There was a nice piece in the Washington Post's Wonkblog on the basic income that reminds us of the real human need to strive for Utopia:
Though establishing a basic income was once at the forefront of politics, it has since become more of a Utopian, abstract project. But sometimes it is helpful to step back from the day-to-day wonk work and think Utopian.
Yes, let's think Utopian. Let's tax the rich and give to the rest of us: a
basic income for all.
I think it's important to have a vision for what we want the world to look like. Sometimes, when things are tough and we're stuck in the mud of our daily lives, it helps to step back and say "hey, it doesn't have to be like this. There is another way."
Imagine for a moment a world where the richest people and the biggest, most profitable industries pay a big chunk of their wealth into a Trust Fund for the Rest of Us.
Imagine a world where every adult on the planet has a trust fund that pays them at least enough money to survive on (based on each country's poverty level). A world where poverty is almost non-existent and income inequality is a thing of the past.
Imagine what your world would be like if you knew that you could count on receiving $1,000 a month from your trust fund every month. What would you do with the extra money? How would it affect your life?
Imagine if your spouse or roommate also had an extra $1,000 a month coming in. What if you started out the year knowing you could count on $24,000 in household income, and could plan on working for however much you wanted to make on top of that? Would you work less and spend more time with family and friends? Would you work differently, trying your hand at something new? Would you go back to school and get a new skill or degree?
Imagine a world where you weren't fully dependent on a job as your only source of income. What if your boss knew that you had an independent source of income and weren't completely at his or her mercy? What if you could cut back a bit on work and survive just fine working 25 hours a week? Or what if you worked as much as you could and invested your $1,000 a month and then in a few years you could take a year off and travel the world?
Imagine a world where work wasn't the be all and end all of life, but instead was something that you did to earn extra money and be productive and use your talents. What if we had an education system that focused on helping people discover and hone their talents, instead of just preparing people to get a job making the most money possible?
What talent would you develop if your livelihood (and your family's livelihood) didn't depend on it and you had more time away from other work?
What would our communities look like if everyone had at least enough money to get by on? Would they be safer? Would fewer people be driven to commit crimes? Would more poor people enter the work force, knowing that they wouldn't lose their benefits if they earn money (as opposed to the current welfare system)? Would low-income jobs be less onerous if they weren't people's only source of income? Would more workers unionize because they'd be less afraid of losing their jobs if they speak up?
Imagine a future where we invested directly in people and everyone had the economic opportunity to have a happy and successful life.
Imagine a world where work is transformed, and local community and worker-owned businesses become more possible.
Imagine a real stimulus package where we put money directly into the hands of people who will spend it.
Imagine a world where the banks no longer get bailed out and the people are too big to fail.
If we imagine it, maybe we can make it happen.