Universal Basic Income: America Could Be the First Nation to End Poverty
America has always been exceptional.
We were the first nation born from ideals of personal liberty.
We were the first to bring technology like electricity, automobiles, and the internet to the people.
And we were the first to protect and compensate hard-working citizens in the form of Social Security, Medicare, and the G.I. Bill.
We make bold moves that have never been made before because we have the strength and courage to overcome challenges to our liberty.
We do it because we believe that in America, the land of “We The People,” our greatest responsibility is to ensure the well-being of all Americans.
In recent years, millions of Americans have suffered from new challenges. These include:
- Evaporating manufacturing and retail jobs
- Growth in automated machines replacing workers
- COVID-19 shuttering 60% of small businesses and eliminating millions of jobs
These challenges have caused over 8 million Americans to fall into poverty this year. Now, as many as 50 million Americans face food insecurity in 2020. That’s over 1 in 8 Americans struggling to put food on their children’s plates — Americans in every community in the nation.
New challenges require new solutions. Luckily, finding new solutions is what makes America exceptional.
Ending Poverty in America with Universal Basic Income (UBI)
The American Union supports universal basic income (UBI) as a solution to the growing poverty in America.
Our legislation enrolls every citizen in an American Union job — an unconditional weekly payment of $300 plus an additional $100 for every child dependent. This is your share of the growing American economy, for the hard work you do to make this nation great.
It’s our duty to promote the general welfare — health, happiness, and prosperity. As Americans we must ensure that every child has food on his or her plate, and that every citizen has the means to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Great American leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. promoted the idea of UBI (he called it “guaranteed annual income”) as a way to lift the poor up and give them valuable purchasing power to strengthen the economy.
At the heart of all that civilization has meant and developed is ‘community’ — the mutually cooperative and voluntary venture of man to assume a semblance of responsibility for his brother.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Modern thinkers like presidential candidate Andrew Yang helped to normalize the concept of UBI and show how it could end poverty and increase quality of life overnight.
The American Union supports ready-to-pass legislation which will make UBI a reality and end poverty in America for good.
Here’s how it works.
15% Value Added Tax (VAT)
A 15% value added tax on businesses would largely pay for UBI. Even if the whole VAT were passed on to customers (it won’t be), an estimated 85% of Americans would receive more money than they contribute.
Just think about it. If you spend $5000 a month, you might pay $750 a month to the VAT. That leaves you with a net gain of $550 a month from your $1300 American Union job.
The Americans who might pay more in VAT than they receive are those who regularly spend over $2000 each week — and remember, that’s not per household, that’s per person.
That means, for a family of 4 to lose money from the VAT, they’d have to spend over a quarter million dollars per year.
The VAT will not negatively affect the lives of ANY Americans. Those who pay the most will benefit from a happier, healthier, more equal society around them.
More Fees for Polluters
We all learned in school that littering is bad. Yet, we allow corporations to engage in littering on a massive scale.
Oil spills have destroyed some of America’s greatest coastlines. Pollution has caused countless thousands of deaths in cities. Plastic pollution accumulates in our oceans. And the growing frequency of extreme weather is costing trillions of dollars.
It’s time we put a financial cost on these companies for polluting our country. If they don’t want to pay, they can clean up their act and we can all enjoy a cleaner and safer America.
If they choose to pollute, those fees will be shared with every citizen to offset the damage.
The Congressional Coin Purse
Congress has the authority under the Constitution to create money. That’s a good thing — economies need cash to circulate to keep growing.
But they’ve delegated this authority to the Federal Reserve, who creates it as debt. We spend hundreds of billions of dollars in interest each year, profits that could go to the people. This creates spirals of debt and poverty that can only grow worse and worse.
Congress can create money under its own authority, and every American will get a share to spend as part of their American Union job.
America is Ready for UBI — We’ve Done it Before
If our legislation with UBI was passed tomorrow, you could receive a payment for your American Union job within weeks.
The infrastructure is already in place, and we already know that it works.
How?
The government issued a $1200 stimulus check to every adult citizen under the CARES act. This money was meant to provide support during the coronavirus pandemic. And it worked.
We saw that Americans spent money on necessities and not luxuries. We saw Americans keep their homes and feed their families. We saw it lifted millions of families out of poverty, even if only briefly. The economy was stronger because of it.
The question is: Why stop there?
We have the money, the structure, and the necessity to become the first nation to end poverty. Not for one month, but every month. Everyone gets an American Union job.
The only thing that’s stopping us is our entrenched two-party system. Democrats and Republicans are too busy fighting, blaming, and backdoor-dealing to provide for the people of this country — even during a global crisis.
The American Union can putting the power back into the hands of the people. Together we can circumvent this system and use the power of our votes to make UBI a reality. Together, we can end poverty in America.
Join the American Union: Together, We Will End Poverty
The Blueprint for a Better America is a legislative package that can end poverty tomorrow. In addition, it will end mass incarceration and end the endless wars.
But we need your help. In order to pass our Blueprint, we must stand together as a voting block. If our leaders agree to end poverty, they’ll get our votes. If not, they lose their jobs.
The eyes of the nation are now on the Georgia run-off elections, and the American Union is taking the opportunity to make our voices heard. We have moved our center of operations to Atlanta, and our momentum is building.
When 2% of Georgia voters vote with the American Union, we’ll be the deciders of the run-off elections on January 5, 2021, which will determine the balance of power in the US Senate. That leverage will enable us to insist on immediate passage of our legislation.
If you’re ready to stand up and take democracy back from the broken two-party system, join the American Union today. You can help by:
- Signing up for our newsletter
- Sharing this post
- Donating $10
- Volunteering with the American Union in Georgia
As Dr. King said, “At the heart of all civilization is community.” Join our community, and bring an end to poverty in yours.
Learn more at phoenixcongress2020.com.
Other Articles on Medium:
Congress is broken. Can it be fixed?: How Georgia Can Save America. (It’s Not How You Think.)
A call to action around Martin Luther King, Jr.’s triple evils: The Marginalized Must Unionize in 2020
A look at our legislation’s impact on the environment: A Blueprint for a Better Planet
A mass movement for a pandemic: Fasting — A Peaceful Protest for All
