Saturday, November 19, 2016

Humanity Continues to Deny Its Capacity to Manifest Full Potential with Basic Income Guarantee

Problem: No resource floor disregards human right to food, water, shelter. All constitutions considered should guarantee access to necessary resources for all humans- now millions are left out. Massive consequences.

Solution: Implementing a basic income guarantee would ensure access to necessary life-supporting resources for all citizens.

Reward: It's difficult to be creative in precarious situations. Ensuring a decent life for all could unleash unlimited potential within society.

Visit livingincome.me for more information about how we can use a basic income guarantee as a first step towards creating a new society designed to support humankind's best self.


Sunday, October 30, 2016

Charity & Profit-Seeking: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Throughout its investigations of the world system, one of the most interesting points I hadn't previously considered that Desteni exposed is the dark side of Charity. This is not to say that organizations working to alleviate the world's problems aren't meaning to do good work. Rather, within exploring the nature of polarity inherent in the money/ego-system of the world, it's to realize that charity as it exists today- where wealthy people give money to attempt to solve problems mostly affecting those without money- is part of a feedback loop that need not exist if only the world were set up to prevent diseases, war, and destruction caused by the pursuit of profit as survival.

In short, Charity exists only because of the unequal distribution of wealth: if everyone were provided with sufficient income to be empowered to choose a life path that didn't contribute to the destruction of nature and people, a lot of the problems charity seeks to fix would no longer be reproduced.

Recent media coverage of seeming collusion between the charitable Clinton Health Access Initiative and pharmaceutical companies that produce drugs used to treat AIDS is a prime example of how profit-seeking creates charities and vice-versa. In a leaked e-mail, an agent for the Clinton charity was speaking out against efforts to bring awareness to the need to lower US AIDS drugs prices. The implication here is that both the Clinton charity and the pharmaceutical companies stand to benefit from artificially high AIDS drugs prices in the United States. By looking the other way as pharmaceutical companies charge high prices for AIDS drugs in the US, the Clinton charity stands to benefit by securing continued access to cheap drugs for distribution in poor countries.

This is just one example. Another would be how charities that help people ravaged by war are necessitated by the actions of weapons corporations seeking to make a profit off of the exact type of violence the consequences of which such charities are ameliorating. Corporations that profit of environmental destruction breed charities that clean up that destruction. The list goes on.

This is why we must work towards implementing a new world order based upon the principle of providing equal access to necessary resources for everyone. It starts with guaranteeing a basic income for all.

Interesting links:

EQAFE
Living Income Guaranteed
Desteni 'I' Process
DIP Lite
Desteni forum

Thursday, October 27, 2016

The Social Fabric Cannot Hold

Reports of unruly airplane passengers are up 17% from the previous year. The International Air Transport Association says "the majority of incidents involve verbal abuse, failure to follow crew instructions and other forms of antisocial behavior" while "only 11% involved physical altercations or aircraft damage." Anyone that's traveled on an airplane knows how stressful the experience can be, but this report nonetheless raises some serious questions about our ability to maintain civility in the face of tests to our preprogrammed existences.

So often, our behavior in social settings is geared towards "maintaining the peace." At least, that's how we justify avoiding confrontation, suppressing certain words/behaviors, and modifying our conduct when in the presence of other humans. Earth is a crowded place, we may argue, and learning to suppress our behavior around others may just make our go of it that much easier.

Nonetheless, to borrow a phrase I learned from Desteni, What we resist persists.

What this phrase means practically, is that just because we suppress certain words or behavior in front of others doesn't necessarily mean that the underlying patterns that caused these words to want to be expressed in the first place have been addressed. Yes, the person in front of you you wanted to call-out for what they were doing was only the temporary trigger of your OWN issue, but how can we be so sure there aren't negative consequences to suppressing these outbursts, even if doing so is seemingly in support of maintaining the social fabric?

As Earth spins round and millions of people continue to deny all the problems that is here on Earth, refusing to speak even to those closest to us about the basic issues facing ourselves and the world, it's only expected that this suppressive behavior will eventually result in outbursts on planes, buses, and highways the world over. 

Rather than wait until it's too late and you've done something that you'll regret forever, please, investigate DIP Lite, the free online course w/Buddy where you'll learn the nature and purpose of thoughts and emotions and how to direct yourself within self-honesty to be and become best for all.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Progressivism is Dead

Progressivism is the political movement claimed by dissatisfied Liberals. Unfortunately, just like Liberalism or Conservatism, progressivism takes its place within the status quo socioeconomic system and seeks for incremental changes. The hypocritical nature of this movement should be easy to identify.

