On the latest episode of “It’s Our Money,” David Morris, co-founder of the Institute for Local Self Reliance, talks with PBI Chair Walt McRee about how to reclaim the narrative that government can and should work well on our behalf. And Ellen Brown talks with “The Earth Belongs to Everyone” author Alanna Hartzok about how our current method of taxation overlooks a more obvious and fair approach based on land and the Earth itself. Listen here.
Filed under: Audio | Tagged: Bank of North Dakota, land value tax, public banking |
WEB OF DEBT BLOG 
Public Banking and Henry George Land Value Tax are the true solutions to all of our financial woes. Throw in Basic Income and we would have a heaven on earth.
Has basic income been shown to work anywhere, or is it just pie in the sky?
I don’t know of any place on earth that it has been put into practice, so it hasn’t been tested. Where has the elite permitted the vast amount of money saved from efficiencies of technology to be passed on to the people? Suppressed technologies in every field of endeavor is evidence that this isn’t the intention. Robotics and automation will do away with human labor and reduce manufacturing costs asymptotically to zero soon. Do you believe that the elite will relieve mankind of the burden of slaving away for the basic necessities of life or double down on the debt peonage we currently suffer under? You tell me.
I agree with this: ” Where has the elite permitted the vast amount of money saved from efficiencies of technology to be passed on to the people?” But not with this: ” Robotics and automation will do away with human labor and reduce manufacturing costs asymptotically to zero soon.” Asymptote, shmasymptote–I’ve worked in manufacturing and know that even with robots and automation, it will take a lot of labor. One place I worked they tried robot welders but went back to people. Having also done a lot of agricultural and other labor, I know that the idea that labor will be done away with is unrealistic. We shouldn’t be thinking in terms of what the “elite” will allow, but of what can be accomplished with a populist revolution that will supplant the rule of the “elite.” Go Trump!
Regardless of your personal experience, Ernie, it is undeniable that jobs in virtualy every profession have been replaced by machines or some form of technology. This trend is irreversible and only becoming more efficient.
The only reason Trump didn’t use robots to make his clothing is because slave/sweat shop labor abroad is still cheaper.
Go Jill Stein!
That some jobs are being replaced is a far cry from “Robotics and automation will do away with human labor and reduce manufacturing costs asymptotically to zero soon,” an asinine statement, virtually unrelated to reality, and a poor argument for a basic income.
You living in denial. That level of efficiency will be here someday. Here’s an example in your line of work. At one automation site i found via cursory search, Robots can replace at least four human welders. https://www.robots.com/roi It’s a good thing your boss didn’t find it.
Robots can and will replace some. Your assertion that labor will no longer be necessary soon is asinine–wacko. My bosses were cutting edge–the best. They made the right choice, based on trial and error.
Okay, lets put this issue aside. We could easily implement Basic Income right now with the purchasing power returned to the people once usury was eliminated via Public Banking.
After all, during the first 1500 years when usury was outlawed in Christian Europe, it only took 14 weeks for a mere laborer to provide adequately for his family for a year. How much easier could this be with our modern technology?
I buy that!
Be aware that the Alaska Permanent Fund gives citizen dividend of around 1500 to 1800 per year Per Person resident in AK for one year so that includes children. Helpful for families! There are pros and cons of APF, two books series gives details. And concerning elite rule, the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania’s third largest city, the residents voted for land value tax while freezing other taxes (local rule) so we CAN vote in economic democracy.
Yes, Basic Income was tried in a small Manitoba Community.
It worked splendidly.
Good. A small Manitoba community is one thing though, and a whole nation another.
So it has and it was a success. How about that, Ernie?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/1970s-manitoba-poverty-experiment-called-a-success-1.868562
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/1970s-manitoba-poverty-experiment-called-a-success-1.868562
Yet, Basic Income was doomed by this success because it hasn’t been tried in Canada since the 1970s?
Kaila Colbin of Singularity U New Zealand provides basis for Basic Income by explaining the affect of “exponential technology” One projected result is “47 to 81% of jobs as we understand them could be under threat from technology within 20 years”
View at Medium.com
I think Kaila Colbin would be an interesting guest for “It’s Our Money”
Yes, we could have basic income based on land and resource rent (unearned income now privatized) as this “rent” is estimated to be 33 percent of GDP! Cancel out the massive illth of military spending and we’ve got it!
We could build a powerful movement beyond left and right for economic democracy with public banking, collection/ socialization of “rent” – the unearned income – from land and natural resources (land value tax and oil, gas etc), Pigouvian pollution taxes, removing taxes from labor and production of basic needs, and basic income. There it is, this would restore purchasing capacity and undermine the monopoly of elite rule. With full LVT we would have land reform for organic agriculture as well as affordable housing for all. NOt theory only, shown in practice to be workable.