Thanks for the read and the great question, Brian! and I'm all for UBI.

As far as my limited understanding goes, buying corporate bonds doesn't give any ownership stake and isn't equivalent to buying shares. They're simply IOUs. So the government has no voting power/influence over the decision making even though they've just handed these companies billions.

Some heterodox economists have said the US gov should have taken ownership stakes in the banks and auto industry during the 08 bailouts. There's no reason they couldn't have and then taken those gains/dividends and funded programs/sent checks to Americans.

And I'm all for it. If they're going to get government/tax payer money/bailouts, the taxpayers should see a positive return on the other end like an investment.