Posted on 06/05/2016 10:25:20 AM PDT by Olog-hai
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. …
(Excerpt) Read more at bigstory.ap.org ...
They forgot to offer ‘and the chicks for free’.
The left wanted this so they could further import the 3rd world into the country.
The 78 to 22 margin against the measure is encouraging — I’m thinking that it would be a lot closer here.
Meaningless Toil.
Sounds like US Congress, without the toil.
I support UBI - as a replacement for welfare.
Swiss voters thought as drafted it was too expensive and instituting it without the benefit of testing it first was too risky.
They made the right decision and UBI should be tested on a small scale first before being rolled out nation-wide.
We’ve seen the disastrous unintended consequences of Obamacare - a program no bothered to test first before demolishing our health care system.
Why didn’t the proponents make it 10,000 Swiss Francs per month? Then everyone could be rich.
/s
Proponents argued that a basic income would free people from meaningless toil and allow them to pursue more productive or creative goals in life.
Yeah, that’s the line of crap Karl Marx tried to sell. Just one question ... If no one is doing the meaningless toil, how is it getting done? And where does the money come from that liberates all these people from their mundane labors, besides from other people engaged in mundane labor?
Ok, that’s two questions.
free people from meaningless toil...You mean like having 3/4 of your paycheck stolen by national, state, local taxes and fees, licenses, permits and fines? I’m all for that. Just leave my paycheck alone.
Its fine in theory.
But I would not want it imposed on my country either - before we’re sure it really works.
If individual Swiss communities or cantons want to test the concept, no real irreversible damage is done.
We know that good things don’t always do what’s been promised.
As I mentioned, Obamacare is a cautionary lesson on the pitfalls of social reform.
Sounds like their equivalent of Democrats are not nearly as influential there.
They probably thought $25,000 wasn’t enough.
It has been objected that upon the abolition of private property, all work will cease, and universal laziness will overtake us.The false premise is there to see plainly, of course.
According to this, bourgeois society ought long ago to have gone to the dogs through sheer idleness; for those of its members who work acquire nothing, and those who acquire anything do not work. The whole of this objection is but another expression of the tautology: that there can no longer be any wage-labor when there is no longer any capital. …
“We’ve seen the disastrous unintended consequences of Obamacare - a program no bothered to test first before demolishing our health care system.”
Obamacare was tested in Massachusetts (Romneycare) prior to implementation. Many of the issues the nation is currently struggling with were identified but not solved during the Romneycare experiment.
When people offer you something for nothing - what’s the catch?
And there is always a catch.
Swiss voters fortunately have a sensible government and aren’t hoodwinked by con artists and hucksters who promise them a pain-free paradise.
Hugo Chavez comes to mind about someone who promises you that your life will get better only it leads to the exact opposite.
Caveat emptor.
People vote for Bernie who offers them free health care, free education, free this and free that.
I’m not sure we would reject something for nothing - IF we didn’t have to pay for it.
And Americans love Santa Claus.
Money for nothing, the Swiss live free!
I think the consequences of obamacare were intended to get us to single payor
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