Strong signs of real progress toward a basic income in the United States Over the past week we’ve seen some possible breakthrough steps toward a basic income. Did you miss that news? Not surprising, because it’s been buried in news reports about the Copenhagen Climate talks. Sen. Maria Cantwell from Washington is introducing a bill [...]

Ending poverty in Namibia, with income security for all Namibia, in southwest Africa, is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a high rate of AIDS and many of its 2.1 million people living on less than $1 a day. But it may be leading the world in showing a way to end [...]

GDP and income security for all “The economy,” as that term is used by economists, politicians, pundits, and ordinary people, generally refers to GDP, gross domestic product. Here’s an op-ed from the New York Times entitled “G.D.P R.I.P” that discusses why GDP is seriously flawed as a measure of national welfare. After discussing some of [...]

The rich get richer, the rest of us need income security. The sad reality and absurdity of our economic situation is on display in today’s New York Times. Two front-page stories, conveniently – thoughtfully? deliberately? – placed next to each other, present two sides of “the economy.” First, because it’s higher on the page, is: [...]

Pope Benedict, capitalism, and income security for all “Pope Benedict XVI says modern capitalism is failing.” That was the caption on a CNN website story, here, about the Pope’s encyclical published just ahead of President Obama and other G8 leaders arrival in Italy. Too bad the Pope didn’t go a step further and present the [...]

Will 30 million Americans demand income security? Official unemployment is now 9.5 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. As reported in the New York Times: The American economy lost 467,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate edged up to 9.5 percent in a sobering indication that the most painful downturn since the [...]

Ending welfare, providing income security for all. Welfare rolls are increasing, according to the Wall Street Journal, and food stamp use is increasing even faster. The facts are only part of the story. A few key sentences from the Journal article: Twenty-three of the 30 largest states, which account for more than 88% of the [...]

Thomas Paine, rights, liberty, and income security Last Monday, June 8th, was the bicentennial of the death of Thomas Paine. Paine was a great champion of liberty and democracy, rightly celebrated for his writings that helped spark the American Revolution. His words and ideas continue to be powerful and relevant. Especially important today, though mostly [...]

Paygo, budget deficits, and income security Politicians are talking about paygo, and President Obama endorsed the concept a few days ago. Why not? It purportedly worked in the 90s, when President Clinton and the Republican Congress cut government spending and produced a budget surplus. It’s a simple rule: New spending legislation must include the cuts [...]

Health care reform and income security President Obama is in Green Bay today as part of his push for health care reform. A story on the front page of the Washington Post has the following paragraph near the end: Richard Cooper, professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, says he thinks the variations identified [...]