Guaranteed Income for Every Citizen - Best Way To Revitalize Humanity
In June 2016, Switzerland voted in a referendum on the topic of introducing a basic income. If it had passed, all Swiss citizens, working or unemployed, would have received about $2,500 Swiss francs for adults and 625 francs for children per month as a guaranteed stipend from the government.
![ubi.png](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://s23.postimg.org/el72lfmnf/ubi.png)
Switzerland would have become the first country in the world to implement such an idea.
Although the Swiss Federal Council rejected the initiative in August 2014, the rejection was more of a symbolic suggestion to vote against the basic income than a consequential political action: the Swiss people had already asserted their constitutional right to the referendum. credit
So, should governments pay their citizens a basic income? Well, there are a large number of variations on the idea of a basic income. Some forms already exist as Social Security for the elderly or impoverished. Others see this in the form of government benefits and assistance, also called “welfare”.
But “basic income” is an unconditional amount of money guaranteed by the government, to every individual whether rich or poor.
Proponents of basic income, like the GrantCoin, say that such security would give peoplethe freedom to pursue higher interests, without having to worry as much about pure survival.
This is tied to a concept proposed by psychologist Abraham Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs”. That’s where a person will value their physical needs over their safety needs, safety over relationships, relationships over self-esteem, and so on. Eliminating the barrier of working for strictly physical and safety reasons is believed to lead to a more utopian society.
Basic income advocates utilized headline-grabbing tactics to gain publicity for the referendum. Upon submitting the initiative in 2013, basic income supporters dumped 8 million five-rappen coins (one for each Swiss citizen) outside the Federal Palace in Bern. Then, in the final weeks before the vote, members of the Swiss Initiative for an Unconditional Basic Income unveiled a poster that broke the poster size world record. credit
This also addresses the idea of “wage slavery”, where a person only works for their most basic and immediate survival, making it impossible to stop working or escape a bad job.
However, those who oppose basic income say that such a plan would encourage people not to work, similar to many other arguments against government assistance.
An experimental form of basic income was introduced in one Canadian city in 1974, and ran for five years. An analysis revealed that only two groups of laborers saw significant drop offs: teenagers and new mothers. And since teenagers were no longer pressured to work, a larger number graduated.
The basic income also led to fewer hospital visits, due to a lack of work-related injuries, and fewer mental health, domestic abuse, and car accident victims. However, some economists argue that it would lead to a loss of low-paid workers.
If everyone was able to survive, undesirable jobs like in manufacturing and service would go away. This could lead to a rise in the cost of most goods without a source of cheap labor to produce them.
Perhaps ironically, this would prevent those only receiving a basic income from affording those same goods. Moreover, one economic journalist estimated that basic income in the UK could cost as much as $450 billion dollars a year, compared to the $250 billion dollars which their welfare system currently costs.
However, advocates say that if implemented correctly, basic income could be a cheaper solution than allocating welfare according to how poor or able a citizen is.
But Switzerland is not like other countries. It is one of the richest in the world, with an extremely low tax rate. Even a slight increase in taxes could be tolerable to many citizens, and provide for a much less “immediate needs” focused society.
While this referendum may have been voted down, the Swiss basic income movement helped spark an international dialogue on how a basic income can help fix issues related to poverty, social policy, and technology, among other topics. This conversation has caught the imaginations of citizens all over the world and has led to commitments from governments or non-profit organizations to establish basic income pilot projects in Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, Uganda, Kenya, India, and in Silicon Valley, as well as public considerations for basic income research in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, and Namibia. This dialogue is truly global, and media outlets all over the world have begun writing articles and making videos debating the merits and principles for a basic income. credit
![poster-geneva.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://s24.postimg.org/6kpf6kohh/poster_geneva.jpg)
In the US Presidential election, candidate Bernie Sanders has been asked about implementing basic income. But instead, Senator Sanders has advocated for raising the minimum wage.
Should we raise the minimum wage or would providing a universal basic income be a better option?
Another factor that is putting pressure on the availability of jobs in the U.S is the rise of automation.
It was not evil foreigners who “stole” most of those seven million American jobs, and will probably eliminate up to 50 million more in the next 20 years. It’s the “intelligent machines” that did most of the damage, starting with simple assembly-line robots and ATMs.
But the automation keeps moving up the skill sets. The first self-driving cars are now on the road in the United States. That’s another four million jobs down the drain, starting with taxi drivers and long-distance truckers. In recent years eight American manufacturing jobs have been lost to automation for every one lost to globalization, and it will only get worse.
A 2013 study concluded that 47 percent of existing jobs in the United States are vulnerable to automation in the next 20 years, and the numbers are as bad or worse for the other developed countries credit
Increasingly, jobs have been shipped outside the country with the largest growth domestically being in the service sector. Are Americans doomed to be replaced by automation as well as foreign manufacturers?
It is not a disaster for a rich society to reach a point where the same goods are being produced and the same services are being provided, but most people no longer have to work 40 or 50 hours a week (in jobs that most of them hate). Or rather, it’s not a disaster unless having no work means no money or self-respect.
The UBI {Universal Basic Income) would provide everybody with enough to live on. Since everybody got it, there would be no stigma involved in living on it. And 53 percent of today’s jobs will still be there in 2033, so those who really wanted to work could top up their UBI with earned income. There would still be millionaires. credit
When we think about how much money the US spends on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, housing subsidies, welfare for single women and every other kind of welfare and social-services program, as well as agricultural subsidies and corporate welfare. As of 2014, the annual cost of a UBI would have been about $200 billion cheaper than the current system. By 2020, it would be nearly a trillion dollars cheaper. ref
Although the initiative didn't pass in Switzerland, the idea of a UBI is not going away any time soon and there will come a day when the US or even the world will adopt some form of a Universal Basic Income for it's citizens.
