on application of new technologies, carbon taxes, speculation taxes on stock transactions, and other sources. The new technologies are a legacy of the entire society’s investment in education and science over generations, and thereby should be, in part, owned by all of us.
A guaranteed income by itself won’t keep people out of poverty but will allow them to stay above the poverty line with much less paid labor, allowing them time to pursue happiness as they choose to. Today, many young people would prefer to choose work with non-profits that is meaningful to them instead of a corporate path, but the low salaries paid by NGOs makes that option a hard one. With a BIG supplement, the supply of volunteers or part-time workers will be increased.
REDUCING URBAN CONGESTION AND THINKING BIG
I would suggest that it makes sense to provide the same size BIG to all Americans regardless of where they live. This would encourage a dispersal of population to less-expensive places, helping revitalize rural life. Combined with a government program to restore and beautify the rural environment (the cutover mountaintops of Appalachia for example—see my article Make America Beautiful Again) it could help create a rural renaissance. It would give people a choice between longer, less desirable work in congested, expensive cities and a simpler life in the countryside, and many would choose the latter.
Most BIG recipients will not, Bregman argues persuasively, become slackers. Work has intrinsic value for us, especially when chosen because we like or value it rather than being pushed by economic necessity. Giving everyone this income would take the stigma, now associated with welfare away and enhance esteem for many poor Americans. BIG is a win-win for all of us. Currently several BIG experiments are underway or soon will be. While BIG lost overwhelmingly in a Swiss referendum, it appears the reason was its size—a very expensive $2,200 a month—rather than the idea itself. Ontario (Canada), Hungary, Finland, the Netherlands and Oakland, California are only a few of the places that will be giving more moderate BIGs a try.
Make no mistake: the robots are coming. They are just appearing on the hilltop now but they will be here in force before too long. And unless we are ready, what awaits is a potential catastrophe. Paul Revere, where are you now that we need you again?
John De Graaf Recommends Reading: The Robot Economy: Ready or Not, Here it Comes