To help California drivers struggling with high gasoline prices, Gov. Gavin Newsom last week proposed sending $400 debit cards to vehicle owners across the state (and up to $800 to households that own more than one) — while simultaneously espousing the state's "oil-free future."
Wait, what?
There's no doubt that rising gas prices have hurt people who rely on their cars to do — or get to — their jobs, and inflationary pressures typically have greater impact on people with lower incomes.
But the governor's proposal doesn't include any income cap, so wealthy people would get that cash-for-gas as well.
The Atlantic's Annie Lowrey correctly calls this misguided proposal "universal basic income for cars."
Which makes it even more surprising that this idea is coming from a governor who is purportedly determined to get the state to kick its fossil fuel habit.