Yang Campaign: ‘Freedom Dividend’ Could Reduce Mass Shootings, Antisemitism

Andrew Yang Getty
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Tony Lee

Presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s campaign is arguing that his $1,000/month “freedom dividend” could reduce mass shootings and even lessen antisemitism.

Jonathan Herzog, Yang’s Iowa campaign coordinator, on Thursday said automation “will likely” fuel the flames of antisemitism and Yang’s freedom divided could be an potential antidote.

“Anti-semitism has always been with us. The question is: what conditions fuel its flames? Education is important but has its limits. The economic tidal wave of automation will likely accelerate winner-take-all dynamics and resentment,” Herzog said. “We can talk about anti-semitism or we can do something about it. The #FreedomDividend might just be that something.”

Last week after the Virginia Beach shootings, Yang said that it is “very possible” that a “disgruntled employee would respond less violently if he was going home to a secure financial future,” adding that Universal Basic Income (UBI) “would save lives.”

“A Universal Basic Income of $1,000 a month would help too – it would reduce stress levels and increase mental health across the board. A lot of job stress comes from feeling like you need the job to survive. If you didn’t you would likely respond differently to situations,” Yang tweeted. “Is it possible that a disgruntled employee would respond less violently if he was going home to a secure financial future? I’d say that is very possible and even likely over a large number of cases. Stress kills and financial stress kills. Universal Basic Income would save lives.”

Scott Santens, a prominent UBI advocate, agreed and said he had no “doubt that UBI would significantly reduce the number of shootings in America across the board: mass shootings, suicides by gun, gang violence, all of it.”

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