see: Now what's that called when the poorest are taxed at higher rates than the rich? Oh right... regressive taxation. A big part of the problem with our existing system is that people by and large have no idea just how fucked up it is. The very idea of targeted assistance is flawed because of everyone it leaves out, and because of the stigma it creates, and because of the huge marginal tax rates it introduces when clawed back as punishment for employment. If it's one thing I've learned from studying one thing like basic income in great depth, it's that I realize now just how full of shit so many articles I read about other things other than basic income must be for shit like this to be published in outlets like The Guardian, The New York Times, The Economist, and more. If you're curious about the source of my numbers, here: http://www.scottsantens.com/will-replacing-current-benefits-with-cash-tomorr... Also yes, this all varies from state to state but that is also a big part of the problem. In Wyoming, 1% of those living under the federal poverty line receive TANF. That means replacing TANF with UBI in Wyoming would be an improvement for 99% of those living in poverty in Wyoming. More about TANF: http://www.scottsantens.com/tanf-is-terrible -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/