When pressed, it's easy to imagine a strong majority of those who label themselves progressive are unwilling to give up their elite standing in the world system. Rather, just like liberals or conservatives, they would prefer to change the system slowly, over time, while maintaining their comfortable positions within it. Progressives speak about ideas like being better to the environment or poor people but, at the end of the day, they prepare to go back to their jobs within the system that continue to abuse the environment and protect them from the realities of poverty.

Progressives are not prepared to radically change the system into one that is best for all.

If you are prepared to change yourself and then the world system into one that is best for all, investigate DIP Lite, the FREE online course where you learn about the nature of thoughts, feelings, and emotions and our tendency to become possessed by these constructs.

Research the Living Income Guaranteed Proposal by The Equal Life Foundation for a solution to end poverty and start on the path to Heaven on Earth.

Other important links:
Desteni
DIP PRO
EQAFE.com
Living Income Guaranteed
 

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Payday Lenders- Why do they Exist?

Image result for payday lenders
 The chairman of the US Democratic Party has come under fire recently for her supposed support for payday lenders in a wider discussion taking place around the industry. A "payday" loan is a short-term loan that is unsecured by any property of the borrower. While the borrower intends to pay back the loan as future paychecks come in, most borrowers are forced to roll the debt over into additional loans, resulting in additional fees and ever-increasing debt. Annual percentage rates average 339 percent (meaning consumers end up paying more than 3.3x more than the original amount of the loan, if they ever pay it off).

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau- part of the US federal government- has come under fire for newly proposed rules that would force lenders to verify borrower's incomes and limit the amount of additional loans people can take out. Industry proponents argue this would hurt profits and deny many people who rely on these loans for emergencies a financial lifeline.

Problem
It's true that millions of Americans rely upon these payday loans in emergencies. And at least some of the 16,000 payday lenders that exist probably charge too-high interest rates.

But, the real problem lies beneath the surface. Something is quite wrong if millions of people are forced to turn to these loans to make ends meet.

Solution
If we implemented a living income guaranteed, nobody would have to take out loans at hundreds of percent interest. We can as a society decide that no person should ever fall below the income required to take care of their basic needs.

Reward
Imagine if the $7 billion in fees payday loan companies make in a year were directed elsewhere in the economy. For example, going to support peoples' health and education. Imagine if nobody had to choose between having their power/water shut off or taking out a loan at 390 percent interest. Perhaps property crime would drop if people were not faced with the desperate situation of having to find money to eat (or pay off loans) or to go hungry (or face additional debt). 

Maybe you can think of additional benefits.

If supporting a solution to end poverty and harmful payday loans interest you, research a Living Income Guaranteed Proposal.

See also: 
Living Income Guaranteed  
Living Income- Wordpress
Equal Money
Desteni   

Sources:
http://www.bankrate.com/financing/banking/cfpb-troubling-stats-on-payday-loans/
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/02/business/dealbook/payday-borrowings-debt-spiral-to-be-curtailed.html?_r=0
https://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/message/message.asp?p=Finance&m=156

Saturday, April 16, 2016

The Problem with #FeelTheBern

While Sen. Bernie Sanders certainly deserves credit for shining the light on wealth inequality in the 2016 Presidential campaign, the political revolution he repeatedly calls for has yet to materialize. The reasons for this are twofold.

The first reason the movement to #FeelTheBern hasn't and likely won't materialize in any real, substantive change that is best for all is simply because creating change in the system requires more than sharing inspirational messages on Twitter or even showing up to vote. It requires change within to be able to put oneself in the shoes of those abused by the system and then work towards implementing real changes that actually improve the lives of such beings to an acceptable level. Many Sanders supporters are comfortable posting something to Facebook, perhaps even donating money to his campaign, and then going to vote for the man in the primary. Perhaps progressive Americans have a short memory but voting for a single person and expecting change didn't work in 2008 and it won't work in 2016.

The second reason why Sen. Bernie Sanders isn't the savior we've been waiting for is that he, himself, hasn't undergone the changes necessary to understand what it takes to replace the current system with something that values all lives equally. This is not to fault the man, although Desteni has made the tools of self-change public for nearly a decade and, at this point, the choice not to utilize them belies a certain sense of self-deception... Thus, Sanders' approach is still rooted in the old ways of doing things and his mindset seems to be rooted in a certain nationalistic American exceptionalism that, unfortunately, puts him in the same playing field as all of the other candidates with their rhetoric of making America great, or greater, or the greatest. It's partly a reflection of the zeitgeist of today, but any call for revolution that seeks to maintain American superiority is bound to be short-lived. American superiority/exceptionalism/greatness (or whatever you want to call it) is inherently based upon the perpetuation of self-interest as if its pervasiveness was a cultural success.

