Rape isn't about being driven to desperation out of depravity, it's a sadistic act. I don't think this comparison really applies.. UBI would in the long run become undone by sellers of goods and services raising prices (the minimum someone is willing to pay for something is now changed when you guarantee everyone X amount in cash). Raising the federal minimum wage accomplishes the same. The only meaningful way you can close the income gap would be to raise taxes on the rich, back in the 1970's when the highest tax bracket was 90% companies couldn't look at off 1000 workers to pay themselves 1M in bonuses. Not when that money was taxed at 90%, wasn't worth losing all that labor over. Now it happens all the time.