Posted on 12/06/2015 12:35:23 PM PST by bigdaddy45
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I am for some reason pleased to be reminded that we are not the only country in the world with stupid, stupid, dumb, idiotic, foolish irresponsible feckless moronic leaders.
What could go wrong? Can some Finn say ‘Greece?”
Sorry, Mr Fin, but pulling yourself off the ground by your own bootstraps is a physical impossibility. All that money you spread around has to be taken out of the economy first, which if left where it is could do far more to lift all boats than consumer spending versus capital formation/production.
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From whence will the cash come to do this?
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Look, I had to the same reaction as you, but think of it this way. One check. That’s all you get. Social Security, Foot stamps, Section 8 vouchers, Obama phones... you name it. All gone. No more. You know how much we’re paying for all that crap now?? Not just that, but the bureaucratic burden of maintaining it? This would probably save us money.
I will send my address as soon as they stop considering and get down to a decision.
An extra grand a month will buy a few ribeyes and plenty of cat food.
I'll even commit an extra $100 to FR.
It’s contrary to the laws of human nature and therefore destined to be a disaster as it has been every time it’s been tried in an form ever.
The USA, somehow.
Look at how much spend now!! Its a fortune when you add up Social Security and all the other welfare programs. Get rid of them all, take the current cost, subract 10% for bureaucratic savings, divide it by the population, and thats the total. No more gibmedat. Thats all you get.
The actual comment at the end of the opening post is very astute. The Finns may not be that moronic—how many high-paying essentially non-productive government jobs would be eliminated? Some people would still be content to contribute little to society, but those who do contribute would be in better shape, and others would be encouraged to contribute.
this sound liek the fair tax system
What they need is low educated and low cost Mexican labor. Exchange ours for their vodka. We will both be drunk with happiness.
It’s not a “good” solution — but, it’s “less bad” than the mish-mash of existing social-welfare programs.
According to the laws of economics, the price of everything will see a concomitant rise, thus wiping out the supposed “benefits” of this extra income. Everyone will thus be back where they were before, with the exception that the government coffers will be that much more reduced and will have to be replenished with: higher taxes.
End result? The poorer will be all the poorer.
Just because this will be a simpler system, what are the odds that they will lay off a single bureaucrat?
Someone explain to me how the prices of everything won’t rise to meet this increase in disposable income, similar to how college tuition has gone up at the same rate as easy access to student loans.
Hey, we can dream, can’t we?
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