Return our Citizen Dividend. "People need to quit demanding jobs and start demanding justice."

Why you have the right to a $5K dividend from Uncle Sam | Making Sen$e | PBS NewsHour: (Aug 27, 2014)

This post on citizen dividend has quite a few gems.

"Dividends from common wealth, by contrast, unite society by putting all its members in the same boat. The income everyone receives is a right, not a handout. This changes the story, the psychology and the politics."

"A national dividend system would be simple, fair and immensely popular. It would rest on the principle of shared ownership, not redistribution. Once set up, it would be market-based rather than tax-funded. And it could gain support across the political spectrum: conservatives from Sarah Palin to Bill O’Reilly have lauded Alaska’s dividends."

"Our times demand a reliable flow of supplementary income as well. The best way to provide that is to pay dividends to everyone from wealth that’s logically ours."

From progress.org (Aug 28, 2014), on the above post about citizen dividend:

"What’s needed is for regular people to feel enough self-esteem to demand a fair share of what’s already ours just like the rich feel when winning an enormous share of what’s not theirs. We’re not broke. There is a surplus. It just needs to be shared. People need to quit demanding jobs and start demanding justice."

When will more people around the world be more like Alaskans, demanding their share of their own state's resources?

When will the Alaskans be more Alaskan, demanding a better share of their own state's resources? They only get a quarter of what the state gets from the oil companies, which is a small fraction of the oil wealth. I think Alaskans get less than 10% of their oil wealth in citizen dividends.

Public Pension: Singaporeans lack this essential component for retirement

Pensions at a Glance 2013
OECD and G20 Indicators

This report by OECD shows the public and private pensions in many countries. Private pension comes from mandatory employment contribution and other private sources. Public pensions come from the money from the state.

"The OECD average for replacement rates of an average earner from public schemes alone is 41%, compared with 54% with mandatory private pensions included."

For an average earner, the public pension from the state alone is 41% of the salary when working. For example, if a worker earns $3,000 while working, his public pension will be about $1,230.

Here is a small sample from the OECD report, with Singapore added:

	Public pension replacement rates for Earners at 0.5 median wage	Public pension replacement rates for Earners at 1.0 median wage
Australia	52.4	13.6
Austria	76.6	76.6
Israel	44.5	22.2
Japan	49.8	35.6
Switzerland	48.6	32.0
UK	55.2	32.6
USA	49.5	38.3
Singapore	0	0

Singapore does not have a public pension.
It is not a matter of affordability. Singapore is a very resource rich country.

When it comes to resources boom, we hit the jackpot | The Australian. Who? We?

When it comes to resources boom, we hit the jackpot | JUDITH SLOAN, The Australian:

"We hit the jackpot with resources boom."

Who hit the jackpot?

According to this opinion post, there is trade boom, there is GDP boom, and there is mining investment boom. If you are part of all the booms, you hit the jackpot.

It also asks about "ordinary Australians".

So, how have ordinary Australians benefited from the mining boom? Is there any credence to the view that only small numbers of Australians and some states were advantaged, with most of us either unaffected or worse off?

Minifie’s report directly addresses these issues and establishes that “most Australians have prospered”. While the West Australian and Queensland economies grew faster than the average, all states benefited. “Incomes increased faster across the country than in the decade before. Regions have grown at different rates, but few were left worse off.”

Assuming the numbers are correct, that incomes increased, that means employed Australians see their income increased. I wonder how many of them will jump with joy that they have "hit the jackpot".

How about Australians with no income? Do they "hit the jackpot" too?

The only way for every Australian to hit the jackpot is to institutionalize a citizen dividend with money from the resources boom. Follow the Alaska Permanent Fund, but put in more.

Pensions in OECD and G20 Countries, and Singapore

OECD (2011), Pensions at a Glance 2011: Retirement-income Systems in OECD and G20 Countries, OECD Publishing.
doi: 10.1787/pension_glance-2011-en

This is a highly informative report about what old people are getting, in many countries.

This is highly recommended reading for Singaporeans.

Examples from the report 

Australia. In 2008, the very poor receives an annual state pension of AUD 14,313. This is not from employment pension.

Canada. In 2008, the very poor receives an annual state pension of CAD $13,759. This is not from employment pension.

Singapore (not in the OECD report). The very poor receives an annual state pension of S$0.00.

Old people do get their citizen ownership dividend, in some countries.

Why Australians deserve a universal minimum income | Godfrey Moase | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Why Australians deserve a universal minimum income | Godfrey Moase | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk: Why Australians deserve a universal minimum income. I'd like to see every citizen receive a basic income of AUD$30,000 per year. No exceptions, no means testing. This is why.

That we live with poverty, insecurity and economic anxiety is a matter of political choice, not necessity.

Very true. Especially for Singapore. The investment return from common properties is enough to totally eradicate poverty in Singapore. The citizens do not know what they are missing. The politicians are unmotivated.



Here's another post about Australia:
We should get a direct dividend from boom - The West Australian

Australia Public Service employees must be politically impartial in their jobs

APS employees, whether or not they are members of political parties, are expected to separate their personal views on policy issues from the performance of their official duties. This is an important part of professionalism and impartiality as an APS employee.

A good citizen-ownership democracy needs a good democracy as the foundation.

Words of Wisdom. Julia Gillard.

Australia bushfires: Thousands stranded in Tasmania
"Prime Minister +Julia Gillard urged people to look after their personal safety.

She told ABC: ''My message is there's only one you. Everything else in life, at the end of the day, no matter how precious, can be replaced."

Let's try replacing a few political parties until we get our rightful citizen-ownership income. 

This is a very good way of looking after your personal safety. Especially if you are poor. 

Imagine. A $9,000 citizen-ownership income year after year. You can look after yourself and your loved ones. Your little loved ones don't have to go hungry. There will be no need for a parent to steal milk powder.