Rhetorical Analysis: The Case For Free Money
Nicholas Titone
Professor Flynn
ENG 101_N01
30 September 2016
Rhetorical analysis of “The Case for Free Money” In “The Case for Free Money” the author introduces the audience to the concept of “Universal Basic Income”, a strategy in which current forms of more targeted government aid in the US (i.e. food stamps and welfare) are replaced by a fixed amount of money being provided to each and every citizen annually. (Surowiecki) Using a combination of historical reference, examples of the endorsement of similar ideas by some well respected historical figures, a handful of sound bytes from researchers, and a fair amount of speculation the author paints an overall rosy picture of the proposed system. Unfortunately Mr. Surowicki's lack of time …show more content…
Suroweicki begins his article by referencing an experiment done by the Canadian government in the mid 1970's called Mincome. The way the program worked was that a select number of households in Manitoba were sent periodic stipends in order to see what effect, if any, it would have on the residents' quality of life. After introducing us to the concept of the program he goes on to mention that the experiment was shut down by a conservative government a few years later, before any of the data had been extrapolated. While it may be a little too early in the text to start reading into things this may be an indication that he is tailoring this article to appeal to a mostly left leaning audience. Decades later, an economist at the University of Manitoba was able to use what data was available from the project to conclude that it created an overall positive outcome for the subjects of the experiment. People were spending less time in hospitals (perhaps because they were financially able to access more preventitive care), more teens were staying in school (less pressure to have to work in order to suppliment the family income), and labor statistics indicated that people were still showing up to their jobs despite having the extra source of income. (Surowiecki) Having opened with a strong logical argument, he then goes on to lay out a basic idea of what universal basic income, or UBI for short would mean for citizens of the US. “Every year, every adult citizen in the U.S. would receive a stipend—ten thousand dollars is a number often mentioned. (Children would receive a smaller allowance.)”
Professor Flynn
ENG 101_N01
30 September 2016
Rhetorical analysis of “The Case for Free Money” In “The Case for Free Money” the author introduces the audience to the concept of “Universal Basic Income”, a strategy in which current forms of more targeted government aid in the US (i.e. food stamps and welfare) are replaced by a fixed amount of money being provided to each and every citizen annually. (Surowiecki) Using a combination of historical reference, examples of the endorsement of similar ideas by some well respected historical figures, a handful of sound bytes from researchers, and a fair amount of speculation the author paints an overall rosy picture of the proposed system. Unfortunately Mr. Surowicki's lack of time …show more content…
Suroweicki begins his article by referencing an experiment done by the Canadian government in the mid 1970's called Mincome. The way the program worked was that a select number of households in Manitoba were sent periodic stipends in order to see what effect, if any, it would have on the residents' quality of life. After introducing us to the concept of the program he goes on to mention that the experiment was shut down by a conservative government a few years later, before any of the data had been extrapolated. While it may be a little too early in the text to start reading into things this may be an indication that he is tailoring this article to appeal to a mostly left leaning audience. Decades later, an economist at the University of Manitoba was able to use what data was available from the project to conclude that it created an overall positive outcome for the subjects of the experiment. People were spending less time in hospitals (perhaps because they were financially able to access more preventitive care), more teens were staying in school (less pressure to have to work in order to suppliment the family income), and labor statistics indicated that people were still showing up to their jobs despite having the extra source of income. (Surowiecki) Having opened with a strong logical argument, he then goes on to lay out a basic idea of what universal basic income, or UBI for short would mean for citizens of the US. “Every year, every adult citizen in the U.S. would receive a stipend—ten thousand dollars is a number often mentioned. (Children would receive a smaller allowance.)”