USBIG NEWSLETTER VOL. 8, NO. 43, WINTER 2007
This is the Newsletter of the USBIG Network
(www.usbig.net), which promotes the discussion of the basic income guarantee
(BIG) in the United States. BIG is a policy that would unconditionally
guarantee a subsistence-level income for everyone. If you would like to be
added to or removed from this list please email: Karl@Widerquist.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. APPEAL FOR SUPPORT FOR THE BIG BILL
2. SIXTH USBIG CONGRESS HELD IN NEW YORK CITY
3. THE 2007 BASIC INCOME STUDIES ESSAY PRIZE
4. FINLAND’S PRIME MINISTER SPEAKS FAVORABLY OF BIG
5. DISCUSSION OF A BIG PILOT PROGRAM IN NAMIBIA
6. CANADIAN GREEN AND CONSERVATIVE PARTY MEMBERS ENDORSE BIG
7. SOUTH AFRICAN LEADERS DIVIDED ON BASIC INCOME GRANT
8. SEVERAL GERMANS ENDORSE BASIC INCOME
9. EDUARDO SUPLICY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT BASIC INCOME IN CHINA
10. UPCOMING EVENTS
11. NEW PUBLICATIONS
12. NEW DISCUSSION PAPERS
13. NEW LINKS
14. NEW MEMBERS
15. LINKS AND OTHER INFO
1. APPEAL FOR SUPPORT FOR THE BIG BILL
California Congressman Bob Filner has agreed to reintroduce the Tax Cut for the
Rest of Us Act (“the BIG bill”) in the 110th Congress. Filner first introduced
the bill in the 109th Congress in May 2006. The bill redirects the
Bush tax cut for the rich to a tax cut for everyone – with the largest benefits
going to those who have the least income. It would transform the standard
income tax deduction into a standard tax credit of $2000 per adult and $1000
per child. Al Sheahen of the Committee to Support the BIG Bill is coordinating
the lobbying effort in favor of the bill. His plan is to lobby members of the
House Ways and Means Committee before Filner reintroduces the bill. The BIG
Bill Committee has put out a call for aid in its effort to drum up
Congressional support. According to Al Sheahen, any amount of help supporters
can give is a boost to the effort, “Whether you can do as little as emailing
one Member of Congress or as much as visiting all 535 in their office, it would
be a great help. Please contact me for information on how you can help support
the BIG Bill.” You find out how you can help by emailing Al Sheahen at alsheahen@prodigy.net.
2. SIXTH USBIG CONGRESS HELD IN NEW YORK CITY
The USBIG Network held its sixth annual Congress in New York City on February
23-25, 2007. The event was held in conjunction with the Eastern Economic
Association’s Annual Meeting. About seventy academics and activists from as far
away as New Zealand attended the Congress, which included sessions on the
ethics of BIG; BIG as a financial reform; family, care work, and gender; the
politics of BIG; the economics of BIG; and alternative anti-poverty programs. The
Congress also included a presentation of the 2007 Basic Income Studies Essay
Prize (see below).
Phil Harvey, of Rutgers Law School, and Karl Widerquist, of
Tulane University, debated income vs. job guarantees. Although both
Harvey and Widerquist saw merit in both approaches, Harvey favored job
guarantees for their cost effectiveness, and Widerquist favored BIG for its
greater impact on the freedom of the least advantaged.
Dalton Conley, of New York University discussed the need for programs to
address wealth rather than income inequality. Annie Miller, a retired economics
in Edinburgh, discussed the need to BIG as part of a larger strategy for gender
equity. Stanley Aronowitz, of the City University of New York, discussed the
need for BIG in a changing economy. Senator Eduardo Suplicy, of the Brazilian
Workers Party, discussed the Brazilian plan to phase-in a BIG over the next
several years. Fred Block, of the University of California-Davis, and William
DiFazio, of St. John’s University, closed the conference with presentations on
strategic options for BIG and progressive social policies in the coming years.
3. THE 2007 BASIC INCOME STUDIES ESSAY PRIZE
Basic Income Studies and the USBIG Network announced the winner of the 2007
Basic Income Studies Essay Prize at the Sixth Congress of the USBIG Network in
New York on February 25, 2007. The Prize is awarded annually to a paper
presented either at the BIEN Congress (even years) or at the USBIG Congress
(odd years). The award is designed to encourage promising research on basic
income and related policies. The BIS Essay Prize is awarded to an essay that
exemplifies the high standard of quality and original basic income research
that BIS hopes to promote. The Prize Essay and one essay worthy of honorable
mention were selected by a two-judge panel of judges from Basic Income Studies
and the USBIG Network.
