I hesitate to use the word 'strawman', but the replies to my comment seem to be debating something I didn't even come close to saying. Chapter 1 of a basic econ textbook will tell you that there are many pitfalls that make markets less-than-free (by the way, a "free market" in economics is not defined "free from any regulation", it's a market in which supply and demand can operate freely and efficiently. Regulation can be ONE of the ways a market becomes less free). Asymmetric information, lack of exposure to the cost (or benefit) of externalities, etc etc etc.
The goal of basic income (the basic part is very important; giving everyone the median income would be a disaster of the kind that you're thinking of) is to PRESERVE the ability for supply and demand to function correctly. Currently, the success of an idea is a function not only of its quality, but of its quality and the wealth of the parents of the person who thought of it (the US has some of the worst economic mobility in the developed world).
The goal of basic income (the basic part is very important; giving everyone the median income would be a disaster of the kind that you're thinking of) is to PRESERVE the ability for supply and demand to function correctly. Currently, the success of an idea is a function not only of its quality, but of its quality and the wealth of the parents of the person who thought of it (the US has some of the worst economic mobility in the developed world).