Basic Incomes
The concept of government offering citizens a Universal Basic Income (UBI) or Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) has been around a long time, but has only ever had impermanent or trial implementations. Those short-lived basic income programs have generally had a very successful outcomes, and yet it is still felt that basic incomes are unworkable, radical ideas. It is obviously an economic issue, however, it is ultimately a question of how we value life itself, within the context of the economic world that we have created.
When the rug is pulled out from under that economic reality, as has been triggered by the CoViD-19 pandemic, the widespread need to bail out people's finances at a fundamental level suddenly throws the concept of basic incomes into a new light. There has been a lot of renewed conversation about the possibility of introduced actual permanent UBI or GBI programs in countries around the world, including the United States and Spain.
Indeed, the global pandemic has caused people to question a lot about how we live our lives and the way we value our time and resources on this planet. Many hopeful people believe that this may be an incredible opportunity to change those things for the better - but how? I have concluded that instituting a basic income is the best first step for bringing about lasting and powerful changes for any country, and I have been writing extensively on different explorations of this idea:
| Free Survival | My introduction to what basic incomes are all about, how they can work, and why I think they are total game changers. | |
| Lest We Forget | Although not specifically discussing basic incomes, this scathing indictment of how our status quo created the CoViD-19 pandemic makes a powerful case for why our paradigm must change. In order to consider the solution of basic incomes, one must first grasp the scope of the problem that they are trying to solve. | |
| Where Do We Start? | The massive societal changes triggered by the novel coronavirus could herald a new way of life on this planet, but that would still be a massive challenge to swing the world's economic forces in that direction. I present my case for why a basic income program is the most realistic, supportable, and powerful first step towards lasting changes. | |
| Where Does the Money Come From? | The most common response to calls for a Guaranteed Basic Income is "Where's the money going to come from to pay for this?" I think this may indicate a forgivable but narrow view of how the entire economy works. I present a different perspective, using a metaphor that is more accessible to the general public. | |
| The Left's Case Against Basic Income | Support for basic income programs comes from both sides of the political spectrum - as does opposition. In this article, I explore the curious arguments made by left-wing advocates against basic income. Spoiler Alert: I think those arguments are wrong. | |
| The Environmentalist's Case Against Basic Income | One influential thinker who reversed his support for Basic Income programs is Douglas Rushkoff. I examine his compelling argument and dare to suggest that he might not be seeing Basic Income in the right context. I believe his concerns are valid, but only in the short-term. Read why I think he could be missing the pragmatic point. | |
| My Life on GBI | A Guaranteed Basic Income does not just improve the lives of people living hand-to-mouth. I decided to get personal and describe the profound impact that a GBI would have on my own life, just to help people put the impacts into context. |
Some Very Relevant Links: