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For the next 12 months, a man from Sarasota, Florida will receive $1,250 a month for doing absolutely nothing, and the people footing the bill couldn't be happier about it. The recipient, a man named Edwin who declined to speak to the press, won the $15,000 in a raffle held in San Francisco on May 31. The giveaway was organized by the nonprofit advocacy group My Basic Income, which wants to set up a slew of lotteries to see how basic income might work around the world.

There was little support among Swiss politicians for the idea and not a single parliamentary party came out in favour, but the proposal gathered more than 100,000 signatures and was therefore put to the vote under the Swiss popular initiative system. Critics of the measure said that disconnecting the link between work done and money earned would have been bad for society. But Che Wagner from the campaign group Basic Income Switzerland, argued before the vote that it would not be money for nothing. "In Switzerland over 50% of total work that is done is unpaid. It's care work, it's...

Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have guaranteed everyone in the Alpine nation an unconditional basic income, according to projections published Sunday by public broadcaster SRF1. The plan could have seen people in this wealthy nation of 8 million people receive about 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,560) per month — enough to cover their basic needs. Proponents argued that a basic income would free people from meaningless toil and allow them to pursue more productive or creative goals in life. Critics said the plan would explode the state budget and encourage idleness, arguments that appear to have convinced voters....

This weekend the Swiss population was called upon to make a historic decision, when Switzerland became the first country worldwide to put the idea of free money for everyone, technically known as Unconditional Basic Income (of CHF2,500 per month for every adult man and woman, and CHF625 for every child, for doing absolutely nothing) to a vote. As reported previously, the outcome of this referendum would set a strong precedent and establish a landmark in the evolution of the debate of handing out free money in a centrally-planned world. And as predicted, based on early vote projections it has been...

Swiss voters rejected by a wide margin on Sunday a proposal to introduce a guaranteed basic income for everyone living in the wealthy country after an uneasy debate about the future of work at a time of increasing automation. Supporters had said introducing a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,563) per adult and 625 francs per child under 18 no matter how much they work would promote human dignity and public service. Opponents, including the government, said it would cost too much and weaken the economy.

Can giving people money help solve wealth inequality? Y Combinator, a prestigious Silicon Valley accelerator program for startups, is wading into a new “world changing” project: basic income. On Tuesday, Y Combinator said in a blog post that it would conduct a short pilot study in Oakland, Calif., “a city of great social and economic diversity” that “has both concentrated wealth and considerable inequality.” The accelerator has also hired Elizabeth Rhodes, a PhD in social work and political science from the University of Michigan, where she completed research on health and education in slum communities in Nairobi. Y Combinator defines...

The secret to Trump's success: Treating us with respect Posted: Monday, May 23, 2016 12:15 am By EDWARD FARLING Richard Cohen and the New York Times have, quite unintentionally, explained to me Donald Trump's appeal. The explanation was wrapped in the usual patronizing characterizations of his supporters; racist, hateful, uneducated (and therefore unintelligent), but it is not that. Trump supporters want jobs. Sure, the pundits never said it. They hate Trump and dismiss his supporters, and would never give them that much credit. But they did manage to leave it as the only logical conclusion. From the first of Cohen's...

May 11, 2016 Michael Covel An insidious new fantasy is blooming in Washington, D.C, academia and the media… Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dreams about it in between bong hits. It’s lovingly endorsed by “off the wall” left-wing economist Paul Krugman. And the ultra-progressive Huffington Post calls it “the idea that could revolutionize the 21st century.” The hype surrounding this “revolutionary” idea will soon be an everyday talking point. And if you’re a hard-working citizen who takes care of your own responsibilities, you should pay extra close attention… Because you’re about to get fleeced and forced to enjoy it… Utopian...

Millennials are more open to idea of slavery reparations: Study shows majority of young people think African Americans should be compensated for ancestors' suffering **SNIP** Baby boomers between ages 51-69 are similar, with a 79-17 per cent margin against reparations. The numbers start changing when it comes to Generation Xers, with Americans between the ages of 35-50 breaking 73 per cent to 25 per cent against reparations. The biggest shift comes with millennials, with a majority — 51 per cent — saying that reparations should be paid or they were unsure of whether reparations should be paid.

