Category: Basic Income

The Netherlands: Dutch Labour ministers reject Basic Income as part of solution for older unemployment in the Netherlands

The Netherlands: Dutch Labour ministers reject Basic Income as part of solution for older unemployment in the Netherlands

Lodewijk Asscher and Jetta Klijnsma (composition). Credit to: Wikipedia.

Lodewijk Asscher and Jetta Klijnsma, the Minister and the Secretary, respectively, for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment in the Netherlands, have dismissed the idea that a Basic Income could form part of a solution to deal with the increasing levels of unemployment amongst older people in the country.

Answering questions on the Radar Extra documentary ‘Chance of Work: 3 percent’ , which investigated the high rates of unemployment amongst the over 55s and their difficulty in returning to the world of work, the ministers accepted that the unemployment rate was […]

It’s time gov’t revisited idea of a guaranteed basic income

On first hearing about introducing a guaranteed basic income, I was skeptical, thinking it could bankrupt the country. That was 30 years ago. Today I believe its time has come and that it could even save billions of dollars in health care and thousands of lives every year.

Between 1974 and 1979, an experiment called "Mincome" was conducted in Dauphin, Man. Residents of this small city near Winnipeg were selected as subjects for a project that ensured basic annual incomes for everyone. Over three years, monthly cheques were delivered to the low-income residents of Dauphin, with no strings attached.

What happened […]

Vouchers prevent choices. Unconditional basic income creates choices.

Soylent and Basic Income

For those who don’t know me, I have a crowdfunded basic income . This means I start every month with $1,000 as my absolute minimum for the month no matter what. I’m free to then earn any amount on top of that, but I never earn less than that. That’s a basic income. It’s an unconditional income floor.

Some confuse this idea with welfare but the two ideas are like night and day. Because welfare is removed with earned income, instead of kept in addition to earned income, there is a distinct disincentive to earn additional […]

Basic income allows for the living of a decent life: Dr. Danielle Martin

Basic income allows for the living of a decent life: Dr. Danielle Martin

A family doctor says basic income policy represents an acknowledgment “of the right to live a decent life.”

Dr. Danielle Martin, a family physician and Vice President Medical Affairs and Health System Solutions at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, says increasing social assistance amounts would not achieve that goal because of the punitive way the welfare system operates.

“Rather than loading all kinds of rules onto people about their eligibility and policing their behaviour,” basic income allows for the living of a decent life that “decouples income support from complex eligibility rules.”A basic income guarantee ensures everyone an income sufficient to […]

Taking a Look at the Operational Data for FalconStor Software, Inc. (FALC)

FalconStor Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:FALC)’s interesting series of developments are underway around the US stock market these days. Now trading with a market value of 13.28M, the company has a mix of catalysts and obstacles that spring from the nature of its operations. Everyone seems to have their own opinion of this stock. But what do the numbers really say? We think it’s a great time to take a fresh look.

FalconStor Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:FALC) Fundamentals That Matter

It’s generally a good idea to start with the most fundamental piece of the picture: the balance sheet. The balance sheet health […]

The Siren Allure of a Universal Basic Income

The Siren Allure of a Universal Basic Income

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: Associated Press Silicon Valley is correct in advocating for a universal basic income (UBI) as a solution, but it is fighting the wrong problem (“ Why a Universal Basic Income Would Be a Calamity ,” By Dan Nidess, op-ed, Aug. 11). The biggest threat to the future of productive employment is the growth of government, not automation. If unconstrained by the tentacles of government, human ambition and incentive will find a way to handle a surplus of labor. This has always been the case since the Luddites.

We already live in a country where there […]

PHU 2016: by the numbers

PHU 2016: by the numbers

TIMMINS – The Porcupine Health Unit has had a busy year.

The 2016 annual report was released this month, with a detailed list of programs, successes and expenses.

“These are just a few highlights of the extensive work done to protect and promote the optimal health and well-being of our communities,” wrote Lianne Catton, medical officer of health. “Much of the work of public health is unseen, and yet so integral to the health and safety of our population.”Catton joined the PHU team and Board of Health a year ago.“My year began with a multi-province Hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen […]

Canada pays OAS to seniors with over $100K in income. It shouldn’t, economists say

Canada pays OAS to seniors with over $100K in income. It shouldn’t, economists say

Canada’s government pension program is wasting precious resources on seniors who don’t need financial help, some economists argue. The cost of Old Age Security (OAS), Canada’s largest seniors benefit program, is about to skyrocket, according to the latest review by the country’s chief actuary. Recent changes to the Canada Pension Plan introduced by the Liberal government will help curb those expenses a bit – but not by much, said the report.

Total annual OAS expenditures are projected to grow from $49 billion in 2016 to an eye-popping $247 billion by 2060.

READ MORE: Rising old age security spending curtailed by […]

World faces many problems that need solutions

The following are very serious problems of our world today. They are not only serious now, but threatening to be very much worse if nothing is done to address them.

Overpopulation: It’s not as big of a threat in the U.S. as it is in Africa, India and other places, but it’s threatening to become very much worse. The greater population problems are elsewhere, the more appealing our still open spaces become to an overcrowded world. In spite of religious doctrine, we need to reduce pregnancies by making birth control easier and abortions less onerous.

Technologies, mechanization, including artificial intelligence, has […]

Luke Kingma (for Futurism): “Universal Basic Income – the answer to automation?”

Luke Kingma (for Futurism): “Universal Basic Income – the answer to automation?”

Futurism reported on automation, robots, and universal basic income through the provision of a chart-article . Some of the information summarized by the chart includes that fact that as there are 4.73 robots working per 100 human workers in South Korea. The global average is 0.66 per 100 workers. That ratio is reported to be rising rapidly throughout the world . Also, with more robots, they become cheaper to implement. Workers in the developing world are most at risk of losing jobs due to automation.

The problem is not limited manufacturing, however. It includes diverse areas such as farm labor, […]