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Mats Kaarbø


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Why Basic Income should become a Human Right

The U.S. Basic Income Network define Basic Income as, "...an unconditional, government-insured guarantee that all citizens will have enough income to meet their basic needs." http://basicincome.org/bien/aboutbasicincome.html

This program could eliminate poverty resulting in a more predictable and stable society as crime and violence would decay.

It could also move innovation beyond traditional employment as everyone would have access to the necessities of life by a basic income thus economic flexibility.

It could, in addition to deliberate automation, diminish the work hours for full-time employers, giving people more time to friends and family and activities that enrich their lives thus increasing quality of life.

It would in fact save significant costs by liquidating cumbersome and bureaucratic government agencies, to a much simpler program that could be automated.

Furthermore, since there is no means test; the richest as well as the poorest citizens would receive it which could manifest a positive psychological effect in people to spend less and appreciate leisure, which is ultimately good for the environment.

An example of a 'mini-basic income' is the Permanent Fund Dividend which in an annual individual payout to Alaskans. Though the payout is relatively small and only annually distributed, it still goes to show that this kind of program is being used today: http://pfd.alaska.gov

Research from Namibia revealed that the introduction of a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) led to an increase in economic activity which contradicts critics' claims that the BIG will lead to laziness and dependency. Learn more about it here: http://bignam.org

Namibia had amazing results in a number of other things as well, namely poverty reduction, which is a pivotal point in and of itself, and a reduction in crime rate by 40%. Now, imagine what a global basic income guarantee could do.


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    Nov 14 2012: When I was a manager in retail it was decided to ask the employees "what they needed to make them feel better about their job?" to get a better sense of what we could do to decrease turnover in the ranks.......To our surprise it was NOT more money.....Most people simply wanted to know and feel they had made a valid and appreciated contribution, that their work had value. I think for the most part, people in general simply want to contribute in some positive way and therefore increasing the minimally acceptable lowest standard of living by insuring that everyone has the basics, food, shelter, healthcare basic education and communication would not result in a vast culture of laziness but instead a more productive, more peaceful population. Tribal integrity on a global scale......Brilliant
    • Nov 14 2012: Yes, and this is why a basic income would generate mobility and flexibility for people to do something that really matters to them instead of submitting to jobs and labor that doesn't serve any value, just to make a living.

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