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Basic Income is a subject that regularly surfaces in Soylent discussions, so here's a story about Finland's impending experiment with it:
Finland has become the first country in Europe to pay its unemployed citizens a basic monthly income, amounting to 560 euros ($587 US), in a unique social experiment which is hoped to cut government red tape, reduce poverty and boost employment.
Olli Kangas from the Finnish government agency KELA, which is responsible for the country's social benefits, said Monday that the two-year trial with the 2,000 randomly picked citizens who receive unemployment benefits kicked off Jan. 1.
Those chosen will receive 560 euros every month, with no reporting requirements on how they spend it. The amount will be deducted from any benefits they already receive.
The average private sector income in Finland is 3,500 euros per month, according to official data.
Also at The Guardian and swissinfo.ch.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 04 2017, @07:21PM
It is easy to see the short term attraction. The government is already handing out a gob of benefits through a maze of programs that have high overhead, impose rules that encourage long term dependency, etc. But this is just doubling down on a bad idea. The bad idea is redistribution of wealth and a flawed concept of what a government's purpose is.
First paragraph fail! You point out some problems that would be solved by UBI, but then just declare its a bad idea and that the worst part is "redistribution of wealth". The numbers completely disagree with you, but we can talk about methods of redistribution if you'd like. I prefer increasing the higher tier tax brackets instead of directly accessing bank accounts, but the inequality must decrease.
You see this as some sort of trap when it isn't. We need to fund the basics of human development: food, shelter, education, and health. Make those not a worry and most humans will become useful and productive. UBI isn't meant to replace working, and most proposals I've heard have the tax scale appropriately so you don't lose UBI completely for a minimum wage job.
If some wish to live simple lives they can afford with just the UBI then who cares? There are much bigger fish to fry, such as every multinational corp that evades taxes, how come you conservative types never seem to focus on them?
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday January 05 2017, @06:06PM
The "conservative" types (he's no such thing, he's some kind of hybrid neoliberal...) never focus on that because they see themselves as temporarily embarrassed members of that class of elites. It's very simple.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...