases, interest in payday loans declines and crime goes down, an indication of the way money from plasma props up households’ finances for necessities.“
“Researchers have found that when a new plasma center opens in a neighborhood, foot traffic at local grocery stores increases, interest in payday loans declines and crime goes down, an indication of the way money from plasma props up households’ finances for necessities.“
Middle-class Americans are selling their plasma to make ends meet
Last year, people in the U.S. made an estimated $4.7 billion selling their plasma. Donation centers are popping up in middle-class neighborhoods, including suburban strip malls and college towns.
www.nbcnews.com
February 16, 2026 at 4:16 AM
My god do we need UBI
“Researchers have found that when a new plasma center opens in a neighborhood, foot traffic at local grocery stores increases, interest in payday loans declines and crime goes down, an indication of the way money from plasma props up households’ finances for necessities.“
“Researchers have found that when a new plasma center opens in a neighborhood, foot traffic at local grocery stores increases, interest in payday loans declines and crime goes down, an indication of the way money from plasma props up households’ finances for necessities.“
Reposted by Scott Santens
This thread is the we are going to win thread, is the kids are alright thread, is the STOP ICE thread, is the civil society rising thread; read it through.
Let me tell you a tale of how completely the normies have been mobilized. My 14 year-old niece has done School of Rock for the past 5 years; last summer she was part of their touring band, and the kids loved playing together so much that they decided to keep doing it. (1/?)
February 16, 2026 at 4:01 AM
This thread is the we are going to win thread, is the kids are alright thread, is the STOP ICE thread, is the civil society rising thread; read it through.
Reposted by Scott Santens
We can totally do UBI.
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 16, 2026 at 2:20 AM
We can totally do UBI.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Well this has just made me smile & feel genuinely better about the world, I recommend you try it too.
This is why we need UBI. Imagine how many weird little guys (and gals and enbies) could make weird little things for us all to enjoy!
This is why we need UBI. Imagine how many weird little guys (and gals and enbies) could make weird little things for us all to enjoy!
February 16, 2026 at 3:08 AM
Well this has just made me smile & feel genuinely better about the world, I recommend you try it too.
This is why we need UBI. Imagine how many weird little guys (and gals and enbies) could make weird little things for us all to enjoy!
This is why we need UBI. Imagine how many weird little guys (and gals and enbies) could make weird little things for us all to enjoy!
Reposted by Scott Santens
UBI isn't shot down because it doesn't make economic sense, it's shot down because it empowers workers.
You don't have to hate your job under UBI because you can afford to leave. Employers will be compelled to respect your rights because they can't count on your desperation any longer.
You don't have to hate your job under UBI because you can afford to leave. Employers will be compelled to respect your rights because they can't count on your desperation any longer.
February 15, 2026 at 10:23 AM
UBI isn't shot down because it doesn't make economic sense, it's shot down because it empowers workers.
You don't have to hate your job under UBI because you can afford to leave. Employers will be compelled to respect your rights because they can't count on your desperation any longer.
You don't have to hate your job under UBI because you can afford to leave. Employers will be compelled to respect your rights because they can't count on your desperation any longer.
Reposted by Scott Santens
We right the ship with universal basic income, universal healthcare, safe & affordable housing for all, restored public health, climate innovation, fully funded education through college, and accountability for the Trump regime and the Epstein class.
February 14, 2026 at 9:06 PM
We right the ship with universal basic income, universal healthcare, safe & affordable housing for all, restored public health, climate innovation, fully funded education through college, and accountability for the Trump regime and the Epstein class.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Medicare for All + #UBI with annual adjustments for cost of living + a nationwide infrastructure bill with a goal to establish #UBS would create the necessary foundation to prepare us for a post labor economy.
instead we get forever war, for profit concentration camps, and tax breaks for the rich.
instead we get forever war, for profit concentration camps, and tax breaks for the rich.
February 14, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Scott Santens
this is why we need UBI and universal healthcare btw
there is an employment crisis among trans women and there always has been, but good luck getting people to see it
Still living this life after almost 8 months. A professional I know who works almost exclusively with trans people said almost all of them are unemployed.
February 14, 2026 at 9:14 PM
this is why we need UBI and universal healthcare btw
Reposted by Scott Santens
UBI alone doesn't solve all of society's problems, but it would immediately neuter *a lot*.
