Citizen's Wage: A Version of the Concept

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(05-12-2016, 10:04 PM)Yojimbo Wrote: The OP says that all other programs would then be eliminated (food stamps, welfare, etc.).

It's an interesting idea and in the news, sort of, with the upcoming Swiss vote for a monthly government stipend. 

I wonder if some economist has crunched the actual numbers of what size of payment the govt could afford to pay out. Would it actually be better for the economy to go even higher? Or increases to a base payment based on other achievements. Reduction for commiting a crime?

There was a nice piece on the radio about this this morning. They mentioned the vote in Switzerland (which I had not heard about before Yojimbo mentioned it, but I've scaled way back on my news consumption lately) and contemporary discussion/debate on the issue in several other countries.

They also talked about the history of universal basic income a bit. Founding Father and darling of much of the right wing for the last 20-30 years, Thomas Paine was the first prominent person in the U.S. cited as a proponent of universal basic income. He wrote about it in sweeping and glowing terms, as a hallmark of our success as a nation. Conservative economics superstar Milton Friedman also advocated for universal basic income. But perhaps most interesting was that Richard Nixon was an advocate of universal basic income, and it nearly was implemented in the early 1970's. It had bipartisan support but some Democrats undermined the legislation because they thought the payment should be a bit higher.

Apparently a lot more people are talking about it than I realized. It is interesting because you sort of expect people to reflexively say, "Oh yeah, another 'free stuff' idea... socialism can't work...blah blah blah..." but so many who have advocated and are advocating it are on the right side of the aisle, and many independents are supportive of the idea, as are some successful entrepreneurs. For example, the founder of Zip Car, Robin Chase, was included in the piece this morning as an advocate. It isn't lazy people who want a free ride but rather enlightened people from all over the spectrum who are considering this.

And, of course then, it isn't just the welfare queen democrats who are dreaming of it. In fact, I suspect most welfare recipients have never heard of it, and by the way, the stereotype that they are all democrats has been shattered, as the states with the most welfare recipients have elected Republicans for the last decade or more.

Last but not least, they mentioned another benefit this morning on the radio. People who are trapped in exploitative jobs they can't afford to quit would have more leverage to move with u.b.i. and this would lead to stronger wages and better working conditions in the workplace to attract and retain workers. And an economist also said if it was done the right way, it would not cause inflation.