To those who support Sanders' call for a revolution and are genuinely interested in a politics of equality, I suggest to first start with investigating oneself through the free, online DIP Lite course. Within, you'll learn the nature of the thoughts, emotions, and feelings that dictate our daily participation in 'life' and learn to CHANGE them and thus yourself into a more effective being capable of the compassion and empathy required to be a leader in bringing about a new world order. Did I mention its free?

For further investigation:
Desteni.org
Living Income Guaranteed
Self-Perfection Merchandise at EQAFE.com


Friday, April 15, 2016

Drop the Idea of a 'Universal' Basic Income

In a recent interview with Gawker, writer Rutger Bregman answers the question of why a basic income should be given to everyone rather than just targeted at those who need it.

He gives two reasons and both short-change humanity’s ability to overcome its image as petty and selfish. First, he argues that we should have a universal basic income (offered to everyone) because people would be more willing to support something if they were to gain from it. This seems to be a rather politician-minded approach to basic income inasmuch as it betrays a preoccupation with the optics of the policy- Bregman worries that people will not support something targeted at just the poor, even though they are the only ones who actually need a basic income.

Not only does this imply that we don’t believe people are willing to rise up to their best selves to support a program that will end suffering for others, but Bregman seems willing to actually change the policy itself to satisfy voters. One must then begin to question the soundness of the policy itself- and if we look at the math, it turns out a 'universal' basic income doesn’t make sense.

The second reason Bregman offers for universalizing a basic income is that it removes the ‘stigma’ of welfare, presumably because everyone receives the same amount. Once again, while Bregman’s efforts on promoting basic income are laudable, it appears as if the scope of his vision is limited in terms of the transformative change this policy offers to catalyze.

Basic income can be the cornerstone of a new society based upon equality and bringing about the best in each of us. In that sense, it can be the starting point for myriad transformative changes that go beyond the scope of this simple, poverty-eradicating measure. Finding a way to sneak it through Congress so that well-off people don’t get upset and poor people don’t feel stigmatized focuses on peoples’ transitory feelings about poverty and stops at that.

If we are going to get serious about basic income, we must drop the idea that it must be given automatically to all citizens. This is different than saying it shouldn’t be guaranteed to all that should require it. It’s simply not necessary to give it to everyone right off the bat- the money saved can be used elsewhere in better ways. Arguing otherwise on behalf of citizens’ petty prejudices and emotions is shortchanging society.

For assistance in dealing with the emotions and feelings that drive our everyday participation in society, check out DIP Lite.

For further assistance:
Desteni
Desteni Forum
EQAFE
Desteni PRO

Saturday, March 26, 2016

California to Raise Minimum Wage to $15/hour

Lawmakers are in discussions to raise California's minimum wage to $15/hour by 2022. While this sounds like great news for the poorest workers in this economy, one has to consider the cost-of-living in California to be able to properly assess what difference this will make in the lives of those affected.

A one-bedroom apartment goes for about $1,190 in California. If you are making $15/hour working full-time (40 hours/week) that translates to about $2000/month, after taxes.

That leaves you about $810/month left over after paying rent. This amount is all you would have to pay for food, utilities, insurance, transportation, cell phone, internet, education and any other expenses you may incur. Clothing and entertainment would also need to fit into this $810/month figure.

Of course, these numbers assume you are able to find 40 hours/week of work. Many low-paying jobs fail to offer 40 hours/week of work so it is possible one would have to work multiple jobs to reach the 40/hours week that would get you near to $2000/month of take-home pay. Obviously, working two jobs may also cause one to incur additional expenses that would need to be factored in.

Finally, the cost-of-living will likely rise in the next six years before this $15/hour is phased in. That means full-time minimum wage workers will be looking at even less than $810/month for expenses once 2022 rolls around.

Problem
In the event that the poorest full-time workers in California make $15/hour by 2022, they will earn barely enough to cover basic living expenses.

Put yourself in this person's shoes: how would you cope with earning just enough to cover your expenses, perhaps not even knowing if you would have enough for unexpected costs? What if you knew you absolutely could not afford to go on vacation? What if you knew you couldn't fly out for a friend's wedding or to attend a relative's funeral? Clearly, this would not be a very fun situation to be in- stressed out all the time, feeling stuck.

Solution
The Equal Life Foundation proposes a two-pronged approach to ending this suppression of Life. The first step would be to implement a basic income guarantee indexed to the cost of living to ensure that every person always has access to an income sufficient to cover their basic needs. This would be granted to anyone who desires it on an unconditional basis.

