Basic Income Guarantee — The End of Poverty
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A proposed system of social security, that provides each citizen with a sum of money that is sufficient to live on.
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Basic income
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A basic income is a proposed system of social security, that periodically provides each citizen with a sum of money that is sufficient to live on. Except for citizenship, a basic income is entirely unconditional. Furthermore, there is no means test; the richest as well as the poorest citizens would receive it.
A basic income is often proposed in the form of a citizen's dividend (a transfer) or a negative income tax (a guarantee). A basic income less than the social minimum is referred to as a partial basic income. A worldwide basic income, typically including income redistribution between nations, is known as a global basic income.
The proposal is a specific form of guaranteed minimum income, which is normally conditional and subject to a means test.
One of the arguments for a basic income was articulated by the French Economist and Philosopher André Gorz:
The connection between more and better has been broken; our needs for many products and services are already more than adequately met, and many of our as-yet- unsatisfied needs will be met not by producing more, but by producing differently, producing other things, or even producing less. This is especially true as regards our needs for air, water, space, silence, beauty, time and human contact...
From the point where it takes only 1,000 hours per year or 20,000 to 30,000 hours per lifetime to create an amount of wealth equal to or greater than the amount we create at the present time in 1,600 hours per year or 40,000 to 50,000 hours in a working life, we must all be able to obtain a real income equal to or higher than our current salaries in exchange for a greatly reduced quantity of work...
Neither is it true any longer that the more each individual works, the better off everyone will be. The present crisis has stimulated technological change of an unprecedented scale and speed: 'the micro-chip revolution'. The object and indeed the effect of this revolution has been to make rapidly increasing savings in labour, in the industrial, administrative and service sectors. Increasing production is secured in these sectors by decreasing amounts of labour. As a result, the social process of production no longer needs everyone to work in it on a full-time basis. The work ethic ceases to be viable in such a situation and workbased society is thrown into crisis (André Gorz, Critique of economic Reason, Gallile, 1989).
The Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) describes one of the benefits of a basic income as having a lower overall cost than that of the current means-tested social welfare benefits. However critics have pointed out the potential work disincentives created by such a program, and have cast doubts over its implementability. In later years, Basic Income Studies: How it could be organised, Different Suggestions, have made a lot fully financed proposals.
[edit]Examples of implementation
The U.S. State of Alaska has a system which provides each citizen with a share of the state's oil revenues, although this amount is not necessarily enough to live on. The U.S. also has an Earned income tax credit for low-income taxpayers. In 2006 a bill written by members of the advocacy organization USBIG to transform the credit into a partial basic income was introduced in the US congress but did not pass.
The city of Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada took part in an experimental basic income program ("Mincome") between 1974 and 1979.
In 2008, a pilot project with a basic income grant was started in the Namibian village of Otjivero by the Namibian Basic Income Grant Coalition. After six months the project has been found to significantly reduce child malnutrition and increase school attendance. It was also found to increase the community's income significantly above the actual amount from the grants as it allowed citizens to partake in more productive economic activities.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A basic income is a proposed system of social security, that periodically provides each citizen with a sum of money that is sufficient to live on. Except for citizenship, a basic income is entirely unconditional. Furthermore, there is no means test; the richest as well as the poorest citizens would receive it.
A basic income is often proposed in the form of a citizen's dividend (a transfer) or a negative income tax (a guarantee). A basic income less than the social minimum is referred to as a partial basic income. A worldwide basic income, typically including income redistribution between nations, is known as a global basic income.
The proposal is a specific form of guaranteed minimum income, which is normally conditional and subject to a means test.
One of the arguments for a basic income was articulated by the French Economist and Philosopher André Gorz:
The connection between more and better has been broken; our needs for many products and services are already more than adequately met, and many of our as-yet- unsatisfied needs will be met not by producing more, but by producing differently, producing other things, or even producing less. This is especially true as regards our needs for air, water, space, silence, beauty, time and human contact...
From the point where it takes only 1,000 hours per year or 20,000 to 30,000 hours per lifetime to create an amount of wealth equal to or greater than the amount we create at the present time in 1,600 hours per year or 40,000 to 50,000 hours in a working life, we must all be able to obtain a real income equal to or higher than our current salaries in exchange for a greatly reduced quantity of work...
Neither is it true any longer that the more each individual works, the better off everyone will be. The present crisis has stimulated technological change of an unprecedented scale and speed: 'the micro-chip revolution'. The object and indeed the effect of this revolution has been to make rapidly increasing savings in labour, in the industrial, administrative and service sectors. Increasing production is secured in these sectors by decreasing amounts of labour. As a result, the social process of production no longer needs everyone to work in it on a full-time basis. The work ethic ceases to be viable in such a situation and workbased society is thrown into crisis (André Gorz, Critique of economic Reason, Gallile, 1989).
The Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) describes one of the benefits of a basic income as having a lower overall cost than that of the current means-tested social welfare benefits. However critics have pointed out the potential work disincentives created by such a program, and have cast doubts over its implementability. In later years, Basic Income Studies: How it could be organised, Different Suggestions, have made a lot fully financed proposals.
[edit]Examples of implementation
The U.S. State of Alaska has a system which provides each citizen with a share of the state's oil revenues, although this amount is not necessarily enough to live on. The U.S. also has an Earned income tax credit for low-income taxpayers. In 2006 a bill written by members of the advocacy organization USBIG to transform the credit into a partial basic income was introduced in the US congress but did not pass.
