On the issue of a Universal Basic Income everyone must take side. You are either with the citizens, or with the redistribution profiteers.

Sir, Richard Milne, with respect to the trial on Universal Basic income in Finland writes: “Ilkka Kaukoranta, chief economist of the SAK trade union confederation, is sceptical of the trial. Unions believe that taking away the conditionality of benefits — the requirement that their recipient has to look for work — would undermine the welfare system, leading to cuts. ‘A conditional safety net is the only way to combine a high level of benefits with a high level of employment,’ he says” “Finland puts ‘money for nothing’ policy to the test” January 29.

Let us be clear the “un-conditionality” of the Universal Basic Income threatens, directly, the franchise value of the redistribution profiteers. And, if this is not made clear, and they are immediately denounced at all time, we citizens do not stand a chance.

Is it going to be a world in which all of us are given some income that would make it easier for us to get out of bed and reach up to the new economy appearing, or is our only chance to survive to master the art of sucking up to the redistributors. 

In my saddened Venezuela, the current government offers, by means of food bags known as “CLAP”, much better chances of survival to those who bow their head and humiliate themselves by supporting it. Is that what you want? 

http://myubi.blogspot.ca/2017/01/my-universal-basic-income.html 

@PerKurowski

Should not those who live under the thumb of blatant redistribution profiteers have safe access to safe tax havens?

Sir, David Pilling raises a question that needs to be asked more often, especially when inequality is debated “Why would people pay tax if much of the money is simply stolen or distributed to others, and provision of public goods is so inadequate?” “Where states remain at the mercy of their elites”. March 17.

In my country Venezuela, the really poor have not received more than a maximum of 15% of what would have been their per capita share of the nations net oil revenues. The rest if not just wasted, has gone to redistribution profiteers and associates.

And Pilling quotes Senator Alphonso Gaye from Liberia saying: “You need some cash. Your respect in this country depends on your capacity to respond to people’s demands.” Of his salary… how much do you think goes into his responses? 10 percent?

This is why I am hopeful the universal basic income that currently is being studied, for instance in Finland and Canada, could become a reality.

That would help us to get rid of all those odious redistribution profiteers. And with such a redistribution mechanism many would look much more favorably on a pro-equality tax on wealth.

Question: Where would inequality be today if all social redistributive spending had been done by means of a cost effective Universal Basic Income?

PS. My tax paradise (Nothing as powerful against tax havens as tax heavens)

@PerKurowski ©

Two thoughts about Finland going the neo-markka route

Sir, Gillian Tett describes the very interesting possibility of Finland going its way with a neo-markka “Euro woes make a Finnish parallel currency thinkable” October 26. My mind drifted in two directions.

First, after offering to convert the Euros of their own citizens into neo-markkas at a 1:1 rate, perhaps up to a certain amount per citizen, they should auction out a conversion amount to the rest of the eurozone, to the highest bidders, and deposit all euros obtained over the 1:1 rate into the European Stability Mechanism, as a sort of friendly goodbye gesture.

Second… why would they go alone… why not take the ferry over to Stockholm and chat about a mutual currency project? Finland and Sweden have so many similarities.