Imagine if everyone was guaranteed healthcare and an income floor. People would still pursue their calling in life. In fact, they could do so more freely with more creativity and daring without the fear of not making ends meet. It would unleash the enormous creative potential that lays dormant within the hearts and minds of so many office workers, toiling away as their best ideas and dreams wither away.

New York Magazine's Annie Lowrey excitedly writes "that there's a welfare-policy idea that is very in vogue. That idea is just giving everybody enough money to live on, rich or poor, old or young, working or not working. It is called a universal basic income." She adds that the idea has captured the imagination of Silicon Valley technologists, European socialists, U.S. policymakers on the left and right, and seemingly everyone in between. And while Lowrey is hedging herself as to whether a universal basic income or guaranteed income will succeed, it doesn't take much casual analysis to see that what...

Tech's favorite policy, universal basic income, is about to get its first big test 6,000 Kenyans will get cash grants for at least a decade By Ben Popper on April 18, 2016 10:07 am Over the last two years Silicon Valley has fallen in love with a striking economic theory. As former Facebook executive Sam Lessin wrote recently, "ThereÂ’s been a dinner-time revival of the old conversation about the inevitable need for a guaranteed basic income in the United States." ItÂ’s ironic that in the heart of winner-take-all venture capital culture, there is a growing call for a massive...

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.

Tyler DurdenJanuary 29, 2016 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. The plan, as The Daily Mail reports,...

Some folks think the world owes them a living. Must we appease them? Should government hand every man, woman and child a check each month to make sure we're all taken care of? Finland is looking at this basic idea, which Finns dub an "unconditional basic income" (UBI). One proposal suggests providing every Finn 800-Euros a month without regard to income, or lack thereof. Polling shows the basic idea is quite popular, with 69 percent of Finns endorsing a slightly more generous proposal. It sounds like Democrat George McGovern's "guaranteed annual income," which was mocked and ridiculed during the 1972...

Finland's citizens could soon receive tax-free payouts of roughly $868 a month - just for living in the country. Proposals being drawn up by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution call for a national basic income that would replace other benefit payments, regardless if the recipient is working or not, The Telegraph reports. It's not clear how Finland would shore up enough cash to make the payouts each year, according to Bloomberg. Still, government officials say they're trying to encourage more people to return to work. More than 10 percent of Finland's workforce is unemployed, with figures soaring to 22.7 percent...

Authorities in Finland are considering giving every citizen a tax-free payout of €800 (£576) each month. Under proposals being draw up by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela), this national basic income would replace all other benefit payments, and would be paid to all adults regardless of whether or not they receive any other income. Unemployment in Finland is currently at record levels, and the basic income is intended to encourage more people back to work. At present, many unemployed people would be worse off if they took on low-paid temporary jobs due to loss of welfare payments.

"Matt Bruenig is researcher of poverty and welfare systems at the think tank Demos." By now, it is well established that capitalism is fundamentally built upon threats of force. As libertarian philosophers Robert Nozick and Matt Zwolinski have explained, the only way to turn unowned natural resources (such as land, minerals and other goods) into privately owned property is by violently preventing all others from using them. This one-sided exclusion destroys freedom of movement and cuts many people off from the things that they need to survive.

New technologies fascinate us – from the precision of robotic surgery to the potential of Amazon dropping packages on our doorsteps via drone. But at the same time, there is anxiety over robots and artificial intelligence making human labor unnecessary and, ultimately, replacing us. Fear of the changes innovation brings is nothing new, and the reality is that robots will eventually replace us in many or most of today’s jobs and that’s, in fact, a glorious thing. Yes, jobs will be destroyed by innovation, as they’ve always been, but it doesn’t mean we’ll run out of jobs. New ones will...

Let's just get it over with and go for a guaranteed income for all. If you work and earn less than the guaranteed income, the government will pay you the difference. If you don't work, the government will pay you the guaranteed amount anyway. After all, a living wage is a human right. As is healthcare. The government should provide it. As is housing. Food. Clothing. Cell phones. Internet. Transportation. Vacations. But we must all pay our fair share. Those earning less than the guaranteed income will receive a check from the IRS. Those earning more than the guarantee up...