Category: Blog

Keeping what’s good from the past “There is a fire burning over the earth, taking with it plants and animals, ancient skills and visionary wisdom. At risk is a vast archive of knowledge and expertise, a catalogue of the imagination, an oral and written language composed of the memories of countless elders and healers, warriors,  farmers, fishermen, midwives, poets and saints – in short , the artistic, intellectual, and spiritual expression of the full complexity and diversity of the human experience. Quelling this flame, this spreading inferno, and rediscovering a new appreciation for the diversity of the human spirit as expressed by culture, is among the central challenges of our time.”[1] Wade Davis- The Wayfinders - 2009 In this seventh and final meditation on a guaranteed annual or basic income for…

The problem of work for a guaranteed or basic income “Although the practical implementation challenges make a GAI reform implausible in Canada, evidence from five North American experiments with a negative income tax style GAI provides some valuable insights. A negative income tax discourages recipients from working because it subsidizes leisure and reduces the marginal benefit of working. The results from the experiments generally point to a reduction in hours worked by recipients, reinforcing the concern about work disincentives.”[1] -  The Fraser Institute: The Practical Challenges of Creating a Guaranteed Annual Income in Canada; Jan 6, 2015   “Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.” ― Robert A. Heinlein[2]   Well there you have it!  Implement a guaranteed annual…

Differences in contributions, services and need Now it’s time to talk about rights and human dignity – but I want to set the table first. I’m also not going to repeat too much from the first three entries. I am going to assume you have read them if you are now reading entry #4. In the previous three parts of this series, I talked about unicorns, contribution vs. needs based programs and the role of emotion and values in the design of our income security system. In this entry, I want to start by talking about the essential character of our existing income security programs. They basically divide into three categories: Monetary contribution based programs: CPP, Worker’s Compensation, EI and workplace programs Service based programs: OAS and Veterans’ benefits; and…

What to do with our emotionally charged income security system To many, a GAI or basic income looks like a bauble or a confection. It’s up there with solving gridlock,  reducing global warming and curing cancer. Easy to want and easy to say – wicked hard to do! The problem with a GAI is not unlike the problem of unicorns - they are beautiful but don't exist. Bringing a GAI or BI into existence would be extremely difficult as a horrendous load of problems face designers within the first minute of study. Growing a horn on a horse might well be easier. More than anything, the GAI suffers the same problem as 'world peace' in that it is an absolutely pure idea that would, in one fell swoop, make us all…

A Valentine’s Day gift for benefit designers – a tale of two GAI’s Last week, I self-published: A young person’s guide to a guaranteed annual or basic income[1]. In the Toronto Star on Saturday February 12, there was a lead editorial[2] on Guaranteed and basic incomes that set out the usual cautions about beautiful unicorns that don’t exist. I won’t go into the details here. Instead, I want to build on my essay of one week ago and talk about two real people – two seniors - that already have guaranteed annual incomes. One is comfortable and the other is poor. The first is my father and the second is a woman for whom I have advocated. Her name is Linda Chamberlain. Let’s start with my father. He is 96…