MedfordMan
Senior Member
- Sep 18, 2018
- 144
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I read an article written yesterday written for Vox by Sigal Samuel, which talks about Finland's two year experiment with Basic Income. An experiment which has just come to an end.
The title of the article admitted that providing basic income didn't help people get jobs, but teased that it had other positive effects on those unemployed.
CONTEXT: For two years Finland gave 2000 random, unemployed citizens a no strings attached basic income. The participants were told they could keep receiving the money even if they got a job during the two year period, in addition to what they made working. The goal was to promote employment.
At the end of two years, there was no discernible increase in employment in the study group.
COMMENT: Now I disagree strongly with the concept of guaranteed basic income, but unlike many today I am willing to listen to new information that might cause me to change my mind and thus my position on this issue.
It was with this skeptical interest that I continued to read this article to uncover the unexpected financial benefits of this failed program.
What were these other positive benefits on the study participants?
They felt happier and less stressed.
People you can't make this stuff up.
I bring this to the boards attention because Universal Basic Income will soon become a sacrosanct talking point for Progressives and I know how they work.
Based upon this study they can't trumpet it's potential benefits in a vacuum. It's been tried in the real world.
Second, when called out on this, they can't mysteriously refer to its other benefits (never actually enumerating what they are), because now you know what are those "other" benefits.
The title of the article admitted that providing basic income didn't help people get jobs, but teased that it had other positive effects on those unemployed.
CONTEXT: For two years Finland gave 2000 random, unemployed citizens a no strings attached basic income. The participants were told they could keep receiving the money even if they got a job during the two year period, in addition to what they made working. The goal was to promote employment.
At the end of two years, there was no discernible increase in employment in the study group.
COMMENT: Now I disagree strongly with the concept of guaranteed basic income, but unlike many today I am willing to listen to new information that might cause me to change my mind and thus my position on this issue.
It was with this skeptical interest that I continued to read this article to uncover the unexpected financial benefits of this failed program.
What were these other positive benefits on the study participants?
They felt happier and less stressed.
People you can't make this stuff up.
I bring this to the boards attention because Universal Basic Income will soon become a sacrosanct talking point for Progressives and I know how they work.
Based upon this study they can't trumpet it's potential benefits in a vacuum. It's been tried in the real world.
Second, when called out on this, they can't mysteriously refer to its other benefits (never actually enumerating what they are), because now you know what are those "other" benefits.