The Prize Essay by Laura Bambrick, of Oxford University, is entitled, “A BIG
Response to Wollstonecraft’s Dilemma.” The winning essay will be published in
an upcoming issue of Basic Income Studies. The honorable mention essay by
Richard Caputo, of Yeshiva University, is entitled, “The Death Knoll of BIG or
BIG by Stealth: A Preliminary Assessment of BIG Political Viability around the
Globe.”
4. FINLAND’S PRIME MINISTER SPEAKS FAVORABLY OF BIG
NewsRoom Finland reports that the prime minister of Finland, Matti Vanhanen, of
the Centre Party, said that the structure and level of basic security should be
reappraised, and that the current wide range of benefits could be replaced by a
basic income guarantee of about 600 or 700 euros per month. He argued, however,
that BIG should be supplemented by incentives to encourage those capable of
work to enter the labor market. According to NewsRoom Finland, “Mr Vanhanen's
comment comes amid a clash between the Social Democratic Party [SPD], the
Centre's main government partner, and the opposition Green League over
guaranteed minimum income.” The Finnish Greens accused the Social Democrats of
using made-up arguments to reject basic income. NewsRoom Finland reported on
February 26, “Finland's opposition Green League on Monday accused the SDP of
deploying trumped-up and populist arguments to reject the idea of a guaranteed
minimum income. The Greens' critique was a response to a report by the Kalevi
Sorsa foundation, an SDP-leaning organization, faulting a basic income scheme
as promoted by the Green League. The leaders of the Green League said in a
joint statement that the foundation's report played down problems related to
social security. Ville Kopra, a researcher, says in the foundation's report
that basic income could endanger both universal validity on the labor market
and earnings-related unemployment security. The Greens say the Social
Democrats' resistance to change is dividing people into two classes where only
those in regular employment should enjoy sufficient basic security.”
Two reports are on line at:
http://newsroom.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=15100&group=Politics
http://newsroom.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=15103&group=Politics
5. DISCUSSION OF A BIG PILOT PROGRAM IN NAMIBIA
According to AllAfrica.com, the Namibian Basic Income Grant Coalition has
announced that it is raising funds for BIG pilot program. Namibia's Lutheran
bishop Dr Zephania Kameeta has stressed the commitment of civil society to the
fight against poverty in the country, despite criticism that the proposed basic
income grant (BIG) they are advocating would encourage people to be lazy. An
editorial supporting the pilot program is on line at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702160605.html
6. CANADIAN GREEN AND CONSERVATIVE PARTY MEMBERS ENDORSE BIG
According to the Toronto Star, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May propose the
idea of a guaranteed minimum income at a party convention in Vancouver. But it
is not simply a left idea, Conservative Senator Hugh Segal – a long-time
proponent of a guaranteed annual income – told delegates to Toronto's city
summit alliance conference in February that he believes Canada has the money to
ensure every Canadian can live with dignity, "When we look at the billions
we now spend on social policy, it's clear we have the capacity." The
Toronto Star story is on line at: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/188196.
7. SOUTH AFRICAN LEADERS DIVIDED ON BASIC INCOME GRANT
Both the People's Budget Campaign coalition and the Congress of South African
Trade Unions (COSATU), have renewed their support for
the basic income grant. A spokesperson for COSATU, Patrick Craven said that
they were hopeful that BIG will be adopted at the African National Congress
(ANC) policy conference in June 2007. However, Wendy Jasson
da Costa of the Independent reports, “President Thabo Mbeki discarded any
suggestion that a basic income grant was on the cards for impoverished South
Africans. With a basic income grant, the government would effectively be
‘abandoning’ its citizens, he said. However, a ‘more targeted, more precise’
comprehensive social security system would definitely be implemented.” These
could include the dole, but President Mbeki denied the ANC’s proposed social
security reform was a way of introducing a basic income grant through the back
door. Some elements within the ANC oppose Mbeki’s stance against BIG. These
include not only COSTU but also the South African Communist Party and Social
Development Minister Zola Skweyiya support the adoption of the basic income
grant by the ANC.
