Posted on 04/15/2014 3:42:42 AM PDT by kingattax
First, the bad news: Even if the economy improves, middle-class career paths will continue to disappear as globalization and technological innovation render more jobs obsolete.
Now, the good news: The fear, stress and humiliation caused by unemployment (and underemployment) can be alleviated with a simple solution.
And now, the even-better news: This simple solution is starting to find backers on both sides of the political spectrum.
A monthly cash payment to every American, no questions asked, would solve several of our most daunting challenges.
It's called a basic income, and it's cheaper and much more effective than our current malfunctioning safety net, which costs nearly $1 trillion per year.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I wouldn’t even begin to consider this unless everyone on it gives up their right to vote.
All too true. After millions of jobs have been exported to cheap labor nations and millions more are expected to eliminated by continuing automation, some sort of guaranteed income for adults could become the only solution.
As much as many will not like that, there will be few alternatives if globalization (movement of jobs to cheap labor nations) and other trends continue as at present.
Or, we could actually produce in the country what's consumed in this country and push these developments much further into the future.
‘For criminals flouting the rules of society is the point....They need to be locked up. A basic income program is for law-abiding people who want a better life for themselves and their families.’
I don’t know whether you have noticed it or not but there are 100’s of thousands of laws and regulations on the books of Fed, state, and local governments. The regulations have the force of law behind them. You expect people to know all these BS laws and obey them and then be rewarded with someone else’s money?
God only gave us 10 laws and I know no one who obeys them all. Are you saying this in jest or are you out of your fracking mind? We are all criminals in the eyes of the various governments and will always be if we even disagree with one of their chickenchit laws. You sure you are on the right website? ‘flouting the rules of society’ is the reason why there is a United States. It is a time honored tradition, if our forefathers had not disobeyed the laws of King George we would still be a bunch of wig wearing colonists.
I hope you were joking or forgot to take your meds this morning.
economics of misery and decline - bump for later....
Not if the productivity gains from continuing automation and globalization (cheap labor) produce the products more efficiently. Supply and demand will still be in play and the new productivity paradigms should produce more goods and services with lower cost inputs.
And that is SPENDABLE discretionary income. Virtually no taxes except for FICA for OASDI and Medicare (if they even have a job).
Welfare already is a guaranteed income without the name.
Government gives them shelter and sets aside money for food, medicine and a small amount for incidentals.
What is the government going to do when people use all the money in the first few days of the moth? WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN??!!!
No the taxpayers have that money forced from them to support all that. This guaranteed income would be no different. Where else does the money come from?
This could end up being more costly because it would never be enough to please the masses. Especially those who want a raise for doing nothing.
“Its been around for a long time now and deserves serious consideration”
OK I gave it serious consideration.
Nope, still a stupid idea.
The ONE sensible form of this: when injecting new cash into the money supply, it should be by spreading it among the people who form this country (not convoluted cronyism).
that commercial bugs the sh*t out of me . .
Eliminate welfare. Change food stamps to rice and beans-a complete protein. Might do something about the obesity problem. Last a flat tax for EVERYONE.
“A guaranteed basic income would cover basic survival necessities - shelter, food, transportation and health care”
Sound exactly as it was in Soviet Union. Have you, “goldstategop”, experienced it personally? Their “shelter”, their so-called food, transportation and health care? The limit was 9 square yards of “shelter” per person, if you were lucky to get it. Would you, “goldstategop”, be comfortable living alone or with your family in a “shelter” of that size built for you by your government? Don’t get me started on the rest of basic survival necessities.....
The Gibsmedats will never be satisfied.
Exactly, I hate this idea that just because you exist, you “deserve” a living and all the amenities to boot.
What if you just STFU, David R. Wheeler, before spewing any more idiocy?
“Eliminate welfare. Change food stamps to rice and beans”
So you are already advocating a food stamp program to go along with it?
Thank you.
You just made my point why it’s a stupid idea.
If you are already advocating adding a food stamp program with it, what in the world could possibly make you believe the dems wouldn’t bring back all of the other programs?
Will I have to work (work in my best Maynard G. Krebbs) for it? That would be a killer.
***A monthly cash payment to every American, no questions asked, would solve several of our most daunting challenges.***
It works for my worthless Brother-in-law(If you know him he probably owes you money).
He walked off his last job in 1981 (”I ain’t gonna pay taxes to Reagan!”), went on the public dole and has not worked a day since.
How did he do it? He put his wife to work, parleyed a high school football injury into a military injury, got VA help, got Social Security crazy checks for his kids. Sued a store for slipping on ice, got a payout, Now he is really disabled and begging for help from us, and we don’t have it.
All was well till his wife lost her job two years ago.
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