February 14, 2026 at 10:23 PM
UBI alone doesn't solve all of society's problems, but it would immediately neuter *a lot*.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Measles is a bellwether. Because it’s the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease, when vaccination rates drop, it’s the first to start spreading.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Maryland health officials warn providers about an upsurge in mumps cases
Maryland health officials are warning about an uptick in cases of mumps.
www.thebanner.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Measles is a bellwether. Because it’s the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease, when vaccination rates drop, it’s the first to start spreading.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky
Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For
academic.oup.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
Reposted by Scott Santens
Dr. Kirk Moore did not deny giving fake COVID-19 vaccine cards and throwing out vaccine doses. “All that stuff is true,” he told @sltrib.com and ProPublica.
He also repeatedly made the unfounded claim that the vaccines were “bioweapons.”
(Published Dec. 2025)
He also repeatedly made the unfounded claim that the vaccines were “bioweapons.”
(Published Dec. 2025)
Pam Bondi Dismissed Charges Against a Surgeon Who Falsified Vaccine Cards. It Emboldened Others With Similar Cases.
A Utah surgeon’s victory in a vaccine fraud case has encouraged other “medical freedom” advocates to consider seeking leniency for similar charges. “This undermines every layer of the system that prot...
www.propublica.org
February 14, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Dr. Kirk Moore did not deny giving fake COVID-19 vaccine cards and throwing out vaccine doses. “All that stuff is true,” he told @sltrib.com and ProPublica.
He also repeatedly made the unfounded claim that the vaccines were “bioweapons.”
(Published Dec. 2025)
He also repeatedly made the unfounded claim that the vaccines were “bioweapons.”
(Published Dec. 2025)
Said the best friend of Epstein who is standing next to Epstein's neighbor who visited his island to hang out.
Senile Satan: “I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anyone. It’s pretty boring stuff. I think only pretty bad people, including the fake news, want to keep something like that going.”
February 14, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Said the best friend of Epstein who is standing next to Epstein's neighbor who visited his island to hang out.
Reposted by Scott Santens
The details of the Kristi Noem blanket incident are just fucking perfect
February 13, 2026 at 3:35 AM
The details of the Kristi Noem blanket incident are just fucking perfect
"'Noem routinely berated staff if she saw Homan on TV and kept track of both their appearances to make sure she was on TV more than him,' the WSJ reports."
These people are just the worst people.
These people are just the worst people.
The biggest bombshells from the WSJ expose into Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski
Newspaper describes ‘constant chaos’ at Department of Homeland Security under Noem’s leadership
www.independent.co.uk
February 13, 2026 at 11:43 PM
"'Noem routinely berated staff if she saw Homan on TV and kept track of both their appearances to make sure she was on TV more than him,' the WSJ reports."
These people are just the worst people.
These people are just the worst people.
Reposted by Scott Santens
UBI isn't a magic wand. It's ditching the idea of a ratty, overstressed, utterly ineffective "safety net" over a gaping void, and creating a stable foundation to BUILD UP on, instead.
Universal basic income is not the ENTIRE solution. Of course we need other things too (like M4A) but it's the missing floor that can rise as GDP rises. Plus UBI will empower a lot of work, paid and unpaid, and create jobs by its spending. With that foundation we can better achieve what else we need.
February 13, 2026 at 10:32 PM
UBI isn't a magic wand. It's ditching the idea of a ratty, overstressed, utterly ineffective "safety net" over a gaping void, and creating a stable foundation to BUILD UP on, instead.
Reposted by Scott Santens
What I find amazing is that people don’t get the underlying reason about doorstep theft.
If we had an economic structure that was more fair to the lower classes, crime would go down. Like a basic income.
If we had an economic structure that was more fair to the lower classes, crime would go down. Like a basic income.
have never seen popular public opinion shift so fast about a surveillance product than the fallout from ring's super bowl "search party" ad. they'll teach this in advertising courses one day. chef's kiss baby www.404media.co/with-ring-am...
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co
February 13, 2026 at 6:25 PM
What I find amazing is that people don’t get the underlying reason about doorstep theft.
If we had an economic structure that was more fair to the lower classes, crime would go down. Like a basic income.
If we had an economic structure that was more fair to the lower classes, crime would go down. Like a basic income.
Reposted by Scott Santens
For fucks sake NO. We want healthcare, education, UBI, childcare, eldercare, housing, gun control, bodily autonomy, a cleaner environment, and what else am I missing, BEFORE we spend more on DHS or the military.
Trump: "This year we're investing $1 trillion in our armed forces. The most we've ever spent. And next year it's being raised. In fact, we're gonna be building a number of battleships."
