by Andre Coelho | Apr 21, 2015 | News
Credit to: Sightline Daily
Kristin Eberhard describes two promising bills from the Oregon legislature which, if implemented, would simultaneously cut carbon pollution and pay a basic income to every Oregon citizen. A Trust Fund would be created to fund this basic income, as long as there exists a need to pay for pollution, which is expected to last at least until 2050.
Kristin Eberhard, “What if polluters paid and you got the money?“, Sightline Daily, April 2 2015
by Andre Coelho | Apr 20, 2015 | News
Progressive Change Campaign Committee: Big Ideas Pooling Results (colored frame added)
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has released the results of its latest poll on voters’ response to a set of progressive proposals. It is fully available online, and amongst 52 proposals, the minimum guaranteed income (basic income, or BI) scored around middle table, with 59% of responses in favour and 27% in opposition with around 10% neutral. This result may seem surprising in a conservative-leaning society such as the United States, and is probably connected with other related issues, such as the desire to end tax loopholes for corporations (74% in favour) or the expansion of Social Security Benefits (70% in favour).
The poll and its results have been discussed in specialized forums such as Reddit, in this case in a subreddit focused on Basic Income. Here, several basic income advocates and critics discuss its premise and implications. From the critics point of view, the polling methods were questionable, as was the adequacy of the question itself about minimum guaranteed income, which might have been leading. Some of these critics have written that polls like this shouldn’t be used to convince others about the benefits of BI.
Reddit alien
However, strong arguments and evidence exist in defense of the polling method and its validity, clearly separating it from other so-called push-polls. Building from there, BI advocates reply, while accepting that some people might feel more inclined to accept closing tax loopholes for corporations than accepting BI head-on, this is still an impressive result for BI. Moreover, advocates highlight, other polling questions relevant to BI had high levels of approval, as mentioned above, e.g. closing tax loopholes and expanding Social Security, which can be intimately related to financing and implementing a future BI in the USA. It was also suggested that BI defenders and activists should actually study and be able to deploy these types of polls for their own purposes.
More information at:
Progressive Change Campaign Committee, “Progressive Change Institute releases big ideas pooling results“, Bold Progressives.org, 2015
Reddit, Subreddit on Basic Income, reddit.com, 2015
by Andre Coelho | Apr 19, 2015 | News
Credit to: Finanční Svoboda Pro Všechny
A Czech blog about basic income.
by Andre Coelho | Apr 16, 2015 | News
A 24 year old econometrician from the Netherlands, named Sjir Hoeijmakers, is also a leading basic income activist. He has already written a motion defending basic income implementation and delivered it in Congress, and also an article about basic income which got published in Times. Has been speaking and lecturing around the Netherlands, and is involved in preparation efforts for implementing basic income at the municipal level.
He is now asking for a basic income himself, in order to keep working for the basic income cause, both on theoretical and practical grounds. According to his page on Dream or Donate he asks for contributions for a modest basic income of 1000 €/month, which is indeed basic for Dutch standards.
Other activists have also been trying this kind of crowd funding for securing a personal basic income, in order to keep working as activists for basic income. This is the case of Scott Santens, who is currently financed at 386 US$/month, according to his page on Patreon. This crowd funding efforts are in line with many other currently growing internet-based programs, like Indiegogo.
More information at:
Language: Dutch
Sjir Hoeijmakers personal page, at Dream or Donate
Scott Santens personal page, at Patreon
by Andre Coelho | Mar 15, 2015 | News
Dani Rodrik reminds us, in this article, that robots and machines doing the work need not lead to high unemployment, especially if working hours were reduced. Technological advancements do have the potential to generate social challenges, since the labor market in deeply affected. However, traditionally privately owned technologies could also be public owned, and hence these profits from public funded technologies could return to ordinary citizens as a “social innovation” dividend, a kind of basic income.
Dani Rodrik, “From welfare state to innovation state“, Social Europe, January 15 2015
