Friedmans logic was this. Many welfare programs in the US will take away $1 in benefits for every $2 dollars that a recipient earns. If a welfare recipient is enlisted in several programs, (childcare, direct welfare, health care, food stamps, ect) the recipient has a disincentive to work because making two dollars in wages could result in the loss of more than $2 dollars in benefits. Friedman said that every one would be entitled to $15k a year and for every $2 dollars a person made they would lose $1 dollar of their $15k. (I made up these numbers, I don't know if he gave a specific number or suggested enough to bring people over the poverty line or what he suggested). Such a program would be bureaucratically efficient, would alleviate poverty, avoid paternalism and prevent disincentives to work that can be found in some welfare programs. The idea was never really considered and was mostly disliked. I thought it was clever as are many of Miltons ideas. If you ever want to research specific economic I would recommend seeing if Milton wrote on it and see what he had to say. Even when I disagree with his ethics I usually find his commentary educational and thought provoking. PS. I like the economist despite it's stuffy conservatism, but this concept is such a classic Friedmanist idea that I'm shocked that they didn't give him a nod in the article. It's really part of the economic conservative DNA to be aware of the ideas of the most prominent conservative economist of the current era.
I'm not sure how this fits, but this, and recent travels lead me to post this: http://hubski.com/pub?id=552
1. it cost money from those of us who work, the idea offends peoples sense of fairness. 2. the reduced bureaucratic hurdles to get the money would make it way to easy for people to just coast on the dole, econ speak it provides a disincentive to work. 3. Current welfare programs incentiveise good behavior, you have to buy food to feed the kids with food stamps, you have to look for work to get unemployment. Just giving people money will let them buy drugs gasp!!! 4. Many conservatives oppose all welfare programs regardless of their Cost/Benefits. By libertarian philosophy this is just plain old robbery. 5. Public employee unions would lose a lot of workers that currently pay dues if the welfare state was stripped down to just 1 program. Current bureaucracies in the welfare system give push back to these kinds of programs. Every program in existence has some public representative that brought it to and ensures it's existence (Senators pet project kind of thing). I'm sure there are other things that would stand in the way of this kind of program.