GrantCoin is the first currency to be primarily distributed as a Universal Basic Income. The Grantcoin Foundation believes that access to the money supply whenever money is created should be a universal human right, not a privilege.
Each year, they plan to add 3.5% to the GrantCoin already in circulation. This will be given as Basic Income grants to everyone in the world who chooses to participate, growing the money supply in a way that provides equal access to all.
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What Would You Do If You Never Had To Worry About Money To Survive
![luzcypher-emoji-verified-2.png](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://s16.postimg.org/fg72y0snp/luzcypher_emoji_verified_2.png)
Please see my blog posts on basic income. There is only one fair and nonviolent way derived from first principles. Every other approach requires government and taxation which are inefficient, immoral, and ignorant of economics.
I have read several of your posts about basic income. I've found them very interesting and have inspired me to research the idea further. I agree it should derive from first principles.
So from first principles, taxation is theft. Using force to take a portion of someone's wages denies the very concept of self-ownership, and therefore denies the Principle of Non-Contradiction and all of science and reason go with it
Yes.
So how to do it fairly?
balance is needed
Perhaps we shall take up the robin hood method...
Our governments need to be turned into baddasses...
JAIL CORRUPT BANKERS AND POLITICIANS !
:)
The rich should pay taxes to the poor....why are we paying the rich? lol
I would reject this premise. "Governments" do not pay anyone anything. The wealth that they are distributing has been taken from the very "citizens" that they want to pay.
The worst part is, that same government will first confiscate that wealth, pay themselves, then redistribute what's left. So, we can let everyone in on the little secret here:
It's a scam.
Benevolence through confiscation... what could go wrong there?
::Chuckles::
Good point @ats-david. Maybe I should rephrase that.
Should we demand our government give us back our own money and distribute it equally to each citizen?
Distribute it equally? Was it all equally taken? Maybe give back the amount that was taken to those people who were extorted.
Better yet - they should just stop taking it.
What if we empowered our governments to extract these funds from the Jacob Rothschilds from the world?
Surely anything is possible..
Very good article on #UBI. I look forward to getting the 3rd distribution from Grantcoin tomorrow. I've been there from the first payout last summer. Happy New Year!
Me too. Happy New Year!
Interesting report on a controversial topic. As an artist, one has a couple of routes: keep the day job hustle and budget time accordingly to allow room for art, or shoot for the stars with a laser like focus for financial returns. It's hard to express the shame that comes from some fellow artists for daring to expect some kind of financial reward other than being signed to a TV Show. Yet there are enough that recognize we just want to continue creating. Something like a guaranteed income would allow dedicated artists, especially improvisers to not only continue creating, but also free them up to share their art with others who are looking for it via marketing or simply producing more shows, stories, pages, pictures, music, videos, etc... Thank you for sharing @luzcypher.
It would be a great thing for an artist to have for sure. Hey, if you're an artist you've got to check this woman out. She gives her music away for free and people still pay her. Amazing story. https://steemit.com/music/@luzcypher/turning-your-audience-into-supporting-fans-her-music-is-free-but-fans-paid-it-forward-to-the-tune-of-usd1-2-million
Yeah buddy. Thanks for the link, i enjoyed this Ted Talk.
you could of course stop using drugs, instead of violently robbing people so you can have a hobby
Universal Basic Income has started in the province of Ontario Canada under trial basis again. I wish much luck to my former home and Canadians. Most people I speak to here in The U.S believe the U.S will be the last place UBI will ever happen, if ever. I hope we all see it's positive side some day. Thanks for sharing about GrantCoin, how wonderful.
I signed up for GrantCoin and they send about 50 cents a day to my wallet. That's $186 per year. Happy New Year!
Cool checking them out right now.
You mean TALK about UBI (by the name of mincome) has been started in ontario canada...but thats it.
Still, keeping the conversation going is the most important part.
It has to stay relevant politically.
We just need to convince our government and the 1% that it will benefit THEM as much as it benefits us.
I don't like the sound of mincome from the seventies experiment. If your a Canuck than you should vote, link provided . Also as far as the need to convince the government, think about this. Technology is rapidly eliminating jobs globally. No jobs, equals no income, equals no more government.
All Governments take money from the population. They don't give anyone anything. They steal it from us, by forcing you to pay for taxes on everything. What product does the government make, nothing ! They make more laws to figure out ways to generate income by forcing the population to pay a tax on everything they decide is a good idea. Most people are waking up to this. Thanks for the correction on UBI.
http://www.basicincomecanada.org/
yes.
Hey there buddy.
I am just dropping by to say I am thinking of you at this time and thanks for the support on here and friendship.
I hope you have a good 2017. The last year has honestly been the worst of my life after the car running me over, and I am spending time tonite posting to wish others a good year. It won't help me but it might help someone else LOL.
I know how it feels to be in an accident too. I wish you the best for 2017. Happy New Year!
I think basic income or incentive payments or both will be eventually needed to counteract the job loss from automation and robotics. Nice post!
Nice post. The numbers for the US about jobs getting lost due to automation and leaner org comes as no surprise when watching the amount of workers per customers in shops.
Hope it does not crash too hard.
Dang @luzcypher if I didn't have enough to think about. ::Chuckles:: You have a Merry Evening, and Steem On!!
Happy New Year!
This is a very interesting concept. How would the government sustain such a program over a long period of time would be my question? Where are the funds coming from; will the government be robbing Peter to pay Paul?
The government can't sustain anything. The people do. The funds come from the people. So instead of the government robbing the people to pay god knows what, we the people would fund it like we do everything else.