Our economy is not working for most people. To provide fundamental financial security and give everyone a fair shot at a decent life, we should enact universal basic income (UBI), which would give all Americans cash every month at a level sufficient to meet their basic needs.

Our elected officials will only pursue this policy if there's a strong showing of grassroots support for making it happen. A great way to show support is by writing a letter to your local newspaper, talking about why we need UBI and how it would affect you and others in your community.

Write a letter to the editor using the tool on this page. Enter your ZIP code to get started.

Writing Tips

• Keep It Short: No more than 250 words.
• Tell your story: Begin the letter with a brief story about you or someone you know that demonstrates why you care about this issue.
• Use powerful language: Use powerful verbs and descriptive nouns. Write short, punchy sentences.
• Focus on Local Impact: How would this affect your local community?

Key Reasons to Support Universal Basic Income

You may want to use some of these statements and facts in your letter:

• More and more people are living in financial precarity. 40% of Americans cannot afford a $400 emergency expense,¹ and 64% couldn't handle a $1000 emergency expense.²
• New jobs don't offer stability or good benefits. 94% of net job growth since 2005 is in alternative work — temps, contractors, freelancers, on-call work, and contract company jobs.³
• Economic mobility has plummeted in recent decades. Only 50% of Americans born in 1982 are better off than their parents, down from 92% in 1940.⁴
• A basic income is a hand up, not a hand out. It sets people on a path to achieve their own success in life.
• Basic income recognizes that people understand best the challenges they face and gives them the resources to overcome those challenges.
• Universal basic income would act as a powerful economic stimulus, which would revitalize the local economies of communities across the country.
• When you give people unconditional cash, they use it responsibly. In 19 studies where people were given cash, not a single one found an increase in expenditures on tobacco or alcohol.⁵
• We already have universal income in Alaska through their Permanent Fund Dividends. People there love the program, and it hasn't decreased the amount people work.⁶ In fact, it has increased the amount of part-time employment by 17%.⁷
• We can easily afford universal basic income. Our economy has grown by $5 trillion in the last ten years alone.⁸
• Stockton, California has already launched a basic income pilot program,⁹ and Chicago is considering launching one as well.¹⁰ Your city can help pave the way for ultimately enacting a national basic income program by launching its own pilot program.