In an ideal world, there would be no welfare whatsoever. However, in the US I do think that UBI is a more reasonable path forward than continuing the current welfare system. Currently the US has probably thousands of different welfare programs, each with tons of overhead. Better to just mail everyone a check. It also significantly improves incentives, for example fixing the issue you mentioned of people getting trapped in welfare. According to Charles Murray's
In Our Hands, $13k/year would be
cheaper than the existing welfare system.
Here's an interview with Murray.
However, I only consider it acceptable if it
replaces all other welfare, including heath-care-related welfare, and I suspect that this will never be politically possible. I'd also like it to result in an elimination of all work-related regulations such as minimum wage, since with UBI there should be no excuse that people are being forced to work and therefore the government needs to protect them.
Is replacing the current social assistance programs with a wealth distribution plan really a good idea? What I mean is currently welfare budget is reserved for "those" in need which is a pretty small percentage of People. If we take the same budget (meaning the 13k threshold) and redistribute it to EVERYONE, folks who need the assistance will get much less.
I would love a "free" 13k, but I don't need it. A family making 36k a year needs it more than I do, so why not talk about increasing the threshold for these programs.
Btw IMO it's not only welfare that's not keeping up and meeting the needs. I see skilled blue collar people that could once but a home with those skills. Now with the price of house's sky rocketing and those wages not corresponding don't allow a new young skilled person to have the hope of a buying a family home.
13k is such a small amount of money who could hope to live on that a year? The poor will get poorer and the rich will get insignificantly richer.
I forgo my 13k per year so someone who needs it can have it. The welfare system sucks, but redistributing it people that clearly don't need it seems counter productive to me!