Jenna van Draanen. Credit to: The Big Picture.
The Big Picture, the American political news show hosted by Thom Hatmann, has taken an interest in basic income. That interest was spurred by the situation in Canada, where new tests of basic income are being planned, and materialized in inviting Jenna Van Draanen, secretary from the board of directors of Basic Income Canada Network, to the program. The conversation starts with a general description of the Ontario’s recent proposal of a basic income trial, passing through a rough comparison with the Alaska Permanent Fund. Jenna underscores basic income’s potential advantages, such as simplicity, debureaucratization, freedom of choice, empowerment (especially for the poor) and savings in social programs.
More information at:
The Big Picture, “Universal Basic Income has begun” – interview with Jenna Van Draanen
We respectfully suggest the serious consideration of Socioeconomic Democracy as a peaceful, just and democratic resolution to the myriad unnecessary and pain-filled problems confronting humanity caused by the present maldistribution of both Income and far more importantly Wealth about the world.
Socioeconomic Democracy is a theoretically consistent and peacefully implementable socioeconomic system wherein there exists both locally appropriate Universally Guaranteed Personal Income (UGI) and locally appropriate Maximum Allowable Personal Wealth (MAW), with both the lower bound on personal material poverty and the upper bound on personal material wealth set and adjusted democratically by all participants of a democratic society.
Socioeconomic Democracy is easily realized with elementary Public Choice Theory. Socioeconomic Democracy further encourages voter participation and provides the essential economic funds and more importantly psychological incentives for all to work productively and satisfyingly to realize a sustainable socioeconomic system seriously and successfully dedicated to the betterment of all humanity, here presumed a desirable endeavor.
It has been demonstrated in detail how Socioeconomic Democracy would simultaneously eliminate or significantly reduce a multitude of serious-to-deadly and intimately intertwined societal problems including (but by no means limited to) those familiar ones associated with: Automation, Computerization and Robotization; Budget Deficits and National Debts; Bureaucracy; Maltreatment of Children; Crime and Punishment; Development, finally sustainable; Ecology, Environment, Resources and Pollution; Education; our Elderly mothers and fathers; the Feminine majority; Inflation; International conflict; Intranational conflict; Involuntary Employment; Involuntary Unemployment; Labor Strife and Strikes; Medical and Health care; the necessary global Military Metamorphosis; Natural Disasters; Pay Justice; Planned Obsolescence; Political Participation; Poverty; Racism; Sexism; and the General Welfare.
These ramifications of Socioeconomic Democracy emphasize that whatever one’s “favorite few” societal problems requiring solution, they are inseparably interrelated with dozens of others just as serious. This implies that to significantly resolve or reduce any societal problem requires the simultaneous resolution of them all.
Those interested in contributing, in any way, to the further understanding, development, realization and distribution of the ideas and benefits described here are urged to contact this writer as well as your own thoughtful readers and associates.
A few relevant links:
“A Democratic Socioeconomic Platform, in Search of a Democratic Political Party”
http://www.centersds.com/dsep.html
Socioeconomic Democracy: An Advanced Socioeconomic System (Praeger Studies on the 21st Century, 2002)
http://www.centersds.com/thebook.htm
“Bibliography of Socioeconomic Democracy”
http://www.centersds.com/biblio.htm
“Socioeconomic Democracy”
International Journal of Science, vol.1, February 2012, (pp.33-48).
http://ijosc.net/index.html
“Socioeconomic Democracy: A Progressive Societal Arrangement”
Studies of Changing Societies: Comparative and Interdisciplinary Focus, vol.1, June 2012.
http://www.scsjournal.org
Robley E. George
Director, Center for the Study of Democratic Societies
http://www.CenterSDS.com