In this article, James Hansen, head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, endorse a fee-and-dividend approach to greenhouse gas emissions reduction. This approach includes a small basic income.
Hansen, James, “Storms of My Grandchildren’s Opa.” Columbia.edu, December 13, 2012
https://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/
https://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2012/20121213_StormsOfOpa.pdf
This article demonstrates how a BI scheme can be designed to fulfill a set of stated objectives according to given priorities, such as redistribution, poverty prevention, work incentives, and so on. It provides a simple, illustrative model, with partial and full BIs set at proportions 25 percent and 50 percent respectively of mean income. It finds that there is a variety of potential levels for the partial BIs without increasing the standard rate of income tax. This offers a remarkable degree of flexibility. And it demonstrates that even fairly generous BI schemes are economically feasible in the UK.
Miller, Anne G. “A rule-of-thumb basic income model for the UK, with and without an earnings/income disregard: Design and cost your own Basic Income scheme,” Citizen’s Income Newsletter, Issue 1 2013.
https://www.citizensincome.org/resources/Newsletter20131.htm
According to the publisher, “A Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) is the unconditional government-ensured guarantee that all citizens will have enough income to meet their basic needs without a work requirement. Significant questions include: Why should we adopt a BIG? Can the U.S. afford it? Why don’t the current welfare programs work? Why not guarantee everyone a job? Would anyone work if his or her income were guaranteed? Has a BIG ever been tested? This book answers these questions and many more in simple, easy-to-understand language.” The publisher also quotes U.S. Senator George McGovern, writing, “This book is a great idea – brilliantly stated. Some may think it’s ultra-liberal, as they did when I proposed a similar idea in 1972. I see it as true conservatism – the right of income for all Americans sufficient for food, shelter, and basic necessities. Or, what Jefferson referred to as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
For more information go to: https://us.macmillan.com/basicincomeguarantee/AllanSheahen
This opinion piece from the Washington Post favorably discusses basic income in light of Mitt Romney’s erroneous statement, “Under Obama’s plan, you wouldn’t have to work. You wouldn’t have to train for a job. They just send you your welfare check.” The author discusses some of the history of BIG, including the “Tax Cut for the Rest of Us” bill, which was authored by two members of the USBIG Network. The author concludes, “All of which is to say that while Mitt Romney mocks the idea of just sending checks to fight poverty, the idea has an impressive intellectual pedigree, including among conservatives. Perhaps we should give just writing checks a shot.”
Matthews, Dylan “Obama doesn’t want to just write welfare recipients checks. But what if we did?” The Washington Post, August 8, 2012
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/08/obama-doesnt-want-to-just-write-welfare-recipients-checks-but-what-if-we-did/
This article shows how “conservatives’ economic hero” helped make the case for a form of basic income guarantee.
Lind, Michael, “Thank you, Milton Friedman,” Salon.com Aug 7, 2012
https://www.salon.com/2012/08/07/thank_you_milton_friedman/
In an obvious reference to Virginia Wolf, author Bill Jordon argues that the current economic crisis provides are great opportunity for basic income because there is now widespread recognition that the whole tax and benefit system is malfunctioning
Jordan, Bill, “An income of one’s own: the citizen’s income,” Red Pepper October 2012
https://www.redpepper.org.uk/an-income-of-ones-own-the-citizens-income/