Quebec's basic income program aimed at 84,000 Quebecers with a "severely limited capacity for employment" such as a chronic illness or menta
For the first time in many years, Monique Toutant thinks she might be able to buy herself some better groceries and some new clothes.
As a longtime social assistance recipient, the 62-year-old Quebec City resident is used to pinching pennies, buying the strict minimum at the grocery store and saving for months for every purchase. She calls it "everyday stress." [...]
Toutant, who can't work because of acute rheumatoid arthritis that prevents her from sitting or standing for long periods, is facing a little less hardship after her monthly cheque rose to $1,548 — an increase of more than $300 — at the beginning of January with the launch of the Quebec government's basic income program.
The program, aimed at 84,000 Quebecers with a "severely limited capacity for employment" such as a chronic illness or mental health condition, will provide an increase of more than 28 per cent for a single person, the government says. Just as importantly, they will also have the ability to earn about $14,500 a year in wages — up from $2,400 a year — and have up to $20,000 in savings, all without losing benefits. They will also be able to live with a partner who earns a small paycheque without seeing their benefits clawed back.
Strict eligibility criteria
Anti-poverty activists are praising the program as a good step toward helping people meet their basic needs — but say strict eligibility criteria exclude many of the province's lowest-income residents.
Jean Lalande, a spokesperson for a welfare rights committee in Montreal's Pointe-Saint-Charles, said the program addresses some of the problems with traditional welfare, which discourages people from taking steps to improve their situations by cutting benefits as soon as someone tries to get a job or save money.
However, he believes it should be offered to all of those on social assistance, including those earning the minimum welfare amount of $770 per month — who sometimes spend 80 or 90 per cent of their income on rent. [...]
Saw a post talking about a basic universal income and it got me wondering about whether there's an active UK government petition for it... Apparently there is!
We want the Government to introduce a Universal Basic Income set at a high enough level to secure everyone's right to a basic standard of li
Thought I'd might as well post it since I found it on the off chance it can wrack the signatures numbers on it up. They're pretty low at the moment, but it's running until the 24th of March 2024 so there's time. The government legally have to respond to and debate it if it gets enough signatures so its worth a shot, right?
"If people got paid for doing nothing, then nobody would work anymore. The only reason people get jobs is because they need them to live. Our economy would collapse without that incentive." ~My dad.
"Yeah, I got really bored with my retirement so I became a volunteer firefighter. It's really fulfilling and a lot of fun." ~Also my dad.
If we raised rates on income above $250,000. We could pay for pay a guaranteed income for 90 million Americans, that would lift 20 million out of poverty overnight...a guaranteed income of the size that I'm talking about, $500/month for working people making less than 50K, would cost half of what the tax bill that the Republican Congress just passed.
Chris Hughes, on National Public Radio February 20th 2018 (https://www.npr.org/player/embed/587333761/587333773), author of Fair Shot
Help BOOTSTRAPS Basic Income Fund meet their goal of $50,000 before July 4, 2017 by donating on HandUp.
Ya’ll, I know most of you guys don’t have extra money, but if you do, consider donating to this.
Bootstraps is a documentary aimed at providing 20 people with a Basic Universal Income for 2 years.
It’s a documentary aimed at why BUI is a good idea, and the choices that people will make with that money. It could also be great in dispelling myths about “welfare queens” and “freeloaders”, since it would show, on film, what real people would do with this money.
If you want this country to move away from capitalism, consider donating. This could potentially be a huge step.
They’ve raised 53% of what they need but they only have 22 days left to raise the rest.
Please signal boost and reblog if you can’t donate anything.
When Will Artificial Intelligence Go Viral? #AI #viral #socialmedia
Thinking robot.
With the Artificial Intelligence conferences in full swing, now is the time to ponder how artificial intelligence will continue to evolve and where it will end up in a span of five to ten years. Fringe Fiction does have a few speculations.
First, the environmental impact will be enormous as artificial intelligence continues to evolve. It costs a lot of resources to manage…
