@author_matthewflagler: Why are we so willing to spend enormous amounts of money dealing with poverty, but so reluctant to invest in preventing it? And who benefits when ordinary people remain financially insecure? Welcome to the finale of Who Gets Left Behind? | Social Justice in Canada. Throughout this series, we’ve examined poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, household debt, inequality, and the enormous human and economic costs of leaving people behind. Now we’re asking one final question: What if everyone had a guaranteed financial floor beneath them? Not luxury. Not unlimited wealth. Just enough security that losing your job, becoming ill, or experiencing an unexpected financial setback doesn’t automatically mean falling into poverty. In this episode, we’re exploring the case for a universal, unconditional basic income—and why the very idea provokes such fierce opposition. Would people stop working? Would inflation skyrocket? Would businesses raise prices? And how could we possibly afford it? We’ll examine some of those concerns, revisit the economic choices we’ve explored throughout this series, and challenge a particularly interesting double standard. For decades, we’ve been told that tax breaks for the wealthy, corporate incentives, and even massive industry bailouts can be necessary investments in the economy. But suggest guaranteeing ordinary people a basic level of financial security, and suddenly we’re told the consequences would be catastrophic. Why? This isn’t about claiming universal basic income is a perfect solution. It isn’t. There are legitimate questions about funding, inflation, employment, and protecting existing social supports. It’s about asking whether poverty and financial insecurity are truly inevitable—or whether we could make different choices. Because poverty isn’t simply a personal failure. It’s also shaped by the economic systems and public policies we create. And perhaps the most important question isn’t just who gets left behind. It’s who benefits when they do. 💬 Let’s have a conversation: Do you believe everyone should have a guaranteed financial floor, regardless of employment or income? Why or why not? If you’re new here, I encourage you to explore the full Who Gets Left Behind? series. We’ve spent approximately 150 minutes examining these issues from different perspectives, and there’s much more to the conversation than any single episode can cover. Thanks for watching, sharing, commenting, and being part of this series. Subscribe for more conversations about social justice, economic inequality, public policy, and the choices that shape our societies. #socialjustice #endpoverty #ubi #incomeinequality

author_matthewflagler 🇨🇦

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Friday 06 November 2026 16:14:25 GMT