[beat]

Barter is even more of an absurdist corner case than Sowell's beach houses. It doesn't contribute to the question of whether UBI will grow the economy.

Ok, let's take this from another angle. Does bankruptcy at a large scale help the economy? Foreclosure? Homelessness? It seems reasonable to me that people are more likely to contribute to the economy if they aren't bankrupt and homeless. It seems likely that their children are more likely to become successful contributors.

And it's obvious that UBI can reduce these problems substantially. After all, homelessness isn't caused by a shortage of homes. It's caused by financial distribution problems. So right there, we have an opportunity for growth.

Now, I'm not arguing that UBI will totally pay for itself here either. But it seems likely to produce some economic growth, just because it does the most for the people currently least able to participate in the economy, and that's a majority of the population.