February 13, 2026 at 7:01 PM
For fucks sake NO. We want healthcare, education, UBI, childcare, eldercare, housing, gun control, bodily autonomy, a cleaner environment, and what else am I missing, BEFORE we spend more on DHS or the military.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Universal basic income, safe and affordable housing for all, publicly funded elections, and accountability for everyone in the Trump regime and Epstein class are what Dems must run on.
Medicare for all, paid leave, universal childcare.
Busting up big corporations and tackling Wall Street’s greed.
Getting big money out of politics.
Supporting unions and fighting for higher wages.
If Dems want to win back working people, this is the agenda they must support.
Busting up big corporations and tackling Wall Street’s greed.
Getting big money out of politics.
Supporting unions and fighting for higher wages.
If Dems want to win back working people, this is the agenda they must support.
February 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Universal basic income, safe and affordable housing for all, publicly funded elections, and accountability for everyone in the Trump regime and Epstein class are what Dems must run on.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Work has become less and less the single breadwinner working 40 years, 40 hours per week. It is increasingly complex and will continue to be so with more need for upskilling, smaller contracts and projects...
Putting a solid foundation down takes all this from precarity to possibility.
Putting a solid foundation down takes all this from precarity to possibility.
February 13, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Work has become less and less the single breadwinner working 40 years, 40 hours per week. It is increasingly complex and will continue to be so with more need for upskilling, smaller contracts and projects...
Putting a solid foundation down takes all this from precarity to possibility.
Putting a solid foundation down takes all this from precarity to possibility.
Reposted by Scott Santens
Am I to understand correctly that for years progressives have lost the fight on green energy initiatives because we would be costing thousands of American jobs in fracking and coal, but now AI is being funded to take over our jobs entirely and we can’t unite on universal basic income?
February 13, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Am I to understand correctly that for years progressives have lost the fight on green energy initiatives because we would be costing thousands of American jobs in fracking and coal, but now AI is being funded to take over our jobs entirely and we can’t unite on universal basic income?
Reposted by Scott Santens
Feed the hungry.🍇
Clothe the naked.👕
Help the needy.🤝
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME NOW.💲
Clothe the naked.👕
Help the needy.🤝
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME NOW.💲
February 13, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Feed the hungry.🍇
Clothe the naked.👕
Help the needy.🤝
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME NOW.💲
Clothe the naked.👕
Help the needy.🤝
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME NOW.💲
"Today, the company has 30 trucks in the fleet, 10 of which are operating driverlessly. That fleet is expected to grow to more than 200 trucks by the end of the year. Urmson said the company’s trucks have racked up 250,000 driverless miles as of January 2026 with a perfect safety record."
Aurora's driverless trucks can now travel farther distances faster than human drivers | TechCrunch
CEO Chris Urmson called it a “superhuman” moment, adding that Aurora’s trucks can now carry freight 1,000 miles in 15 hours — faster than what a human driver can legally accomplish.
techcrunch.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:42 PM
"Today, the company has 30 trucks in the fleet, 10 of which are operating driverlessly. That fleet is expected to grow to more than 200 trucks by the end of the year. Urmson said the company’s trucks have racked up 250,000 driverless miles as of January 2026 with a perfect safety record."
Reposted by Scott Santens
I have zero patience for Democrats saying we can't accomplish bold legislation like universal basic income and single-payer healthcare.
If they're not going to read the room that we need to tax the rich at a large rate and abolish ICE, they need to be voted out.
#UBI #M4A
If they're not going to read the room that we need to tax the rich at a large rate and abolish ICE, they need to be voted out.
#UBI #M4A
If there's one thing I've learned this past year between Trump and Mamdani, it that it's actually extremely easy to get you what you want in the government. I never want to hear any excuses from Democrats ever again on why they can't get anything done.
February 13, 2026 at 4:10 AM
Evidence from a natural experiment in India that provided UBI to all farmers suggests that the binding constraint on investment may be uninsured risk. Rather than more credit, what farmers need is credible downside protection that makes them willing to use existing credit for productive investment.
Guaranteed income as insurance: How safety nets in India encouraged productive investment in agriculture
In India, a guaranteed income programme acted as insurance rather than a substitute for credit, reducing downside risk for small farmers and increasing their willingness to borrow – unlocking large cr...
voxdev.org
February 13, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Evidence from a natural experiment in India that provided UBI to all farmers suggests that the binding constraint on investment may be uninsured risk. Rather than more credit, what farmers need is credible downside protection that makes them willing to use existing credit for productive investment.