Why it’s Time for Universal Basic Income
Why it’s Time for Universal Basic Income
The idea of a universal basic income – giving citizens a no-strings-attached monthly stipend directly from the government – is not a new idea. While this blog is not a history lesson, UBI almost became United States policy due to the work of Martin Luther King, Jr under Nixon’s administration.
History didn’t play out that way.
Americans are hurting.
Americans are starving.
Americans are homeless.
Americans aren’t marrying.
Americans aren’t reproducing.
Americans are ready for a change.
And the Great Resignation proves it.
Americans are leaving jobs without a financial safety net or a means to replace that income.
Americans are suffering with unknown long-term consequences of a once-in-a-century pandemic.
And the pandemic exposed all of our national weaknesses.
Americans are financially strained and mentally exhausted.
We need a break.
And that break comes in the form of guaranteed monthly cash assistance.
It’s more than a check.
It’s a means to a better quality of life.
And we can afford it with the implementation of a Payroll Replacement Tax (Below).
The biggest argument against it is that UBI would be a disincentive to work.
That argument has been repeatedly and definitively debunked.
We have the data.
All that we need the political will.
Let’s let D.C. know that America has the will for UBI.
Further funding can be achieved by implementing luxury goods and corporate-focused Value Added Taxes.
We can secure even additional funding by regulating cryptocurrency and implementing a federally-based crypto coin.
Profits can be fed into the GMW fund and/or into a public option-based healthcare system.
While reviewing cryptocurrency regulatory options, we can also start drafting a 21st Century Digital Bill of Rights.
Deets On The Minimum Wage
Too Little For Too Long
No matter what number we try to legislate – $15, $25, $35 – it won’t work.
America has 50 different State economies feeding into the larger American economy.
A one size fits all solution will not work.
That’s why I propose a minimum wage Constitutional Amendment which would require States, Territories, and the Federal Government to recalculate their minimum wages annually based on their specific local economies, cost of living adjustments, workforce changes, public health concerns, and inflation metrics.
Any other alternative is just a band-aid and will land us back into this same discussion time and time again.
It’s time America future-proofs employee wages.
#AmendTheWage
- Deets
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Written on April 30, 2023