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Donald Trump and Angela Merkel will join 2,500 world leaders, business executives and charity bosses at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland which kicks off on 23 January. High on the agenda once again will be the topic of inequality, and how to reduce the widening gap between the rich and the rest around the world.
The WEF recently warned that the global economy is at risk of another crisis, and that automation and digitalisation are likely to suppress employment and wages for most while boosting wealth at the very top.
But what ideas should the great and good gathered in the Swiss Alps be putting into action? We'd like to know what single step you think governments should prioritise in order to best address the problem of rising inequality. Below we've outlined seven proposals that are most often championed as necessary to tackle the issue – but which of them is most important to you?
- Provide free and high quality education
- Raise the minimum wage
- Raise taxes on the rich
- Fight corruption
- Provide more social protection for the poor
- Stop the influence of the rich on politicians
- Provide jobs for the unemployed
Do you think these ideas are enough, or are there any better ideas to close this wealth gap ? You too can participate and vote for the idea that, you think, works best.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 21 2018, @01:13PM (3 children)
Yes, and this is why a UBI should be framed as a "dividend". It is the earned amount from participating and contributing to a society that is rich enough to afford a UBI.
The only way someone can own billions of dollars worth of wealth is if everyone respects their right to own it.
If society collapses, do you think we are going to respect foreign ownership of millions of acres of property and billions worth of assets? Fuck no, it will be "I've got a rifle and me and my friends are confiscating this lot. Eat the Rich!!" .
So the choice is UBI or increasing inequality until we do kill the rich and violently redistribute wealth.
And yeah, I've heard all the arguments about violent regime changes are always for the worse. Maybe so, but that will be cold comfort for the 1% who are now a head shorter.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday January 22 2018, @10:59PM (2 children)
No, don't "frame" it as such, make it be such. I have yet to see UBI advocates propose a good mechanism though.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @10:08PM (1 child)
It is very simple, incremental tax brackets that effectively reduce a person's UBI up until a person earns $X / year at which point they get zero benefit from UBI. This fixes the idiotic argument of "how will you fun it? It MAKES NO SENSE!!!?!?!" Of course it makes no sense when you stick to math you can do on your fingers :P
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 23 2018, @10:13PM