The city of Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada took part in an experimental basic income program ("Mincome") between 1974 and 1979.
In 2008, a pilot project with a basic income grant was started in the Namibian village of Otjivero by the Namibian Basic Income Grant Coalition. After six months the project has been found to significantly reduce child malnutrition and increase school attendance. It was also found to increase the community's income significantly above the actual amount from the grants as it allowed citizens to partake in more productive economic activities.
Discussion Forum
Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by Marie Tan on February 24, 2009 at 5:39am
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I came across some very interesting video about money...federal money and motivational video series.
You may view it Free Here..tell others if you find it useful.
Thank you!
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Comment by Nicolette on February 19, 2009 at 9:06am
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See what I mean, the main concern is not for people and what might cause them to protest, it's concern first for public order and the protection of businesses. Even in "social" France. This is scary. What's wrong with paying the protestors to stay home and do nothing? :) I don't get this pro-business world.
http://www.infowars.com/sarkozy-aide-warns-of-risk-of-social-unrest/
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Interesting video...
Here's a video about a Goldman Sachs company fined over a hundred times for not even paying the minimum wage to its workers. A job is clearly not enough.. :)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090302/burgerking_video
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Comment by Ole A. Seifert on February 18, 2009 at 9:20pm
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Its possible to see the whole video in one, 1:23, I think. Sorry I can´t give you the right link right now as I am on my small computer, I´ll see what I fix later.
Ü
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Comment by lotusalivelight on February 18, 2009 at 8:58pm
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P.S. One of D.Icke's pals posted an article on his site about this also, and as a nurse, out of Toronto, she works in the U.S., and carries no dl... she's very well versed in this stuff... The Vid below is a very simple and calming explanation...
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This Video Series is a Must See, but especially this Link, (the ipeace "link" did not work!) So, here it is, Copy and Paste to your search bar! It's ideas about these kinds of 'solutions!' We all must Stand Up, or we will never have our freedoms... It's called "Kymatica, 4/9"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wkFUcgmwUA&feature=related
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Yes, the situation is sad. I've heard the free-market capitalist and individualist mantra for so long, but I'm not exactly "buying" it anymore :) We all should have a healthy dose of skepticism I think. When people protest, they're considered radicals though.
Poverty, besides killing people, just leaves people vulnerable to exploitation and crime. All we hear are "they need jobs". Well I think first they need a basic income and a way to get to work, safely. It's a sick cycle I hope someone can stop.
Thanks for this topic again. Let us know of any updates.
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Our planet is ours, not just for one of the few. Yeah, we should all get in to a higher consciousness. Is a child born in Asia or Africa less owner of the Earth than one from Europe or on from the US?
Did you know that the 1000 richest people of the world owns the same as 2.5 billions of the worlds poorest? We are all family, why should anyone or any company own the common soil or natures reserve? Any good reason not to share, for a common wellbeing? Could anyone really be happy with their wealth, if they know (or open up their eyes and see) their sister or brother is starving because of their "different" right to "ownership" of the earth?
Shouldn´t we all try to find peace with eachother? Well, yes, a little bit more of Taoism… or maybe it is just compassion and respect for eachother? Ü
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What you're saying Nicolette & Ole is that the less cooperation, the more competition, causes those who take more than their share, "the wealthy," to have to "protect it," justify it with endless separation from those from whom they "took." It really seems a necessity to learn to see, and to teach, that life is not just about "possessions," and "ownership," and but about what is equally given under god, is our very freedom to be who we are, but within a given balance... The Taoists that balance is found only within the confines of a certain behavior, the Lotus Flower of Creation or Flower of Life: 1) Sincerity 2) Truthfulness 3) Benevolence 4) Justice (respect all life as one's own) & 5) Courtesy, for ones self and all others. The other petals of the Flower might be said to be Faithfulness that all life is One and has a purpose to learn, and Giving, when one can. Do you think we could ever get the 'privatizers' to think like that???
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I'm glad someone saw the connection to the spending. I was shocked when I saw the shear imbalance of it.
I read a comment from someone very educated at the end of an article yesterday in The Economist. He made a wonderful point. It relates to the issue of governments taxing to pay for the poor. It IS in the interest of the wealthy, he insisted, to pay for stability and harmony in society. Otherwise, they have to pay for more police and security systems. I'd add kidnapping and ransom insurance too..:)
Unfortunately, the free-market system we've been moving toward now threatens to upset things in a very big way. The government thinks we're all taxpayers and consumers and is conveniently divesting itself of its responsbilities to CITIZENS.
It's just turning around and outsourcing everything, things like national security even! Private security businesses thrive and insurance companies are "innovatively" developing disaster and war insurance policies. AIG insurance even has a policy that sends its OWN fire trucks, in competition with government services, to the wealthies zip codes in the US.
When will privatization end? I saved a very interesting article by Naomi Klein on this.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110207E.shtml
We can't privatize everything. Everything doesn't improve by competition. I like what you wrote Ole. That's the heart of the problem. Cooperation can work, and competition does not always give us the best. The idea that government is corrupt--and business is not--is something that has to be fought. Corruption is the problem and we pay to fight it either in government or in business.
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