UniversalBasicJustice

Negative income tax solves the "rich people getting 12k/yr they don't 'need'" issue. Beaurocracy/overhead has already been mentioned as another reason.

Not only is 88 considered auspicious in his native culture, he was also born in 1988. Normally, yes, be wary of the 88 dog whistle, but without further evidence it looks like a nothing-burger in this case.