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Originally Posted by L-Pink
Come on ADG, what's next? Paperboy's need a living wage. Teenagers mowing lawns? Babysitters? Bleeding hearts only go so far before they look stupid!
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Although I consider myself a compassionate person, I doubt that most people who know me would call me a bleeding heart, since that implies weakness, and I consider my compassion a strength, and myself a strong independent-minded progressive.
Six years studying Humanities in college (with an emphasis on Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, History, and Anthropology), made me look at social problems and issues of crime and poverty from a variety of different perspectives, and led me towards a path that seeks to genuinely understand people and to want to help build a better society.
Also, prior to college I served six years in the Navy (I joined at 17 years old), which tends to beat the bleeding heart out of you, lol.
Perhaps my world view is a little different than yours because I have had the benefit of having lived a long time, and visited many very different cultures, including ones where I lived as a discriminated-against minority, so my education and experience, coupled with my sincere desire to help build peace and love in the world while I am alive, have given me ideas which I understand are not currently in the mainstream of thought.
In my personal conduct, I've always been strongly self-reliant, so I totally understand where many people who may disagree with me might be coming from (I probably have felt the same as they did at some point in my life).
I think that most people feel that they have had to work hard to get to wherever it is that they think they are. Therefore the attitude prevails, that "since I had to do it the hard way, no one else should complain", along with the general self-perception that we are all the product of our own creation.
To me, life is way more complicated than that, and the current system is clearly broken.
I do not accept that poverty is inevitable, and in fact I believe it is largely preventable. I believe that there are humane solutions to most of the problems which plague humanity in varying forms all over the planet.
More importantly, I believe that human rights need to be vastly expanded so that we create more caring communities and societies, with an emphasis on improving the quality of life for everyone.
Social justice is the cornerstone of peace in my world view.
Regarding the Swiss Basic Income proposal - I read this about it just today:
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Within the European Union, a profound awakening of public consciousness is taking place as organizers seek to obtain one million signatures on a petition in favor of a basic income guarantee for all citizens. Under the EU constitution, this number of signatures is required for the proposal to undergo formal study and debate by the European parliament.
In Switzerland, however, voters have seized the initiative through their own petition to have the Swiss government vote on a basic income guarantee of $2,500 Swiss francs per month, equivalent to $2,800 U.S. dollars.
A basic income guarantee is the only economic measure sufficient to resolve the growing worldwide discrepancy of income between those who have and those who don?t. The fact is that the tremendous productivity of modern industry should mean that fewer people should have to work to produce the goods and services everyone needs to survive and even prosper.
This is the fabled ?leisure dividend? that economists promised long ago as the potential of modern industrial methods but that no nation on earth has ever delivered. The reason is that the fruits of the productivity miracle have been stolen by the kingpins of high finance who assure that all profits eventually flow into their own hands rather than the world?s populace.
A basic income guarantee would assure that everyone gets their fair share of a nation?s output by right of birth, as members of the human family. People could then use the stipend as a supplement to their usual income or to study, do volunteer work, start their own business, or just retire early.
The grinches of the world claim, of course, that the only effect would be to encourage laziness and bad habits like drunkenness or drug abuse, but the advocates of a basic income have a much more positive view of human nature than that.
The grinches also claim that nations are too broke for such largess, ignoring the fact that they are broke because they have mortgaged their budgets through borrowing from the private banking system instead of exercising their own sovereign power of money-creation.
Not to mention the huge amount of money wasted worldwide on military spending which is mainly intended to protect the property of rich people and rich nations.
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Another good read on the subject for anyone interested:
Basic Income: The Material Conditions of Freedom
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Basic Income is a policy idea that could help us revolutionise the way we organise society. This book is the first proper guide to basic income -- what it is, how we can organise it, and how it can benefit the majority in different spheres of their lives.
Basic Income is simply the idea that everyone in a given society has a right to a minimal income. This is paid by the state out of taxation. Set at a subsistence level, it would take the place of unemployment and other benefits. This would bring profound social changes. Anyone could opt out of employment at any time. Those with few skills would no longer be forced to take up jobs with poor prospects, and employers offering McJobs would be forced to offer better terms. And money wasted by the state in means testing and tracing benefit fraud is saved
The campaign in favour of basic income is growing and governments are beginning to take notice. This is a clear, concise guide to the principles and practicalities of this revolutionary idea.
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Have a good weekend!
ADG