Blog #4 (Part 2 of 3 on G.I.) More benefits of a guaranteed income and the fear of a Nanny State
More benefits of a guaranteed income (GI):
What follows is a number of other ways a guaranteed income will benefit society. They are done in bullet points for brevity and are in no particular order:
– Those at the beginning of their adult lives can afford to work as an intern for a business, trade or arts and crafts operation. Because people have a guaranteed income, they can essentially work for free for others at the beginning of their careers. Perhaps there may be a need for intern laws, so people aren’t taken advantage of.
We should explore ideas like universal basic income to make sure
that everyone has a cushion to try new ideas”
— Mark Zuckerberg
-In both of the situations above, it would mean that young minds don’t have to spend their brain’s most plastic and creative years supporting themselves with menial, stressful jobs or climbing some corporate ladder.
-For those in the middle of their careers who may wish to change their work, a guaranteed income gives the ability to more readily do so. A society who gives such opportunities to their more mature workers is adding to the potential of driving innovation and invention. This is important for those who mature and come into their own later in life. To quote Joseph Campbell, a guaranteed income could help people “find their bliss.”
-A guaranteed income will allow a level of protection for professionals who feel pressure to do what they believe are unethical. Nowadays government workers, politicians, economists, bankers, researchers and teachers in universities are finding themselves having to support policies and plans which they find objectionable. But they can’t push back because of fear for their livelihood.
-Community leadership will be strengthened, promoting a greater variety in the personalities of communities. Over the last centuries, the increase in control from local government to regional, to national, and now to international superpower countries, and especially financial institutions, have made local leaders beholding to the larger governing body above them. A guaranteed income to all individuals will allow local leaders to be more responsive to their constituents and develop more varied communities. This means that new technologies may be used differently in different regions, and having more experimentation is always a good thing. And the way in which technology expresses itself will be more individual, most-probably reflecting a regions histories, traditions and customs. To my mind, one of the greatest losses 19th to 21st century modernity has brought is the cookie-cutter look of so many countries. A guaranteed income could help maintain regional diversity and maybe, just maybe, all citizens could learn to appreciate, promote and celebrate those differences.
-It’s also important to understand that the idea of a guaranteed income is not a new idea. It has been discussed for years, although it has never hit the front pages of the public’s consciousness. Neither has it been offered as a firm plank in the policy of any major political candidate able to win an election. It’s a simmering idea on the back burner of society which the majority of the public still aren’t aware of. You may wish to bring this topic up with a friend or two.
There is a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation”
— Elon Musk
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