USA. An unconditional basic income estimate.

The Citizen's Dividend by the Numbers P.S.

This article estimates that there is enough to pay every US citizen $12,000 annually, just by cutting current welfare budget.

Without raising taxes, or changing the current tax plan in any way, we could fund the citizen's dividend, without jeopardizing any government program not related to welfare, and without weakening our military in any significant fashion.

The question isn't financial.

The question is, do we want every American to have a minimum standard of living, or do we want special interests to get special privileges, while leaving the vast majority of Americans left hanging out to dry? Do we want public funds to be spent on the general public, or on tiny minorities, who suck all the rest of us dry? Do we want a nation of makers and takers, where 51% of the electorate votes to partake of 49% of the nation's wealth, or an even distribution for all, so wealth transfers are simply removed from the democratic equation?

Do we want sanity and compassion or bankruptcy and dissolution?

Why does anyone still oppose the citizen's dividend?

Here's an answer. Recently, politicians in North Dakota voted out a citizen dividend bill. Most politicians do not like citizen dividends. They lose their sense of power when money goes directly to citizens.