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Basic Income
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All citizens receive a regular, liveable and unconditional sum of money. The recipient is not required to work or look for work, and the payment is given independently of any other income.
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Agree:
Mark Zuckerberg CEO at Facebook
An entrepreneurial culture thrives when it’s easy to try lots of new ideas. We should explore ideas like universal basic income to give everyone a cushion to try new things. There is something wrong with our system when I can make billions of dollars in 10 years while millions of students can’t afford to pay off their loans, let alone start a business.
Noam Chomsky Linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist
It comes from the right wing originally. Milton Friedman proposed it for example. From his point of view it was part of an effort to undermine welfare state measures. But it doesn’t have to have a reactionary component. It can be interpreted as something progressive. That people have rights. In fact if you read the universal declaration of human rights, 1948, take a look at article 45. It says peo... See More
Tim O'Reilly Founder and CEO, O'Reilly Media. Investor. Studied at Harvard University.
I completely agree that Universal Basic Income is a good idea. But I think that’s just the beginning of the discussion.
Dustin Moskovitz Co-founder of Facebook
How can we help as many people as possible as much as possible with the resources we have?
Naheed Nenshi Mayor of Calgary
I am really, really interested if he will bring that to bear in terms of some really significant changes to the taxation system that would really help us manage poverty in a brand new way,
Ralph Nader Consumer advocate, author and former presidential candidate
Basic income would get rid of chronic capitalism
Charles Murray Libertarian conservative political scientist, author, and columnist
Replacing the welfare state with an annual grant is the best way to cope with a radically changing U.S. jobs market—and to revitalize America’s civic culture
Erik Olin Wright Professor of Sociology, University of Wisconsin - Madison
A generous basic income would contribute to revitalizing a socialist challenge to capitalism
Chris Hughes Co-founder of Facebook
I’m supportive of the idea of a basic income over the long term and believe that one day something of this size will likely be necessary to cope with the impact of automation and globalized trade on the United States.
Tim Draper Billionaire Venture Capitalist
Giving everyone $15,000 would put everyone on the same level. They could do with it whatever they wanted, but having the financial security of some basic money to live on, would give them the opportunity to work on what they want. Work is everything,
Dylan Matthews Journalist at Vox
I think the main reason there should be universal basic income is that it's very important to have a cash safetynet that is extensive and universal.Disagree:
Bill Gates Philanthropist. Founder and former CEO of Microsoft.
Even the US isn't rich enough to allow people not to work. Some day we will be but until then things like the Earned Income Tax Credit will help increase the demand for labor.
Richard D. Wolff Marxian economist. Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
UBI creates a new difference between those people who work and earn a living and those people who, for wathever reason, don't work but still earn a living. This is going to create two classes of people (...) and for me the big issue is why do that?. I like the idea of community building by not having people that are extremely wealthy or extremely poor, but I don't like this way of doing it, becau... See More
Elizabeth S. Anderson Philosopher. University of Michigan.
Van Parijs would guarantee everyone the maximum unconditional basic income that could be sustained in a society (...) regardless of wether they were able or performing socially useful work. Lazy, able-bodied surfers would be just as entitled to that income as dependent caretakers or the disabled. (...) Van Parij's proposal effectively indulges the tastes of the lazy and irresponsible at the expen... See More
Tyler Cowen Professor of Economics, George Mason University & author of Average is Over
"Let’s send a check to everyone" is an appealing idea, but I've come around to the view that doing so would do more harm than good. [...] It eventually would choke off immigration to the U.S. Voters don't like sending money to immigrants.
