The Case for a Universal Basic Income
America is in need of a course correction with a full upheaval and rebuilding of our economic and social structure. We must take an in-depth look within and breakdown the barriers that have led to our disdain and keep us here. Just as an addict must admit and accept that they have a problem to get the help they need, if we cannot come to terms with our own flaws, our system ridden with unfairness and injustice, will not successfully improve.
Pertinent Issues
To begin, we have a vastly inequitable society. Technically we always have. The United States had a poverty rate of 10.5% in 2019, an unemployment rate of 7.9%, and more than 6.2 million underemployed people- and these are pre-pandemic numbers. According to a RAND study, American workers have seen a 17% decrease in share of total income since 1975. We can break it down to smaller demographics based on gender, skin color, rural versus city versus suburban life, age, and so forth, but this problem affects almost every demographic- some more than others- except those who are well off.
Because education is mostly funded by local taxes, if a district is impoverished, they aren’t receiving the necessary funds to keep up with wealthier districts in education quality- even with Title, I funding. This has increased inequitable and unequal access to quality education, reducing opportunities for minority and vulnerable groups. That is only part of the problem, as there are still problems in healthcare access, food insecurity, inequality in the justice system, and many more social inadequacies.
How can we attack those problems when a society is unable to meet their basic needs and rights?
This leaves us with the immediate concern of establishing fair wages for every working adult and emancipated people by establishing a universal basic income.
What a Universal Basic Income (UBI) Is
Often, UBI is defined as an entitlement paid out by the government. In this setting, it is an entitlement or stipend paid out by the employer.[i] Now, before you turn away because you feel this is a socialist policy, this is not it- though, we will be using a military (*cough, cough* socialist) pay structure to refine our economic system.
Why We Need a UBI
The need for a fair pay system is a multifaceted necessity fueled by problems that our state and federal governments have placed bandages on and never actually fixed. For instance, the government has taken an immense amount of pressure and accountability off businesses regarding caring for their employees. In return, governments and nonprofits have taken over in providing assistance to those in need in the form of food stamps, funds to pay for rent and utilities, moratoriums concerning evictions and rental coverage, paying for health coverage, and more.
Business owners/ employers must provide livable wages to their employees. Because our system is created off the reliance on money, without it or enough of it, the opportunities and necessities stay out of reach for our most vulnerable populations.
Consider the connectedness of society which we witnessed at the beginning of the pandemic. Our most essential workers were not only healthcare workers, but our grocery store attendants, transportation drivers-including truck drivers, waste management employees, and educators. These are some of the least paid individuals in our society, too. If they weren’t available to provide the things we deemed necessary, how would we get through life with the ease we have become accustomed to? Not everyone can grow a healthy garden to eat from, has a reliable mode of transportation, or can teach their dependent effectively.
To look at the need for a UBI from an ethical, logical, and moral- rational, in other terms- perspective, consider the philosophical history of the United States.
John Locke was a 17th century English philosopher who proposed an argument for liberty, among other political theories and philosophies. With its foundation beginning in natural rights- the belief that everyone is born to this earth equally- Locke developed his theory. He claimed, “to understand political power right…we must consider what state all men are naturally in, and that is a state of perfect freedom.”[ii] Locke’s philosophy of liberty and the founding father’s purpose for starting a new country surrounded this theme- even if it was not practiced. Going along with the sentiment, since we all have perfect freedom or liberty, no person can have it taken from them against their will, nor can it be held back or removed.
The Declaration of Independence proposed that every person of this country is entitled to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to [a]ffect their Safety and Happiness.”
Since every citizen of this country is entitled to these rights, it is the duty of our government- state and federal- to protect those rights. Reciprocally, just as it is our right to “abolish it, and…institute new Government”- or improve the foundations so the system’s principles are clearly represented in that which is promulgated- we must advocate to reform flawed systems to ensure our freedoms are being upheld.
Therefore, creating a UBI would ensure every individual is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness by providing a fair wage so people can afford to pay for what they need to live in this country.
In the next paper, I will focus on how the UBI would be set up and work.
