This is part 2 of my essay on how to build a better society. In case you missed it, go back and read the intro, “Who’s going to pay for this??” so that I don’t have to keep going over it.
As a reminder, the whole reason we’re going through this exercise is because technology is advancing to the point of making human labor obsolete. If you can’t work, you can’t afford to live. We’re not (or shouldn’t be) a society of slavers. Everyone should be able to afford to live. Argue with your conscience, or whatever higher power you worship, if you don’t have one.
Standard disclaimer: I am not an economist or sociologist. I just call it like I see it, having observed the clusterfuck that is end stage capitalism and the initiatives other countries have tried that are proving to be successful in fixing it. I’m just taking it a few steps further in the same direction.
Here we go…
Universal Basic Income (UBI)
I decided to start with this, because it starts at literal birth. We’ll discuss how “life” will be codified in a later post. Here, I want to focus on people who are already born and therefore need some means to support living.
The purpose of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is to eliminate poverty, homelessness, and starvation. It is in keeping with every human’s inalienable natural right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. It is provided to every citizen of the country residing in the country*, whether born or naturalized as follows:
Every child born in the country has birthright citizenship. On the day of their birth, a savings account is opened in their name with an interest rate that is equal to or higher than inflation and compounds monthly. The state/government makes an initial deposit of $1,000 into the account at the submission of a valid birth certificate. Every year after that until age 16, the government deposits another $1,000 into the child’s account. Parents/guardians can deposit additional funds into the account, but they are not authorized to withdraw anything at any point, except in cases of emergency care or the child’s passing. In those cases, the request will be investigated by an authorized social worker prior to releasing the funds to prevent fraud. The balance of this account also cannot be used as collateral for personal loans under any circumstances, by anyone, including the child (i.e. legal account holder).
On the child’s 16th birthday, they begin to receive their universal basic income (UBI) via monthly direct deposit. Above access restrictions continue to apply.
On the child’s 18th birthday, they get full access to their savings account to use at their discretion. By now, they will have a good amount at their disposal, which (if all other parts of the system are in place and functional) should be sufficient for, among other things, buying a vehicle or making a downpayment on a home.
This way, no one in the country starts out with nothing. Everyone reaches adulthood with enough funds to start their own independent life as they see fit.
Naturalized citizens begin to receive monthly direct deposits for UBI beginning 30 days after naturalization. No further questions asked.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for UBI, but are authorized to work as their qualifications allow (more details in the sections below).
The monthly direct deposit UBI amount must be sufficient to meet the basic needs (housing, food, clothing, medical care, base-rate bills) of an adult individual, and special considerations are made for individuals with higher support needs. This is to ensure that every citizen is able to survive, regardless of their ability to perform economic labor.
A society’s worth is measured by how it treats those most vulnerable among them. The worth of a human life should be more than the economic value they can provide. We are not machines to be discarded and replaced when we cease to be “useful.”
*Expats and any individuals who spend more than a total of 3 months outside of the country do not qualify for UBI benefits.
Employment
While UBI is intended to cover basic needs, individuals may find they want or require additional funds to improve their conditions, start a family, relocate, etc. Therefore, full- or part-time employment is available, voluntary and taxed accordingly.
Full-time employment is classified as any job where employees work 24 hours in any 7-day period (standard 6 hours per day, 4 days per week). Any hours in excess of this constitute overtime and are paid at a rate of 1.5 times the standard wage. Every full-time job must provide a wage/salary that meets basic needs (housing, food, clothing, medical care, transportation, base-rate bills) for that particular area/region and is calculated by the local authorities.
Tipping does not fall under the definition of “wages” and therefore is not included in this estimate. It is, however, considered “income” and taxed accordingly.
Children under 16 years of age are not legally allowed to work. Children 16 years and older are allowed to work part-time jobs that do not exceed 8 hours per week. Their income from this job will not be taxable until they reach 18 years of age. Any checking account opened for a minor under the age of 18 must pay an annual interest rate equal to the rate of inflation.
Individuals 18 years and older are allowed to work full-time jobs. Their income from these jobs will be fully taxable, as described below.
Both citizens and non-citizens are authorized to work full- or part-time jobs, subject to taxation rules described below. No questions asked. Discrimination of any kind is illegal and subject to fines and penalties.
All jobs must have a comprehensive description of assigned duties. If additional duties are assigned, the job description must be updated and mutually agreed upon in writing, and the wage/salary must be augmented to account for it. Employees cannot be penalized or terminated for refusing to perform duties outside of those agreed upon in their employment contract.
All employers must provide a safe working environment and reasonable accommodations to employees as needed to perform the basic duties of the job assigned to them. If a job can be done remotely, an employer cannot require the employee to work from any specific location. If a job requires specialized equipment, the employer must provide it and is responsible for any necessary maintenance. If a job requires travel, an employer must compensate the employee for any and all travel expenses.
Additional benefits for full-time positions must include paid vacation time (minimum 16 work days or 4 work weeks), paid parental leave (minimum 1 year at full salary), paid caregiver leave (minimum 3 months at full salary), paid medical leave (minimum 2 months at full salary), and paid bereavement leave (minimum 8 days or 2 work weeks at full salary).
Benefits for part-time positions must include a right of first refusal after any unpaid time off not exceeding 1 calendar year. Meaning, if an employee requests a leave of absence for any reason, the employer is not required to pay for their time off, but must guarantee that their position or a similar position will be available for them if/when they return to work within 1 calendar year. If such a position is not available, the employer must provide a severance equivalent to 6 months of the employee’s wages.
All employees must be offered the same starting benefits, regardless of title or position within the company. Benefits may increase based on seniority within the company, but not based on title. (Ex: an employee can get an additional 3 weeks of paid time off for having worked at the company 10+ years, but will not get additional benefits if promoted within 1 year of starting at the company.)
The highest salary offered at a company cannot exceed 50x the lowest salary offered at that same company. This includes part-time positions.
Income Taxation
UBI is not taxed. It is a benefit provided by the state/government and as such is never subject to taxation.
For citizens 18 years and older, income from full- or part-time jobs is considered “supplemental” and is taxed at a higher rate. This also includes any post-employment income, such as pensions.
For non-citizens who do not qualify for UBI, income is taxed, but the rate cannot exceed a level at which the remaining income falls below a livable wage. Non-citizens earning less than a livable wage are not taxed.
Individual income from royalties, service provider fees, sales, personal loan interest, leases, or rentals, is also taxed at rates equal to employment income at equivalent levels.
Coming Up…
Since I’m on a roll with this individual stuff, I think the next topic I tackle will be education and training. Then, after that, I’ll move on to bigger, societal topics. Thank you for indulging in my whimsy. When times get dark, one way to get through it is to look for the light. This is how I do it. Maybe one day someone will write a fictional utopia around this foundation and somehow manage to twist it into a dystopian horror.
Then again, maybe some digital archaeologist will find my ramblings hundreds of years from now and a future society will be built on these principles in real life. I just hope no one uses it as the basis for a religion. Anything but that…
Until next time!
By the way...
In case you missed it, my latest book came out on Monday! See the official book trailer below and click here to read more!