In 1956, Harper Lee, a struggling writer, was presented with an interesting opportunity. Lee's friends and family gathered and presented her with an envelope. The envelope contained money equivalent to one year's salary and a note that read "You have a year off from your job to write whatever you want" ("Universal Basic Income: The Answer to Automation?"). Lee accepted the money and took a year off from work to focus on writing. Around this time, Lee was able to write To Kill a Mockingbird. Since then, Lee has received numerous awards for his writing and has sold many copies of To Kill a Mockingbird. Although this circumstance was not technically a universal basic income, for Harper Lee it served the same purpose as universal basic income (“Universal Basic Income: The Answer to Automation?”). This opportunity allowed Lee to improve her life because it took a financial burden off her and gave her more freedom with her time. Implementing a universal basic income would provide opportunities similar to Lee's to all universal basic income recipients; enabling these recipients to improve their lives. In today's society, there are many rules about eligibility for government funding, limiting who has this opportunity to improve their lives. Our society is also trending towards automation which limits the availability of jobs, increasing the number of US citizens who need financial help. Due to inequality of public funding and automation limiting jobs, the U.S. government should implement a universal basic income to equitably fund and financially support adult citizens for individuals to improve their lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayUniversal basic income (UBI), a form of government financing, is a fixed income provided to all individuals, regardless of their social or economic position. Andrew Yang, a famous entrepreneur and economist, describes universal basic income as “a version of social security in which all citizens receive a certain amount of money per month regardless of their employment status or income” (p 166). This version of welfare supports all citizens equally, guaranteeing all recipients the same funding. This concept of universal basic income has been around for many years. Several popular political figures have introduced versions of the UBI, but none of these versions have been implemented (Yang p 166). However, Yang explains that “a form of UBI almost became law in the United States in 1970 and 1971, passing the House of Representatives twice before stalling in the Senate” (p 166). There is currently a popular form of UBI introduced by Andrew Yang called Freedom Dividend. Yang's Freedom Dividen proposes that all citizens between the ages of 18 and 64 receive an annual income of $12,000 or $1,000 per month (Yang p 166). The Freedom Dividen would provide all individuals within this specific age range with a fixed income from the government to do as they wish. This welfare program would allow the government to financially support citizens equitably in times of need and allow financial freedom to beneficiaries. As society advances, the need for a universal basic income is increasing and becoming more and more important. The problem is automation; as technology becomes more advanced, automation is taking over the workplace leaving citizens jobless. Yang claims that many jobs).