With Citi's chief economist proclaiming "only helicopter money can save the world now," and the Bank of England pre-empting paradropping money concerns, it appears that Australia's largest investment bank's forecast that money-drops were 12-18 months away was too conservative. While The Finns consider a "basic monthly income" for the entire population, Swiss residents are to vote on a countrywide referendum about a radical plan to pay every single adult a guaranteed income of around $2500 per month, with authorities insisting that people will still want to find a job.
Charles Murray - conservative... came up with the original idea...
“Now Murray has come forward with a new book, In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State. He summarizes his proposal in this piece in the Wall Street Journal. “This much is certain: The welfare state as we know it cannot survive,” he begins. And so, “Instead of sending taxes to Washington, straining them through bureaucracies and converting what remains into a muddle of services, subsidies, in-kind support, and cash hedged with restrictions and exceptions, just collect the taxes, divide them up, and send the money back in cash grants to all American adults.” He comes up with a figure of $10,000 a year.”
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/barone/2006/03/29/charles-murray-abolish-the-welfare-state