AUSTIN — The following statement may be attributed to Don Zimmerman, former Austin Council member and Executive Director of the Travis County Taxpayers Union.
“Austin city government has now proposed a ‘Universal Basic Income’ taxpayer expenditure pioneered by the City of Stockton, Calif. — the same city which pioneered its own bankruptcy from greedy and unsustainable spending policies less than a decade ago.
“‘Universal Basic Income’ asserts a Humanist-religious claim of self righteousness for politicians and bureaucrats, in fraudulent terms of ‘compassion,’ but is both immoral and illegal.
“It is immoral because it aggressively violates two commandments of the Living God: ‘you shall not covet your neighbor’s wealth’ and ‘you shall not steal.’ In 2022 language, coveting and stealing translates to ‘the top 2% aren’t paying their fair share.’ But that percentage now also extends to middle-class taxpayers who are effectively evicted from their homes by government greed and unlimited taxation.
“It is illegal because it violates the Texas Constitution’s Article 3, Section 52, which enumerates a prohibition on grants of taxpayer money to individuals, and even stipulates the Texas Legislature itself cannot pass such laws. This prohibition is even stronger against the political subdivision of the city, which is a creation of the state legislature.”