Should everyone in America receive a “basic income” directly from the federal government? Considering the fact that we are already 20 trillion dollars in debt, such a concept may sound quite foolish to many of you, but this is an idea that is really starting to gain traction in leftist circles. In fact, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested that this was something that we should “explore” during the commencement speech that he just delivered at Harvard. For quite a while it has been obvious that Zuckerberg is very strongly considering a run for the presidency in 2020, but up until just recently we haven’t had many clues about where he would stand on particular issues. If he is serious about proposing a universal basic income for all Americans, that would make Zuckerberg very appealing to the far left voters that flocked to the Bernie Sanders campaign.
Yesterday, I discussed the fact that the number of Americans that are receiving money from the government each month has reached an all-time high, but Zuckerberg would take things much farther. According to Zuckerberg, society would be far better off if everyone got an income from the government…
“Every generation expands its definition of equality. Now it’s time for our generation to define a new social contract,” Zuckerberg said during his speech. “We should have a society that measures progress not by economic metrics like GDP but by how many of us have a role we find meaningful. We should explore ideas like universal basic income to make sure everyone has a cushion to try new ideas.”
Zuckerberg said that, because he knew he had a safety net if projects like Facebook had failed, he was confident enough to continue on without fear of failing. Others, he said, such as children who need to support households instead of poking away on computers learning how to code, don’t have the foundation Zuckerberg had. Universal basic income would provide that sort of cushion, Zuckerberg argued.
Such a proposal is going to look really good to a lot of people at first glance.
But who is going to pay for this?
Envision a society where the least among us are provided shelter, food, clothing and access to medicine. Most of us were or are lower class at one point in our lives. From a Christian perspective, what we do to the least among us we are also doing for the Lord. How can the thousand years of peace be fulfilled, if as a society, we do not work toward making sure everyone is given a foundation from which they can grow? The question is posed, “Who will pay for all of this”? The answer is obvious; the taxpayer. A tax is a tithe to the state; the state is responsible for spending money responsibly and proportionately according to the “needs” of its citizenry. Needs are means for survival; I already identified basic needs. Those who have, provide for those who have not. The system I propose differs from pure socialism or capitalism in that it is neither one or the other, but a combination of both, making it a binary system. Everyone desires to live comfortably (not suffer). To be without basic necessities is to suffer. The socialistic side of the binary system is to allocate enough taxpayer dollars so that those in poverty receive a shelter suitable for living (protection from the elements combined with all necessary utilities). Each nation adopting this system allocates a certain portion of its worth to the housing of its low to no income class. The middle and upper classes pay the taxes necessary to afford providing for the lower. In addition to shelter, the lower class also receives a basic income. The basic income provides for food, clothing and medicine. The income cannot be spent on luxuries, which is anything outside of a need for survival. To acquire the income for luxuries, those receiving shelter and basic income from the middle and upper classes, must develop skills to become employed or self employed. This is the capitalistic side of the binary system. To acquire luxuries through ingenuity and hard work. A basic income courtesy of the taxpayers provide for basic needs for survival. An earned income provides for luxuries. The incentive to become middle and upper class, is to acquire the means for luxuries. It can only be achieved through earned income in the binary system. The incentive for the middle and upper class to adopt this system, is: One, they can always default to the lower class and still have all necessary means for survival; Two, the taxes on goods and services is eliminated, so the only tax will be to the federal government or its equivalent. It will be a set percentage for the middle and upper class of a years income for each individual. If the rate is 10%, and you receive $10,000 for your goods and services, $1,000 goes to your government. The same is true for millionaires and billionaires. The total income for any given government using this system, is then based on the tax revenue from the middle and upper class in their societies. After the lower classes basic needs are provided for, all other tax monies are discretionary spending. It is in the interests of both socialistic and capitalistic societies to provide for the least within their borders. The greatest among nations can provide for their poor, tired, and hungry. The least among nations can learn from those greater than themselves. The least in heaven is greater than the greatest on earth. The least on earth is greater than no one but desires to see themselves at their best. We all wish the same.