As the Politics of Crazy swallows the federal government, the appeal of libertarian policy ideas grows. How do we solve basic public policy problems inside a steadily less competent central authority? One innovation that stands out for its ability to function without high quality oversight is a basic income.

Fifty years later, this explanation of the case for a basic income laid out by Milton Friedman is more relevant than ever. Friedman was describing his plan for a negative income tax, a plan actually introduced and promoted by Nixon, but the skeleton of that case applies to just about any system of universal needs-based support. Also interesting in this clip is the quality of the interaction. Can you imagine any major conservative media figure of William Buckley’s profile engaging in such a smart, thoughtful interaction on a complex subject today?