my name is michael tanner, a senior fellow here at cato, and i generally work on issues that have too with poverty and inequality and other areas of domestic economic policy. today, we've got a rare occurrence here at cato, a double book form if you will. we do a lot of book forums, but rarely do we have two such distinguished authors dealing with books both released on the same topic at roughly the same time, so it's serendipity that we get you both here today. we're talking about the universal basic income. which is the idea that rather than the current multiplicity of social welfare programs that we currently have, that that somehow be supplemented or replaced with cash transfers that are not tied to specific requirements, that are simply, people get a check from the government rather than the traditional set of well, we have healthcare benefits and housing benefits and cash benefits, food benefits, things of that nature. this is a growing topic of conversation on both the left and right and among libertarians as well. there is a general acknowledgment that the workforce is changi

joining me is michael tanner a senior fellow at the cato institute and author of the debt and entitlementor being with us. >> pleasure to be with you. ainsley: great. tell me what you think of donald trump has a plan this weekend he does this have a plan and covers everybody. >> let's hope this is one of those cases where donald trump should be taken seriously but not literally because there really is no way that's affordable that's going to extend universal healthcare. there is no country in the world that provides unlimited healthcare to everybody. and the united states is no different. we simply can't afford to do. so. ainsley: well then how is he going to do it? >> well, look, donald trump's understanding of free markets and economic laws is not as strong as suit. he is a good negotiator and good leader but he is not an economist and let's hope that he relies on people like tom price or rand paul or paul ryan. >> paul ryan has a plan, rand paul has a plan. you have looked at these plans. who has the best plan and why? >> i think rand paul's plan actually faces up to. so fundamental de

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