Basic Income should be a basic right

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http://basicincome.org/basic-income/

Read this, if you don't know what it is, better read it so we don't have to cover yet another thread after thread on how a welfare society should pay for basic income, what basic income is and what it covers.

But to sum it up it is basically a sum of money that is given to every citizen as a right (like a right to free speech, right to assembly, right to vote etc.). There are several versions of Basic Income. One is that every citizen gets a sum of money regardless of whether you work or not. Another version is one where if you already earn money, you don't get the payment, or your Basic Income gets reduced by say 30 % of what you already earn. This leaves more money for those who have no other income.

Finland is currently doing experiments with Basic Income. Basically it is unemployment benefits but without requirement to work or find a job. Initial tests reveal it works. It doesn't keep people unemployed, quite the contrary people are more motivated to find a job because they are not stressed over finding a job or get food on the table.

People argue that only those incapable of work should get money without work requirements, like disability benefits. But the truth is that disability benefits around the world has been cut and work requirements are already in place.

Google "Atos death toll" and you'll see just how UK is currently killing off disabled people by work requirements despite doctors warnings against it. Several thousands of disabled people have been killed during these work requirements.

The same thing currently happens in Denmark and Sweden, where they used to treat disabled people with care and respect but today they are actually demanding that they work despite work being counter-productive because of their disabilities or illnesses.

This is why I suggest Basic Income should be a citizen right. Like the right to vote or assembly or free speech.

- Because the social welfare system does not work at all.

I support the idea of a universal basic income.

Your comment about the UK is misleading. People have died since being assessed as able to work but a much larger number died since being assessed as unable to work and allowed to remain on the benefit. The way in which the assessments have been done have been recognised as inflexible and overly harsh and the system is going through some big overhauls.

I disagree taking something from someone else is not your right.

I think it's necessary to consider this since we'll see even more use of Automation in the future. As Bill Gates says "Tax the Robots".

My hope would be we figure out how to transition to the Automation economy handing off really terrible jobs to the robots. Humans can stay home with more leisure time as well as not having people spend hours of their lives just sitting in traffic for their work commutes.

If a person is able of body and mind, they need to get a job. Otherwise they are a depraved parasite, consuming charity that is intended for orphans, the disabled, and the elderly. Do ticks and lice have a basic right to live on your body too?

I work 50 - 60 hours per week and would gladly give a small percentage of that to people who struggle to work.

Has anyone done the maths? How much it would cost per annum and how much the effective tax percentage on workers/corporations would have to be etc. I have a suspicion it would be unworkably expensive.