Andrew Yang Isnât Doing U.B.I. Right There are better ways to follow the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.âs call for a guaranteed income. By Bryce Covert Ms. Covert, a contributing opinion writer, is an independent journalist who focuses on the economy, with an emphasis on policies that affect workers and families. March 16, 2021 Credit...Drew Angerer/Getty Images âI want to be the anti-poverty mayor,â declared Andrew Yang, currently leading the polls in New York Cityâs open mayoral race, in an interview last week with the 92nd Street Y. Mr. Yang has no previous experience in government. As he put it to Seth Pinsky, the chief executive of the Y: âMy main experience was running a private company.â Most people know him from his run for president in 2020, and his core selling point during that campaign was his plan for a universal basic income. The cornerstone of his platform was a pledge to send every American citizen over age 18 what he called a Freedom Dividend, or a no-strings- attached monthly check of $1,000.