For further information is on COSATU’s BIG position is on line at:
http://www.mg.co.za/
Several articles are the BIG discussion are on line.
See:
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/economy.aspx?ID=BD4A349036
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/economy.aspx?ID=BD4A411502
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_News&set_id=1&click_id=79&art_id=nw20070220141823291C801872
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=14&click_id=6&art_id=vn20070211235124305C359096
http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/biz/01_19012007.htm
8. SEVERAL GERMANS ENDORSE BASIC INCOME
Several Germans have recently endorsed basic income. Ulrich Beck, prominent
sociologist in Germany and author of "The Risk Society," and Kayja
Kipping, chairperson of the left party PDS, have both endorsed basic income as
a way to give workers greater negotiating power to demand more meaningful work.
According to Kipping, many leftist are uncomfortable with BIG because they
suffer from “work fetishism.” Asked to explain she replied, “Many think only
paid work is a valuable contribution. The ideology ‘whoever doesn't work should
not eat' is malicious. To me, this is a completely strange understanding of
contribution. Persons in the arms industry do social harm through paid work. On
the other hand, many activities that are not paid are important for society.”
Vienna. Should basic security be only for persons willing to work and the
needy? Ronald Blaschke , a philosopher, sociologist,
educator, and spokesperson of the German Basic Income Network also argued for
BIG and against work fetishism in an interview with Beate Lammer on
diepresse.com.
German businessman Gotz Werner argues has been arguing for basic income in
recent years. He renewed his support for BIG in an interview with the daily die
Tageszeitung, last November. The BIEN Newsletter published the following
excerpts from the interview:
Journalist: You speak very positively. You own over 1700 drug stores. You have
annual sales of 3.7 billion Euros. You are one of the 500 richest Germans.
Werner: That is untrue. Like almost all entrepreneurs, I wanted more and more
in the past. Today maximizing meaning is my top priority.
Journalist: Do you see the world with different eyes?
Werner: I have read the classics, Goethe, Schiller. I understand my own success
is not everything. I want to help others succeed. People are central, not
business. I try to imagine a positive world.
Journalist: "Nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come,"
you say.
Werner: Victor Hugo said that. I only quoted him.
Journalist: Is the time right for your idea?
Werner: At least the idea could be discussed at last. Two years ago that was
something for a few experts. The halls are full when I give lectures today.
Journalist: What has changed?
Werner: The old political slogans have nothing to do with the world where
people live. Unemployment grows despite temporary announcements of success.
Unbridled growth damages our resources. If Angela Merkel would say "full
employment" is possible, nobody would believe her any more…
Journalist: The unconditional basic income already has supporters in the
parties - from left to right. Why is this?
Werner: Because this is the most radical form of socialism and the most radical
form of capitalism. After one of my addresses, a listener wrote to me:
"Your basic income model has reconciled my socialist heart with my
neoliberal mind."
The full interview in German is available at:
http://www.taz.de/pt/2006/11/27/a0146.1/textdruck
An English translation is available at: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/12/14/18337615.php
Other articles on BIG in Germany are on the web at:
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/02/354533.shtml
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/02/353198.shtml
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/01/352187.shtml
http://www.diepresse.com/textversion_article.aspx?id=607979
http://www.mbtranslations.com
http://www.commondreams.org
http://www.freitag.de/2006/50/06501501.php.
9. EDUARDO SUPLICY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT BASIC INCOME IN CHINA
Brazilian Senator Eduardo Suplicy, one of the strongest supports of basic
income in any ruling government in the world, recently visited China and
reports substantial hope for the future of basic income in China. Senator
Suplicy spoke about basic income with several highly-placed officials in the
Chinese government. He found that elements of universal, unconditional support
exist in some current Chinese anti-poverty programs, and that there is some
hope the China will move further in that direction. Suplicy also spoke with
Professor Tian Xiaobao, who is considered to be the first economist in China,
author of a 2006 book on Social Security in China.
According to Suplicy, “It was with Professor Tian Xiaobao that I had my longest
and very productive three hour conversation. After explaining all the advantages
of an unconditional basic income to him, after describing experience of the
Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend System and the perspective of having such a
system in Brazil, I asked him whether he considered possible to think about
having the institution of an inconditional basic income for all 1 billion and
300 million or more Chinese in the future. Professor Tain Xiaobao answered that
he considered the Basic Income a very sound and rational proposal, making sense
and being consistent with the objective of building a harmonious society, such
as advocated by Confucius 520 years before Christ. It is also consistent with
the objectives of today's Chinese government. He told me, however, that to
attain the objective of paying a basic income to all Chinese, it would be
required a time of preparation for the next three quinquenal plans. Thus, a
Basic Income would be desirable and possible in 2020.”
