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The catch is we already have several terrible systems of poorly and expensively providing basic income: abuse of SSDI and using food-stamps to buy goods to use as a de-facto currency (in West Virginia, it happens to be soda bottles, for example)

I think you mean "no minimum wage", not "no basic income". Friedman was especially supportive of a basic income (negative income tax to be precise).

Yes, bad english. Sorry.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense actually: basic income + no minimum wage (or if politically impossible, not raising minimum wage) -- since the basic income will continue even if someone is employed, it's a great incentive to stay to in the labour force and advance even if the pay is minimal.

I do think that Milton Friedman may not have foreseen the way automation might lead to at least long-term (but perhaps not permanent) structural unemployment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAIRU