An idea that's time has come

While Bernie Sander campaign is "berning" down, so to speak, he has begun to push for issues that can be a part of the Democratic Party Platform at this summer's convention in Philadelphia.  Medicare for all, free college tuition, breaking up the big banks, and an end to Citizen's United are all worthy goals and Sanders is right to use his electoral success this year to drive our party to the left.  Surprisingly, though, one issue Sanders has not broached is the idea of a basic income guarantee.

For those not familiar, a basic income guarantee  is a policy wherein the government guarantees each of its citizens an income (usually, though not necessarily) around the poverty level.  What each citizen does to improve upon that money is up to each individual citizen.  While I was familiar with the idea of a basic income guarantee, I did not know that it has actually had several trial runs in the United States in the mid 60's (Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Seattle among others), Canada in the early 70's, and is being tested as we speak in London among derelicts.  Believe it or not, the results have been exceptional--it's been found that people are healthier, happier, do not work much less than before, and amazingly enough, just a bit wealthier, too.

Richard Nixon actually put forth the idea for all Americans in the late 1960's and it passed the House but was never able to get out of the Senate (and that there will tell you just how much the republican party has changed--anyone imagine a republican putting forth such an idea today?).  With the continued downfall of America's middle class and poor since the 1970's you have to wonder just where we would be as a nation economically had it passed.

But better late than never, and when you consider wage stagnation, the lack of good paying jobs, and a future in which computers will do more and more of the work we do now which will mean less and less jobs, it's perhaps time to revisit the idea of a basic income guarantee.

Methinks it's either that or a second American Revolution--and my guess is the second one will be a lot less pretty than the first, especially for those who have a disproportionate share of the M-O-N-E-Y.

Peace,
emaycee