NEW YORK|By Mike Konczal at Next New Deal| With the coming referendum in Switzerland has come a flurry of commentary about a “Universal Basic Income” (UBI). There are people for and people against, from the left and from the right. One powerful reason to reject the idea is the fact that a payment of $10,000 to every U.S. adult, a pretty basic basic income, would seemingly cost $2.5 trillion.