Category: Basic Income

Universal basic income enjoys high level of support, poll finds

Universal basic income enjoys high level of support, poll finds

New polling data has revealed the idea of a universal basic income (UBI) enjoys support from the public – until benefit cuts or tax rises are mentioned.

UBI is a proposal to reform the welfare state by introducing a set Government payment received by all citizens, young and old, in and out of work, to ensure all their basic needs are provided for.

Nearly half of all adults aged 18-75 (49%) expressed support for the idea, according to a poll commissioned by the IPR from Ipsos-MORI. In comparison, a quarter (26%) oppose its introduction.However, when individuals were asked to consider […]

Working solutions

Working solutions

Let’s see how we get along when all our jobs become redundant

CHIPS, THEY’RE COMING Many of the jobs that currently exist will soon be partly or wholly automated The world is becoming increasingly automated and in most cases that’s a good thing. Automated maps mean fewer lost people and automated camera settings mean everyone thinks they’re Annie Leibovitz. But what happens when the automation hits you where it hurts most, your pocket?

It’s estimated that many of the jobs that currently exist will soon be partly or wholly automated. Driverless cars will negate the need for Uber and […]

Universal basic income: Half of Britons back plan to pay all UK citizens regardless of employment

Universal basic income: Half of Britons back plan to pay all UK citizens regardless of employment

Establishing Universal Basic Income (UBI) in the UK would drastically overhaul the welfare state Nearly half of Britons would support giving all citizens a cash allowance, regardless of whether they were employed, according to a new survey.

Once considered a policy belonging firmly to the radical left, polling by the Institute of Policy Research at the University of Bath found that 49 per cent of 18 to 75-year-olds supported the introduction of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) .

If UBI were to be established in the UK, it would drastically overhaul the welfare state by providing a set payment to cover […]

It pays to make all drugs legal

It pays to make all drugs legal

Drugs, at least those considered illicit, are something about which I know little.

However, I am aware that they cause considerable societal trouble, but despite the emotive reporting about the impact of those illicit substances and so elevation of their perceived seriousness, they are well down the batting order compared to alcohol, which is legal and broadly accepted.

Any chosen illicit drug could be sourced in Shepparton, it is argued, within an hour.Rest easy for I have no intention to start the search, or even know where to start.The illegal drug market is chaotic, dangerous, and frightfully costly in terms of […]

Inflation and your retirement: Realities vs. myths

While Americans say their main economic concern is inflation, many are not properly prepared to address the potential risk it could have on their retirement plans, according to a new study.

Data collected by the Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America showed many plan to address their concerns regarding inflation by being “more frugal.”

“Although it may be an option for managing expenses, frugality is not a financial strategy that will mindfully and effectively address the rising cost of living throughout retirement, especially one that could last 30 years or more,” Allianz Life Vice President of Consumer Insights Deb […]

Man Versus the Machine

Man Versus the Machine

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently grabbed headlines in the artificial intelligence community with his comments that AI could be the cause for World War III. He’s warned that threats from AI could be more risky than a nuclear North Korea.

His comment regarding World War III came in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that the country leading the way in AI will rule the world. In the recent past, Musk has encouraged countries and states to take a more proactive approach, and regulate the technology before it becomes more widely used. Musk is right that politicians will […]

Alaska senators must protect those who serve

Alaska senators must protect those who serve

Community Perspective

FAIRBANKS — Many of us here in Alaska know a service member or veteran. They face unique challenges and threats in the financial marketplace. Active-duty members of the military are often young, relocate frequently, and are often deployed overseas, making them vulnerable to financial mistreatment. Service members are also concentrated on military bases, which makes them easy and profitable targets for predatory financial companies.

Veterans may be targeted by predatory financial actors for their guaranteed income, because of loopholes in federal law, or based on physical or mental disabilities suffered while in service.That’s why Congress, when it established […]

Roosevelt Institute Report: Modeling the Macroeconomic Effects of UBI

Roosevelt Institute Report: Modeling the Macroeconomic Effects of UBI

On August 29, 2017, the Roosevelt Institute released a report where researchers Michalis Nikiforos , Marshall Steinbaum , Gennaro Zezza model the macroeconomic effects of implementing Basic Income. (Marshall Steinbaum is a Research Director and a Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute . Michalis Nikiforos and Gennaro Zezza are both associated with the Levy Institute .) The Roosevelt Institute, following the legacy of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, presents itself as re-imagining “America as it should be: a place where hard work is rewarded, everyone participates, and everyone enjoys a fair share of our collective prosperity”, and as building a “new […]

Universal Basic Income for the World?

Universal Basic Income for the World?

Kathleen has shared with me that experiments are underway in various parts of the world around what India is calling a universal basic income (UBI).

Finland, Kenya, India, and Hawaii are either considering it or running programs. Canada is conducting a trial run in an eastern city. (1)

Why not one UBI for every man, woman, and child in the world?Have I never heard of “NESARA,” you say? Or the TDAs? (2)Universal prosperity was what was envisaged in the Fifties when Life or Time Magazine talked about automation. The robots would relieve us of household chores and we’d all be enjoying […]

Opinion: There is a better idea than a basic income: Habeas Area, a universal equal right to your equal division of all the resources of Earth

Recently there has been a big push to promote the idea of a basic income. I have already written about it in the article, Beyond Employment and capitalism in the world of AI: poverty or paradise? , but I find it important to add some more words.

There is a better idea than basic income. Just read on.

Basic income is not a workable idea. If fails within a decade of its introduction because of how international monetary systems work. Even if you introduce it in a vacuum, or even using bitcoins, it fails within a decade by its own design. […]