XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics, sk.politics, man.politics   
   From: gregcarrsober@gmail.com   
      
   On 29/06/2014 2:49 PM,  (ಠ_ಠ)Раиса wrote:   
   > Looks like an idea whose time has come.  In Europe, as well.   
   > ___________________________________________________________   
   >   
   > The Canadian Press - Sunday, June 29, 2014   
   >   
   >   
   > Are Canadians worth $20K a year, guaranteed?   
   >   
   >   
   > MONTREAL -- A group of academics and activists is trying to drum up   
   > interest in an ambitious plan to provide every Canadian with a   
   > guaranteed minimum level of income -- whether or not they have a job.   
   >   
   > Rob Rainer, a campaign director for the Basic Income Canada Network,   
   > envisions a country where everyone is assured a minimum of $20,000   
   > annually to make ends meet.   
   >   
   > "For many of us, we think the goal is no one should be living in   
   > poverty," Rainer said at a conference on the issue over the weekend at   
   > McGill University.   
   >   
   > "That's essentially what we're striving to achieve."   
   >   
   > More than 100 speakers and participants were on hand for the conference,   
   > which focused on the merits of a guaranteed minimum income   
   > that would either replace or exist alongside existing social programs.   
   > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   
   > The idea is hardly new -- the Canadian and Manitoba government conducted   
   > an experiment with the issue in the 1970s -- but it has enjoyed a   
   > resurgence lately.   
   >   
   > Switzerland is expected to hold a non-binding referendum this fall on   
   > whether to guarantee every citizen an annual income of Cdn $35,900.   
   > <<==== !   
   >   
   > And in the United Sates, the idea has supporters on both sides of the   
   > political spectrum.   
   >   
   > Proponents on the left argue it represents an opportunity for greater   
   > redistribution of wealth, while those on the right see it as a chance to   
   > cut back on bureaucracy and return control to people's lives.   
   >   
   > The two sides disagree, however, on whether there would be accompanying   
   > tax hikes and whether other social programs would remain place.   
   >   
   > Almaz Zelleke, a professor at New York University, said guaranteed   
   > income has rarely had this much attention in the United States since   
   > President Richard Nixon tried to introduce such a program for families   
   > in the 1960s. That effort was ultimately thwarted by Congress.   
   >   
   > At the conference, Zelleke gave a presentation laying out how a   
   > guaranteed income could be offset by taxes and work from a practical,   
   > fiscal standpoint. But even she admitted it would be a challenge to get   
   > such a plan on the agenda in Washington, D.C.   
   >   
   > "To be very honest, it's not on the agenda of any mainstream political   
   > party in the United States," she said in an interview, but added a   
   > recent surge in media attention has, helpfully, "generated discussion   
   > among people who understand that there are problems with the welfare   
   > state."   
   >   
   > In Canada, the town of Dauphin, Man., was famously the subject of a   
   > government pilot project where residents were provided with a guaranteed   
   > minimum income from 1974-1978.   
   >   
   > The goal of the program, which cost $17 million, was to find out whether   
   > providing extra money directly to residents below a certain household   
   > income level would make for effective social policy.   
   >   
   > The community's overall health improved and hospital rates declined   
   > during the period, according to a 2010 study by Evelyn Forget, a   
   > professor at the University of Manitoba.   
   >   
   > Former Conservative senator Hugh Segal, who officially resigned from his   
   > post this month, argued for years in favour of the idea, saying it would   
   > provide more effective services at a reduced cost.   
   >   
   > Quebec's new minister of employment and social solidarity was also once   
   > a prominent advocate.   
   >   
   > Francois Blais, a former political science professor, published a book   
   > in 2002 called "Ending Poverty: A Basic Income for All Canadians,"   
   > though Philippe Coullaird's Liberal government has made no commitments   
   > on the issue.   
   >   
   > At the federal level, Rainer conceded it's far from the agenda of the   
   > current Conservative government, but said there's a "little bit of   
   > traction" among opposition parties.   
   >   
   > Liberal Party delegates passed two resolutions related to guaranteed   
   > minimum income at a meeting in Montreal this year -- a move Rainer   
   > called "pretty significant."   
   >   
   > The Green Party also endorses the notion in its party platform.   
   >   
   > "The idea is not new, it's not really radical," Rainer said, pointing   
   > out that seniors and families with children receive a form of guaranteed   
   > income from the government.   
   >   
   > "Where it does become more radical is when you get into the area of the   
   > working age population, and the idea that people should receive some   
   > income whether they are in the labour market or not. That's a fairly   
   > radical idea in our culture, because most of us were brought up to   
   > believe that in order to survive you have to work."   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > Read more:   
   > http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/are-canadians-worth-20k-a-year-   
   uaranteed-1.1891794#ixzz364BvVZyd   
   >   
   Sounds great but who would pay for it?It would cost billions.   
      
   --   
   *Read and obey the Bible*   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)