Is the Pope Calling for a Universal Basic Income?
Pope Francis never called for a “universal basic income” as a new socio-political model. He asked for financial assistance for those on the margins who have been harmed by the quarantine. Even so, the idea of a “basic income” is only feasible, if at all, in a country with strong protection of property rights and a market economy.
Freedom or Equality? “Social Justice” Is Not a Demand of Classical Liberalism
Historically as inequality dissipates the inequalities that remain become intolerable for many. Freedom then becomes seen as an enemy to greater equality. The modern welfare state seeks to establish equality through redistribution, but leaves people dependent and demoralized by their caregivers.