BI MIGHT BE THE ANSWER!

I feel that providing a basic income for each person might be the answer to some of the problems that face our world. That way people can look after their own basic needs such as food and shelter. I think the idea of the Basic Income movement has great potential but only if we are able each to have our own voice and receive our own “dignity cheque”.

Why do we need to lobby politicians? The politicians should already know about the choice that basic income offers. If they don’t know then what are they doing there? Who are they representing?

Contrary to what we are led to believe, the politicians we are given to vote for are not chosen by the people. Candidates are selected by whatever group happens to make up the nominating committee of each political party. And yes, at each party nominating convention the final party candidate will be chosen because he is seen as being a winner. While there is some notion that nominations may arise from the floor, in all seriousness, does this ever happen? Who in their right mind would ever dare to challenge the nominating committee or stare down the stern looks cast by party executives?

It is doubtful that any homeless person has ever been on one of these nomination committees let alone been chosen as a candidate. Homeless people are not exactly seen as winners, are they?

Party members themselves are a particular breed of followers who are expected to comply and once their winner gets in, the party members are expected to support him unconditionally. I say he because women are not usually favoured under this system.

Anyone who has had to deal with civil servants or politicians or other agents soon discovers that the individual person matters very little. What matters is where some rulebook places you on whatever bell curve the agent is using during that budget period. If you happen to be favoured with a job or an education or nice housing or a lucrative contract or a good career are you going to dare speak up and endanger your own chance in order to speak up for those who are not so fortunate?

We all know what happens to the individual who does not quietly go along with mob-rule of any movement that claims to act in their best interest. This mob may be run by families or governments or religions or powerful corporations or CEOs or NGOs or other groups we might not even know about. It really doesn’t matter. Mob is still mob. I think of it as the Godfather Clause. It is some group taking advantage of some system for the benefit of its own members. This is what now happens all over our world.

If we think it should be the people then it is to the people we need to appeal, not to politicians. Going to politicians for support is yet another top-down way of operating and not the grass roots I believe we need.

My one real concern is that, like any movement, this will turn into yet another cash cow to provide power and position to those who are able to grab what they can. Will people be forced to choose once more between blindly joining in or risk being left behind jobless, powerless, voiceless and destitute?