Universal Basic Income, Fairness and the Bible

Universal Basic Income, Fairness and the Bible

by Author Rev. Paul J. Bern

from my book “The Middle and Working Class Manifesto 4^th Edition”

By now many of you have already heard about this rejuvenated idea known as a universal basic income, or UBI. The UBI was first proposed by Rev. Dr. King, Jr. back in the mid-1960's. The basic premise is that the UBI would make unemployment and poverty a thing of the past, and that the burden of providing unemployment insurance would be shifted from the states to the federal government. In a 2018 article from the Web site The Balance (thebalance.com), I offer the following explanation of this idea: “Economist Milton Friedman proposed a negative income tax. The poor would receive a tax credit if their income fell below a minimum level. It would be equivalent to the tax payment for the families earning above the minimum level. In 2018, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes outlined his plan in his book "Fair Shot." He argues that U.S. workers, students, and caregivers making $50,000 or less a year should receive a guaranteed income of $500 a month. “Cash is the best thing you can do to improve health outcomes, education outcomes and lift people out of poverty,” Hughes said. Hughes’ guaranteed income is financed by taxes on the top 1 percent. It would work through a modernization of the earned income tax credit. To Hughes, it's the only solution to an economy where “a small group of people are getting very, very wealthy while everyone else is struggling to make ends meet.” Hughes said automation and globalization have destroyed the employment market. It’s created a lot of part-time, contract, and temporary jobs. But those positions aren’t enough to provide a decent standard of living.” (To view this entire page, click here)

Part of what Mr. Hughes said, such as his conclusion that “a lot of part-time, contract, and temporary jobs.... aren’t enough to provide a decent standard of living,” I agree with. To explain it another way, the new “gig economy” amounts to a gigantic, across-the-board pay cut for over half the country's work force. On the other hand, I think his '$500.00 per month guaranteed income' idea is, frankly, awful. Five hundred bucks isn't going to stave off poverty when the rent is $650.00, let alone $1,000.00 or more. But rather than discuss all my reasons why I think this, I will let the tool of my trade – the Bible – be my source for a few examples. “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.” (Exodus 23: 12) OK, let's put this verse into early 21^st century vernacular. It would then read, 'It is unlawful to be compelled to work more than 6 days a week, since God considers such demands from the business owners an abuse of power.' By the same token, refusing to hire any workers for the primary purpose of saving the owners on payroll expenses is another form of an abuse of power. Remember that there will be no cheap-skates in heaven, nor any selfish people.

The beasts of burden listed in the above verse would be changed to our vehicles, or to having sufficient funds to operate them. It is wise to let them sit in the driveway, excluding church services and trips to the grocery store, on your days off. Give them a rest from your daily commute, since that's one day's worth of wear and tear being saved. We can substitute “the slave” for employees and contractors, since companies work us like slaves anyway. Interestingly enough, the Lord says the same holds true “so that.... the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.” Today, that would have to include so-called 'illegal immigrants'. This doesn't mean we have give foreigners any special treatment, nor do I think our tax dollars be spent on any of that. But I also think many (but not all) of the migrants at America's southern border should be given refugee status, because the Bible says right here that it's the right thing to do. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5: 7)

So when we view all of the above as one thing, it's safe to say that, while we are not guaranteed to be able to work each and every day, everyone has the right to a livelihood, without exception. This includes those in the ministry, provided those who are in charge go about this in a way that is right in God's sight. “17) The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18) For Scripture says, 'Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain', and 'The worker deserves his wages.' 19) Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20) But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. 21) I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.” (1^st Timothy 5: 17-21)

Since this holds true for houses of worship first and foremost, then it also holds true for the biggest corporations all the way down to the smallest businesses. Economic inequality, at its source, has unfathomable greed and rampant favoritism (that is, cronyism) as its dual foundations. Yet the Scriptures warn us to never do anything like that, as you just read. Everybody, the Bible says, is worth a living wage and a livelihood. The only problem is it will be only a matter of time – years, not decades – before robots take over many jobs currently held by human beings. As this trend continues to take hold, what will these displaced workers do? It's a fact that current participation in the labor force is at an all-time low. Many formerly well-paying middle class careers have been outsourced overseas for pennies on the dollar.

People are spending so much time in meetings or live podcasts, or wasting their time in “chat rooms”, talking or communicating about these problems, to the point that nothing is actually getting done. The problem is, the solutions are right in front of us, yet too many of us still do not see. Either that, or America lacks the willpower to improve for political reasons. What we need to do is unite as a people and put our differences aside to solve America's problems, and she has quite a few. But that's a topic of discussion in the link to my book at the top of this week's commentary. For right now, let me put forth a couple of basic solutions for America as a country, as well as for her workers.

First of all, America's power grid is laughably antiquated. According to EUCI.com, an on-line publication that serves the US electrical system, it will cost about $5 trillion to replace our power grid with a low voltage, wireless system. According to EEI.org, there are a total of 600,000 miles of electrical lines strung together like high voltage daisy chains all across our country. If it takes, say, 4 workers to either install, transport or help unload the grid's components for each mile, that works out to hiring 2.4 million people. So how many people are currently out of work in the US? Nine million. So this would eventually lead to the hiring of 2 and a half million new people for a job that will take approximately a decade.

The same goes for America's sewers, which by all accounts are in even more pathetic shape than her electrical grid. This too will require a similar effort to install the necessary replacement sewer and water lines as well as a greater amount of people. Twice as many people or more will be needed to assist in the more labor-intensive installation and replacement of the sewer and water systems. That uses up 5 million additional unemployed who would be hired. Shame on America's lax leadership, and just as much on her apathetic citizens, who refuse to get active in politics, and so have allowed this part of our infrastructure to get in this decrepit state. The following quote from my latest book title released earlier this year sums up this issue in three little paragraphs.

“The Third Fundamental Right contains the founding of what I have tentatively named the Civilian Service Corps, with its formal name to be decided via appropriate legislation. It would be reminiscent of the public works projects set up during the Depression era of the 1930's by the Franklin Roosevelt administration. All persons who use up their unemployment benefits and who do not wish to undergo vocational retraining (even if it's free?), all homeless people who are healthy enough to work, all newly released prisoners who would otherwise have difficulty finding jobs may enlist or be drafted into the program for three year increments with the option of reenlisting.

“The first assignment for the homeless and ex-prisoners will be to convert abandoned residential or commercial buildings into housing or multi-use complexes for themselves. Once this is accomplished they can assist with the semi-skilled assignments such as environmental cleanup, landscaping for new green space such as in urban areas, and sewer line repair. The more skilled workers such as degreed professionals will be assigned to projects such as highways, bridges, waterways, high-speed rail, public transit, airport expansion projects or even new airports.

“All workers will by law make the new minimum wage of $15.00 per hour without exception. The busier we can keep the formerly homeless and incarcerated, the less time they will have to get into trouble or feed their habits. Besides, letting them start out by building their own residence or dormitory will instill a sense of human dignity and self-esteem into these individuals that they probably didn't have before.....”

For some of us, myself included, the ultimate form of 'employment' would be in the service of Christ. Jesus said so himself in John's Gospel: “As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9: 4) It's not that this is my only job. It's not, since I don't get paid to do this. But this is the job that counts when I consider Eternity. And at the end of the day, Eternity is all we have left.