10. UPCOMING EVENTS
NEW YORK CITY (US), May 6-8, 2007: The basic income guarantee in international
perspective
Richard Caputo is organizing a session on BIG within the framework of the
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work,
Yeshiva University (New York City). The session will discuss, "The basic
income guarantee in international perspective." The Conference is
scheduled for 6-8 May 2007 at the Sheraton New York. Interested persons should
contact Richard Caputo at caputo@yu.edu
REGINA (CA), 6-8 June 2007: Economic Security for All in Saskatchewan: Weaving
an Unbreakable Social Fabric.
This conference is organized by Prof. Jim Mulvale at the Department of Justice
Studies of the University of Regina. Themes and topics submitted to discussion
will include: re-establishing a strong social safety net, re-committing to the
principle of universality in income support, health care, and access to
education, ensuring a living wage for working people, moving toward a
guaranteed annual income or "basic income" in Saskatchewan and
Canada. For further information: jim.mulvale@uregina.ca
-From BIEN
MANCHESTER (UK), 3-5 September 2007: Workshop on 'Ethics, Work and
Emancipation'
A workshop on 'Ethics, Work and Emancipation' is planned as part of the
'Workshops in Political Theory' Fourth Annual Conference that will be held at
Manchester Metropolitan University, 3-5 September 2007. The goal of this
specific workshop is to explore the possibility of, and the difficulties
associated with realizing, emancipatory or meaningful forms of work in
contemporary capitalist societies. Papers are welcomed from researchers working
in the disciplines of political, social, and economic philosophy/theory. Key
themes and areas of focus include: 1. Basic income and work: What is the
relation between meaningful work and the basic income literature? Is the call
for a basic citizen income at odds with, indifferent to, or, instead, a support
to the demand for meaningful modes of human productivity? 2. The concept of
mancipatory/meaningful work 3. The historical genesis of the
concept of work 4. The ethics and morality of meaningful
work, 5. The politics of meaningful work, 6. Work and the economy. Organizers: Keith Breen (Queen's
University Belfast), Ruth Chenoweth (Royal Holloway College). If you are
interested in presenting a paper in this workshop, please contact Keith Breen
(k.breen@qub.ac.uk). For further information, see
www.hlss.mmu.ac.uk/pap/events/wpt
-From BIEN
11. NEW PUBLICATIONS
COOK, Richard, “Time to Change America by Challenging Economic Fundamentals,”
February 26, The Dissident Voice.
This article on economic and monetary reform discusses the American Monetary
Institute and the American Monetary Act, along with the LaTourette-Kucinich
proposal for an infrastructure bank, as well as the legislation on "A Tax
Cut for the Rest of Us" written by Al Sheahen and Karl Widerquist of the
USBIG Network. The article is on line at:
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Feb07/Cook18.htm
A BASIC INCOME COMIC STRIP: The Penny Family and the Guaranteed Minimum Income
Program
This comic strip explains the rational and the operation of Brazil’s Basic
Income program. It is on the web at:
http://www.senado.gov.br/eduardosuplicy/Programa/programa_english2.asp
KING, J. E. & MARANGOS, John (2006), 'Two Arguments for Basic Income:
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) en Thomas Spence (1750-1814)', History of Economic
Ideas, 14 (1), pp. 55-71. In the 1790s the radical thinkers Thomas Paine and
Thomas Spence were among the first to advocate the payment of a basic income as
a right to all citizens. In this paper J. E. King (La Trobe University,
Australia) and John Marangos (Colorado State University, United States) outline
Paine's position, as set out in The Rights of Man (1791-1792) and in Agrarian
Justice (1795), and compare it with the case made by Thomas Spence in The
Rights of Infants (1797). The authors show that their arguments were
surprisingly complex, and included utilitarian grounds for supporting a basic
income in addition to an assertion of the individual's right to existence and
to a share in the produce of nature.
