The grandfather of basic income is Karl Marx, he described it as from each according to their ability to each according to their need. That is from the Communist Manifesto, but the proponents of this idea today run away from the label socialist.
There is a popular meme out there that says, paraphrasing, "liberalism (progressivism/statism/socialism etc): ideas so good they have to be made mandatory. It brings up an interesting question. Where are the successful, voluntary basic income associations for us to look at and study to determine the worthiness of this idea? Have the proponents of basic income convinced their families to create a basic income family association? Its a great idea, right? With all their powers of persuasion it should go without saying they can easily get their brothers and sisters, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, parents and children, aunts and uncles and cousins all on board. Certainly some in their families must be more successful than others, why not use this remarkable idea to fix that disparity in their own families? How about their neighbourhoods? You know these ideas are so powerful and inspiring someone must have created a neighbourhood basic income association we can observe to evaluate its results, right? Or does this idea only work under coercion? Or better yet, does this idea work at all?
How many of you who have been reading these posts advocating for the basic income have ever dealt with an adult relative, or friend who came to you in a time of need and then when you gave them help they never used it to get out of trouble, they just took the help and called it good? A friend who moved in and wouldn't leave. An adult child who just wouldn't get out there and learn how to support their self because you continued to supply their "basic needs," essentially their basic income.
How many of you who are reading the basic income articles and cheering the idea are willing to join a voluntary basic income association where you are the top money earner? There are people out there who could use your help, are you willing to give it?
Don't fall for the basic income propaganda. There is no free money. To give anything to someone government must first take it away from someone else. And despite what the communist - socialist - progressive - liberal advocates tell you, the rich aren't hiding money under their beds. When you take money from them you are taking it from stocks and bonds that your retirement fund is invested in, from your parents and grand parents investment accounts, from payrolls that employ people with families, and from people who would use it to buy things that other people have to make, and deliver, and service. You cannot create money by the force of coercion. All you can do is steal it from one to bribe another. Don't steal, its wrong.
