Andrew Stern, former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and author of Raising the Floor: How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew Our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream, believes a universal basic income is the best way for the United States to deal with massive changes in our economy—changes that will only be exacerbated by increasing automation. “If we wanted to appropriately rename the country, we would call it the United States of Anxiety,” said Stern. “Only 21 percent of people think the economy is excellent or very good, despite the numbers to the contrary. Only 47 percent could find $400 in the case of an unexpected bill.” Stern says the purpose of Raising the Floor was twofold: to identify the problem on the horizon, and to ask what we’re going to do about it if the worst should come to pass. He talked about the historical origins of universal basic income, and shared specifics on his own plan, which would involve giving every individual age 18-64 one thousand dollars each month.