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Thousands of Americans recently received direct payments from their government as part of the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan to address unemployment and poverty exacerbated by the Covid Pandemic. But what if direct payments like those came every month as a way to combat structural inequality? For a group of people in two California cities, that’s not just an idea, it’s a reality thanks to an innovative experiment. The Compton Pledge in Compton is paying 800 local women $300 to $600 per month, to give them a leg up. The money, which until now has been privately raised, is deposited via direct debit card, Venmo, direct deposit or whatever works best and doesn’t replace any other supplements they might get from the government. So far, unemployment is down 50% since the program started and the idea, which has deep roots in American history, is paying off for recipients and the community they’re in. It’s also getting serious attention well beyond California as we’ll hear. In this episode, Laura meets some of the women who are receiving the funds and speak with Compton’s mayor, Aja Brown, as well as former Stockton mayor, Michael Tubbs, founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, who was the first big city mayor to experiment in this way. We’ll also hear from Nika Soon-Shiong Executive Director of the Fund for Guaranteed Income.Could direct cash payments go national and be sustained? Should they?  “Time For A Dialogue” by Soul Clap featuring Rich Medina released, from their album World Transformation Force or W-T-F, it’s a call for radical love and radical hope, courtesy of Fools Gold Records.

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Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. 

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