Spain is moving to permanently establish universal basic income in wake of the coronavirus pandemic

[BeckyDem]

Joseph Zeballos-Roig
19 hours ago


Spain is taking steps to implement a basic income to help citizens weather the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus, which would make it the first nation in Europe to do so.

"We're going to do it as soon as possible. So it can be useful, not just for this extraordinary situation, and that it remains forever," the minister of economic affairs said.

No specific date was unveiled.

In the US, Andrew Yang's Democratic presidential campaign helped thrust the idea of universal basic income into the mainstream.

https://www.businessinsider.com/spain-universal-basic-income-coronavirus-yang-ubi-permanent-first-europe-2020-4

[malaise]

1. This will be the death of neo-liberalism

across the globe

[BeckyDem]

2. I hope so.

[Hortensis]

3. RW laissez-faire greed will never die, it'll always try to rise

again, in democracies with how much success depending entirely on those who vote. But they're taking themselves down with us, which is what always happens eventually if we don't act first.

This is great news out of Spain, though, and so soon in the pandemic disaster -- rocket speed for government.

Before this, of course, the writing was already on the wall due to greatly multiplied planetary wealth from production advances coupled with exploding automation. UBI is a critical PART of the answer to a situation that presents both unprecedented, enormous problems and unprecedented, enormous opportunity for humanity's best times to date.

[BeckyDem]

9. +1. Hey you.

Hope you and yours are well.

[Laelth]

4. Let us hope that the United States does the same.

Perhaps in early 2021.

-Laelth

[BeckyDem]

8. We should, the fallout from the pandemic is brutal and not anywhere near over.

[Sherman A1]

5. Super!

It appears that Andrew Yang's predictions are coming to pass much more quickly than anyone could have realized.

[BeckyDem]

6. Yep and fast. Here in the U.S. I hope we see a dramatic change too for next year.

[Sherman A1]

7. Agreed

I do hope that there is some good come out of this pandemic and that it results in a major change in the economics of our society.

[BeckyDem]

12. If it doesn't from such a catastrophic event, then we could end up with a failed state.

That may sound extreme but when you look at how corruption is so rampant in U.S.politics, I think its possible. I always say, hope for good and work like hell to defeat evil.

Look at this, I was so sickened by it but also feeling depressed. How can anyone be that inhumane?

Link to tweet

[ck4829]

10. K&R

[CottonBear]

11. The US needs universal basic income

and a national health care service, free higher education, free or low cost access to high speed internet service, improved mass transit, and new 21st century Works Project Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps. Let’s add funding for massive alternative energy projects, and electric cars charging infrastructure.

We need to establish community food gardens in every neighborhood and housing complex.

[colsohlibgal]

13. This Should Happen Everywhere

If we can retake the Courts, including the Supremes, then repeal the ridiculous “Citizens United” decision maybe one day. Money just isn’t Speech in any sense.

Those $1200 checks many of us are getting should be monthly to anyone over 18.

[DFW]

14. If they do it, I hope it is well thought-out

Only to those with an income of a certain level or less, and only to citizens or legal permanent residents.

The danger of giving it to everybody who shows up with their hand out is the following: real refugees will drown under the weight of "economic" refugees, and scam artists from Eastern Europe. That, in turn, will burden the country's finances, and THAT, in turn will be a green light for every right-wing politician in the country to run a nasty populist campaign against "foreigners."

It has to be a program that is run very tightly, with draconian penalties for people trying to scam the system and collect ten times the money intended for them. One successful scammer in the papers is more useful to the radical right than a thousand who get away with it undiscovered. But one jailed scammer in the papers will help thousands whose need is legitimate, because it will take the wind out of the sails of right-wing finger-pointers who would rather stop such a program from existing.

[nuxvomica]

15. Nixon actually proposed it during his term

It was rejected due to inaccurate data from a British study that indicated it caused all sorts of social ills. It didn't.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/27/how-nixon-was-dissuaded-from-introducing-a-universal-basic-income

Rutger Bregman does a deep dive into the issue in his highly readable, well-researched book, Utopia for Realists, in which he offers sound, pragmatic arguments for open borders and a 15-hour work week as well.

[BeckyDem]

16. I never knew that, wow. I appreciate you posting the history.

until Nixon heard bad reports about 18th-century Berkshire, the “fallacy that a life without poverty is a privilege you have to work for, rather than a right we all deserve” was, very nearly, dismissed even by capitalism’s HQ.

[nuxvomica]

17. All these "radical", "leftist" ideas are actually pretty old

Note that Milton Friedman was one of the original supporters of UBI, and Henry Ford raised wages and gave his employees a five-day work week so they'd have the money and leisure time to enjoy his automobiles. That's all in Bregman's book.