Swiss To Vote On Whether To Give A $2800 Monthly Income To Every Citizen

by | Oct 10, 2013 | News | 0 comments

The United States may be the most backwards country on earth.

While the US Congress is debating on if they should help the poorest individuals in the Union, other countries are putting on the full court press to ensure not only they can eat, but also finding ways to reduce the income inequality as well.

The United States is spending much time arguing weather assistance to the poor creates a “culture of dependence”, while the Godly nation’s people are in the streets starving, children are suffering through poor educations, and the cycle continues generation after generation with no apparent change in sight.

want moneyFor a country not as rich and prosperous as the United States, the Swiss government is taking action to do something radical. They are considering giving $2,800 a month to every single adult in the country.

The Swiss government will vote on a bill that provides every adult individual in the country a $2,800 dollar basic monthly income. Reuters.com reports:

A grassroots committee is calling for all adults in Switzerland to receive an unconditional income of 2,500 Swiss francs — about $2,800 — per month from the state, with the aim of providing a financial safety net for the population.

They are able to do this by a Swiss law that allows for popular initiatives to be put before the Swiss Parliament if enough public interest is shown in a cause. Demand was clearly there, as the initiative received more than the 100,000 signatures that were required to bring it before Parliament.

The details of the proposal have not been worked out, but it’s possible that the money could come from the Swiss’ already robust social insurance system that already provides coverage for sickness and accident, maternity pay, the state pension for the elderly and for dependent survivors, invalidity benefit, and unemployment benefit, among other benefits.

While this is already a remarkable development, what makes it even more interesting is that while Switzerland’s wealth inequality (measured by the Gini index, which ranges from 0 to 100, 0 being perfect equality) is much lower than the United States (33.1 compared to the U.S.’s 40.8), it has been growing in recent years. Instead of sticking their heads in the sand and denying there is a problem, or worse, blaming the poor for it, the Swiss have had the courage to tackle inequality head on.

The sad part is in the United States, the plan moving forward seems to be the direct opposite. Instead of taking on the problems of income inequality, they seem to pay lip service to the issues, while cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans while cutting programs that benefit the poor and middle class. One would continue to blame these things on the Republican party, but if you have been paying attention, the Democrats are not standing up for the poor or middle class and are going alone with the proposed cuts.

They are not doing it out right, but instead in a stealth manner that makes them seem like the good guys in all of this and leads us to believe it. The Republican party are making so many ridiculous demands that when the Democrats agree to positions the Republicans held months ago, it seems like progress for the people, when it is not. The income inequalities continue to grow, while programs that benefit the poor and middle class are being slashed.

Again, Switzerland has decided to the exact opposite. They are looking to uplift the poor and give them a fighting chance.

Not sure how this is going to be paid for, structured, or if it is even going to pass, but the fact the people of the country are able to bring proposals to their elected officials is a radical concept to us.

They are able to dictate the laws, rules, and programs issued by their Government.

Sounds like a dream. A Government for the people that is actually controlled by the people.

Here’s to dreaming.

Source: http://www.classwarfareexists.com/swiss-to-vote-on-whether-to-give-a-2800-monthly-income-to-every-citizen/

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