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Forum Post: Unconditional Basic Income $1000 for everyone age 21 +

Posted 11 years ago on Aug. 31, 2012, 4:04 p.m. EST by ubi (6)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

Unconditional Basic income is a particular form of guaranteed minimum monthly income, which gives all people access to some income irrespective of their current work performance or their past work performance. A guaranteed minimum monthly income in this sense is something which has existed in several European countries for a number of years, but unconditional basic income differs from the existing guaranteed minimum income along three dimensions: first, basic income is strictly individual, given to all people on an individual basis irrespective of their household situation; second, it is given to all irrespective of income from other sources (labor income or capital income); third, basic income is not subject to whether people are willing to work or not. It is not restricted to the involuntarily unemployed, but would be paid to everyone, including people who choose not to engage in paid work for example, housewives/househusbands, volunteers, students, many artists, caretakers, etc.

Unconditional basic income would coincide with the elimination of current income support programs, tax deductions, food stamps, SSI, medicaid, Sec 8, etc., substantially reducing the size of government on both the state and federal level.

18 Comments

18 Comments


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[-] 6 points by podman73 (-652) 11 years ago

dont you think that would take away many peoples drive? I mean why give a crap is you know you X dollars regaurdless. without ambition we would not progress as a society.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 11 years ago

research and exploration is stiffed by the need for money

[-] 1 points by podman73 (-652) 11 years ago

Like the song says "I got bills to pay and mouths to feed ain't nothing in this world for free"

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 11 years ago

the sun will shine and food will grow with or without humans

[-] 0 points by flip (7101) 11 years ago

we need to progress society in a different direction than it has in the past. the idea of more is not going to serve us well in the future. the world is running out of everything we need to continue. the drive to make more money to buy more hummers and smart phones needs to be changed. i am not sure this is the best way to do it but we need to change our way of thinking. if you are interested jeremy grantham wrote a good article on the subject - "time to wake up investors" - many people are writing on the same line but our leaders are not paying attention.

[-] 3 points by hchc (3297) from Tampa, FL 11 years ago

It will dramitcally skew the markets upwards in regards to prices.

Its a quick fix instead of addressing the underlying problems.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 11 years ago

we choose what we pay

[-] 1 points by hchc (3297) from Tampa, FL 11 years ago

Not with food, water and shelter you dont.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 11 years ago

I live in a bedroom without a kitchen

I don't pay $5 for lunch

I drink tap

[-] 2 points by ericweiss (575) 11 years ago

And how would you implement this in the REAL world ?

[-] 2 points by freakyfriday (179) 11 years ago

No wonder our economy is in the crapper.

[-] 1 points by Tommiethenoncommie (211) 11 years ago

And who do you expect to pay for this? Why should I pay more tax so you can buy a Playstation 4? We don't need anymore government programs. They can't just print more money for you. The dollar is already rapidly decreasing. Would you like to be $1000 a month more in debt to China?

[-] 1 points by DHume1988 (1) from Columbus, OH 11 years ago

You realise that to give everyone an extra $1000 per month the Gov. would have to either;

  1. Raise your taxes by ~$1500 per month ($1000 to give back to you and the rest to pay for the bureaucracy which will manage this new department)

  2. Borrow the money, basically promise that we will pay the money back with interest from the income of our kids and grandkids.

  3. Print the money, which will result in hyperinflation like in Zimbabwe so that $1000 you just got has become nothing more than fancy toilet paper because it won't buy anything.

[-] 1 points by dreamingforward (394) from Gothenburg, NE 11 years ago

Are you crazy? This is why people hate the occupy movement. Better to demand rights to land property so you can grow your own food and provide yourself a place to sleep, given a supporting community.

Remember no genius created the land and, further, it was taken from the Natives, so you have a more than reasonable chance of arguing the issue in court.

[-] 1 points by Rael (176) 11 years ago

A lot of people here would benefit from an entry level economics course.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 11 years ago

start a thread

[-] 1 points by Rael (176) 11 years ago

Let's say that I was given $1000 a month and didn't have to work. Now, $1000 isn't a huge amount to live on but if you got yourself a roommate or two, you could rent a place and survive ok on that amount. Now, what happens to the economy when 10% of the people decide to do just that and not work (hence not produce anything)? What happens when 50% decide to do just that? Where is the government going to get the money to hand out to the rest of us? I guess they will raise taxes. Hmm, now you, who was making $4000 a month finds that you only take home $2000. So you figure, why bother? Just quit and get by on half of that without working. So, the government will have to raise taxes yet again thereby pushing the next level of worker to the idea that it is easier to live off of the government handout. Of course, my percentages are huge simply to illustrate my point but the concept is clear. What some don't seem to get is that the government doesn't have its own money. It is our money. If people no longer pay into it, they will have nothing to give back. It is frustrating that so many seem blind to that basic concept.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 11 years ago

the money is the peoples and if it were in their hands ,they will support the entrepreneurs trying to get the money the people have

to support new ideas and business

the base must spend money so that money must come from somewhere

[-] -2 points by TheJohnGalt (23) from Peoria, IL 11 years ago

For more information http://j.mp/WhatIsBasicIncome Some people suggest fully funding higher education until 25; then #BasicIncome of $1,200 or $1,500 (indexed to GDP) from age 25, onward.

The important objective is to get the policy front and center on the platform.

Others speak of #BasicIncome as a "tithe" ... 10% of GDP goes back to the "source" from whence all wealth emerges: The People.

[-] 0 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 11 years ago

Unconditional Basic Income $1000 for every US citizen age 21 +

91 Comments

Unconditional Basic Income $1500 for every US citizen age 21 +

Basic income guarantee for the US

Posted 10 months ago on Oct. 7, 2011, 12:11 p.m. EST by DMolloy (3) from Northvale, NJ This content is user submitted and not an official statement

We discussed this exiting idea in a group this morning, and should consider adding it to our demands (e.g. at Wikipedia, visible for the press). Media bringing the idea up would be a success already. Our movement might be the chance to make them discuss it in public.

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

An existing experimental project in Namibia: http://www.bignam.org/

Please read it, start discussing it, and spread the idea. It would be a big chance to make the US more humanistic and "free" (doing jobs only to avoid unemployment is -not- "free").

The concept is being discussed in detail in political parties and organizations of several European countries at the moment. Some (including bank CEOs) call it our only answer to increasing unemployment due to automation, artificial intelligence and outsourcing. Also, some African countries consider the introduction since experimental projects have shown that it could be more effective than development aid. A single "official" discussion in the government would be fantastic already.

Best D. Molloy

http://occupywallst.org/forum/basic-income-guarantee-for-the-us/