Man I wish universal basic income was a thing so people could just leave jobs they’re unhappy at and wouldn’t have to worry about not affording their basic needs while they look for something new or so that people could actually explore their passion projects like only the rich and powerful can just take time off to write or work on art or go back to school and even if you’re having mental health problems you can’t just take an extended vacation a lot of places still don’t consider mental health as actual illness anyway fuck capitalism am i right brother?
The best part of UBI is that you don’t need to see a cent of that money to enjoy the benefits it would provide. Just the shear ability to be able say “I don’t have to work here if I don’t want to” would give ALL workers the bargaining power to demand more from their employers, higher pay, more benefits. It would be amazing!
good news if you’re a European citizen: there’s a European Citizens’ Initiative currently collecting signatures to establish unconditional basic income in the EU!
i quote,
Our aim is to establish the introduction of unconditional basic incomes throughout the EU which ensure every person’s material existence and opportunity to participate in society as part of its economic policy. This aim shall be reached while remaining within the competences conferred to the EU by the Treaties.
[…]
We request the EU Commission to make a proposal for unconditional basic incomes throughout the EU, which reduce regional disparities in order to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU. [x]
for it to pass, it needs at least 1 million signatures total + minimal participation threshold in at least 7 countries. as of today (September 9th 2021) it’s at a little bit above 146k signatures total and 6 more countries need to reach the participation threshold
if you’re a EU citizen please consider signing here (it’s a quick process! you enter your nationality then follow the instructions, took me 5 minutes yesterday)
if you’re not or can’t sign please consider passing on the info to EU citizens you know!! if we manage to get this implemented, it could really improve quality of life for everyone living in the EU
Even though i dont live in europe i hope they make this happen
that time I went viral. this series of tweets goes around periodically.
[Image ID: A thread of tweets written by @madlori. They read as followed.
When discussing universal basic income, inevitably the retort comes: “So you just want people to not have to work, is that it?” Accompanied by a smug smirk, expecting you to backpedal and hem and haw, say “Of course not, that’s silly.” Except Yes, Yes I do.
1 out of 11.
People shouldn’t HAVE to work, people shouldn’t WANT to work. Sharing in the labor of building and maintaining a society because it benefits everyone should be desirable, not forced. It shouldn’t be something we do because we’ll die otherwise.
2 out of 11.
Imagine society where survival didn’t depend on a job. Imagine how that would alter the fabric of… everything. Imagine you could leave a job without fearing the loss of income or healthcare. Imagine the power of the worker in that society.
3 out of 11.
If a person could survive without a job, imagine what employers would be like. They’d have to treat workers fairly, and make themselves attractive to entice workers. They’d have to offer a better option than other employers, and make people want to participate.
4 out of 11.
Places that offered UBI have seen the results: most people do want to work. The people who choose not to are generally young parents, students, people with disabilities, and the elderly. People have a desire to contribute, for our lives to have purpose and be useful.
5 out of 11
And before you say it, yes, some people will take advantage. That is true for absolutely everything ever. You think people don’t take advantage of the economy we have? Like, say, the 1% who grow wealthier while their employees work three jobs and use food stamps?
6 out of 11
They can only do that, by the way, because people are so terrified of losing a job and the destruction that would follow, that they tolerate mistreatment, disempowerment, the destruction of their unions, healthcare, retirements, and even their bodies, to avoid it.
7 out of 11
That would not be the case if everyone were gauranteed a baseline survival income. Your boss couldn’t treat you like shit because he knows you can’t leave. You CAN leave, and you will.
8 out of 11
What if desperation didn’t motivate everything? Imagine the impact on health, relationships, parenting, well-being, crime, violence, progress. When you aren’t scrabbling for rent, you can spare a neuron to contemplate long-term problems.
9 out of 11
Imagine a society where terror of destitution wasn’t a constsnt thrum underneath everyone’s existence. Imagine the creative works that society could produce. Imagine the children it could raise, the elderly it could care for. Imagine the inventions it could produce.
10 out of 11
Now, imagine knowing all this and thinking “NOPE, we can’t have all that, because someone I dont like might benefit from it. So, to avoid that, the rest of you can all hang.” there you have Modern Conservative Thinking.
“Hey, what if people didn’t LITERALLY die because they are poor?”
“ENTITLEMENT!!!!!! IS A MEME!!!!!!”
Mhm. So entitled. Very spoil.
Hahaha, you’re right - silly me! Everyone deserve something for free! Who cares where the money comes? Free, free, free! Lol, admit it. You don’t care about the poor. You just want a free hand out, femtard.
Oh wow. A wanna be mind reader with a talent for ableist ad hominem insults.
Yes, everyone deserves to be able to survive no matter what.
And we know where the money could come from. That’s why I posted links up above. Excellent work on that.
Finland is number one in education in the world. They’re also planning to start basic income soon. Coincidence? No. Intelligent people understand that everyone is entitled to food and shelter.
The hardest part of getting people to support universal basic income is simply convincing them that it is possible.
The truth is, it’s a realistic and increasingly essential idea whose time has come. The battle for a livable universal basic income plus other programs such as universal healthcare should be the next big push for the American left. Economic justice is vital to the future of our society in an age of rapidly advancing automation and growing inequality. Post link
People entering the work force today are often met with weak job opportunities and increasing uncertainty due to widespread automation. The time for a universal basic income is now.
This year, Finland has started an experiment on basic income involving 2 000 recipients, with the aim of reducing poverty and unemployment. Exciting! :)
if you’re from the EU and haven’t done so yet, please please please sign the petition for unconditional basic income!
it needs 1 million signatures by the 25th june, as well as reach a certain threshold in at least seven countries which it only has in three, and it’s also still missing so many signatures to reach 1 million and time is running out
please just do it, it’s free, it should be safe cause it’s quite literally an official EU site, and literally all you need to do is put your name and address on there (not visible to the public, but they will check if the signatures are legit so please don’t fake any signatures, that’ll just make it look like the goal was reached when it wasn’t)
please just do this, time is running out for this initiative. if there’s any reason you haven’t signed it yet and won’t do it, tell me the reason, maybe i can debunk it