The second step is to make the minimum wage double the basic income. For simplicity's sake, let's say that $2000/month is a good target for a basic income. The minimum wage would be double this: $4000/month. This comes out to about $25/hour after taxes.

Reward 
Put yourself again in a minimum wage worker's shoes. Now you have $4000/month to spend. $1,190 still goes to rent. But now, you have $2,810 left over for expenses. Suddenly, you have enough for gas, utilities, etc. Not only that, but you have money left over! You can buy that special item you've been eyeing. You can travel. You can save. You can contribute to the economy. The stress related to money is gone.

This is what you would like if you were in that position.

For more from the Equal Life Foundation:
Living Income Guaranteed Proposal
Living Income Facebook Group
@LivingIncome on Twitter 

Friday, March 25, 2016

Basic Income Guarantee: Deflation Cure

Japan just reported 0% inflation for January. If you follow economics, you know that governments are very scared of negative inflation (also called deflation). Without going into an in depth explanation, suffice it to say that deflation means prices for goods and services are dropping and economists tend to view such a phenomenon quite poorly, as it may indicate the economy is entering a recession (shrinking). Of course, a recession often triggers unemployment, which is obviously a bad thing.

In an attempt to fulfill its target of 2% inflation deemed healthy by some economists, the Bank of Japan (Japan's central bank) has recently implemented a negative interest rate policy, essentially charging banks for holding their money. This policy is a more extreme version of the zero interest rate policies implemented by many central banks during the Great Recession and is intended to encourage economic activity by making it more attractive for banks to loan out their money.

Problem 

The problem is, despite these zero/negative interest rate policies, banks aren't really loaning out that much money. Banks and businesses are wary of making/taking on loans because they aren't confident consumer demand is sufficient to make such investments worthwhile (as indicated by lower-than-desired inflation).

Prices are failing to rise at a rate that would indicate to central banks that economies are healthy. Central bankers like those of the Federal Reserve in the US and the Bank of Japan believe that inflation of around 2% indicates the economy is growing at a rate that ensures the threat of a recession is low. While it is OK if inflation occasionally falls below the 2% target, what economists really fear is deflation. This indicates very low demand for goods and services in an economy and thus could be a sign a recession is on the way (or already happening).

Despite near-zero or negative interest rate policies implemented by central banks worldwide in an attempt to achieve their positive inflation targets, some economies are very close to deflationary realities. The recently reported 0% inflation in Japan for the month of January is just another sign that zero or negative interest rate policies designed to encourage economic activity have failed to do so in a way that would cause prices to rise at a healthy 2% rate.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the so-called "bank for central banks," has issued a warning to central banks against the long-term use of negative interest rate policies. This is because if these policies don't work, central banks' perceived role as the agents of last resort to maintain economic stability may deteriorate. As of yet, we've conceived of no better way to maintain price stability and stave off recession than through the signals central banks send by altering interest rates.

Solution

Governments need to be proactive in addressing the issue of poor economic performance. They could pass laws requiring banks to lend out their money and thus ensure the effectiveness of central banks' zero/negative interest rate policies. Aside from the expected backlash from those who would argue it's unfair to force banks to lend out money they don't want to, it's unclear if such policies would even work. We have to remember that the entire reason why banks aren't lending out money in the first place is because business owners are wary there is sufficient demand in the economy to make such loans feasible. In short, we cannot even force the banks to loan out money if there are no businesses willing to take on that risk (not to mention it might be a bad idea as it would equate to banks losing money).

Enter basic income guarantee (BIG). An idea gaining attention worldwide, BIG is a policy of governments guaranteeing every citizen an income sufficient to cover their basic needs. Instead of worrying about the effectiveness of interest rate policies in getting banks to loan money to businesses who don't even want to take out loans, we can give money directly to our poorest citizens with the knowledge that they will likely spend all of it within a short period of time.

The problem in global economies right now is a lack of demand: by directly transferring cash to everyone who needs it, huge demand will be created instantaneously and maintained so long as people keep on receiving a guaranteed income.

Reward

With so much new guaranteed demand in the economy, businesses will be much more likely to invest in new workers and equipment. Economies will start growing in such a way that constantly pushes prices up at the healthy rate sought by central banks. Central banks will, in turn, be able to lift their interest rates back above zero/negative levels and thus regain a valuable tool in fighting off recession, all while avoiding the unknown consequences of long term negative interest rates. Finally, even if recession should come back, we will have implemented a policy that shields those who are/would become most vulnerable.

Further reading:
Economist's Journey to Life
Living Income Guaranteed