-From BIEN
ORSI, Cosma (2006), The Value of Reciprocity. Arguing for a Plural Political Economy, Roskilde (DK): Federico
Caffè Centre Publisher & University of Roskilde, 138pp. In this
essay, Cosma Orsi (Roskilde University, Denmark) argues that one of the most
urgent challenges of our times is the need to "repair the social
fracture" generated by the free market. Basic income is discussed
(pp.106-111) as one of the elements of a package of measures that might
contribute to reach this goal.
-From BIEN
12. NEW DISCUSSION PAPERS
The USBIG Discussion Paper series posts papers on BIG, related policies, and on
the state of poverty and inequality. Papers from the USBIG Discussion paper
series have been published in a large number of journals and magazines. Papers
can be found on line at: http://www.usbig.net/papers.html. New Discussion
papers include:
No. 174 March 2007
Zelleke, Almaz, “Is ‘The Plan’ a Basic Income? An Assessment of Charles
Murray’s Proposal to Replace the Welfare State with an (Almost) Universal Grant”
No. 173 March 2007
Quaraishi, Sabrina, “How Empowering Is Microcredit: A Look At Grameen Bank”
No. 172 March 2007
Tideman, Nicolaus, “The Ethics of Unequal Basic Income Guarantees”
No. 171 February 2007
Schenk, Nadine, “Political Decision Making and Agenda Setting in South Africa:
Why the Basic Income Grant has not (yet) been accepted by government in South
Africa”
No. 170 February 2007
Healy, Seán and Brigid Reynolds, “Making Tax Credits Refundable: A Pathway to
Basic Income in Ireland?”
No. 169 February 2007
Sheahen, Al, “The Rise and Fall of a Basic Income Guarantee Bill in the United
States Congress”
No. 168 February 2007
Wetzell, David L, “A New Kind of Index Fund Designed to Grow the Social
Security Trust Fund”
No. 167 February 2007
Bambrick, Laura, “A BIG Response to Wollstonecraft’s Dilemma”
No. 166 February 2007
Lewis, Michael A., “What To Do About Care Work: Compensate Or Facilitate?”
No. 165 February 2007
Smith, Jeffery J., “Can a Citizens Dividend Replace
Welfare?”
No. 164 February 2007
Todd, Christine, “Poverty Reduction and Welfare Provision for Single Parents in
Aotearoa / New Zealand and the United States - A Comparative Analysis”
No. 163 February 2007
Farris, Buford, “Happy Workers, Welfare Queens, and Surfers: Images in the
Debate Around a Guaranteed Income”
No. 162 February 2007
Caputo, Richard K., “The Death Knoll of BIG or BIG by Stealth: A Preliminary
Assessment of UBIG Political Viability around the Globe”
No. 161 January 2007
Clark, Stephen C., “The Juarez Plan”
No. 160 January 2007
Cook, Richard C., “The Basic Income Guarantee and Monetary Reform: A Tale of
Two Ideas”
No. 159 December 2006
Richa, “Looking at BIG from below”
13. NEW LINKS
CROCKED TIMBER BLOG DISCUSSES BIG: An interesting debate on BIG and Stakeholder
Grants is running on the Crooked Timber blogsite. The discussion involves
people using their own names and many of them are prominent social scientists.
The discussion is based on proposals by Philippe Van Parijs, Anne Alstott, and
Bruce Ackerman. Good references to factual information relevant to the BIG
debate can be found in the discussion. The thread is on-line at:
http://crookedtimber.org/2007/02/28/redesigning-distribution/#comments
MARSHAL BRAIN: Why Our Emerging Robotic Nation Needs a Basic Income Guarantee
http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/brain20070307/
Marshal Brain’s articles “Robotic Nation” and “Robotic Freedom,” as well as the
book “Manna,” discuss the effects of the robotic revolution on the world
Economy. Brain argues that robotics will create great new potential in the
economy but will also displace tens of millions of workers making a basic
income guarantee an economic imperative. On this website, Brain answers
frequently asked questions about his proposals to provide all human beings with
a basic income guarantee in order to facilitate our transition to a fully
automated economy.
LEWIS AND WIDERQUIST INTERVIEWED ON NEW YORK RADIO
At 10am on February 14, 2007, Bill DiFazio interviewed Karl Widerquist and
Michael A. Lewis on DiFazio’s radio program, City Watch on WBAI New York. The
three discussed the basic income guarantee as a policy to address poverty in
New York City. The program will be available in the WBAI archives on the web
for 90 days following the original broadcast. Go to http://archive.wbai.org/,
click on archives, scroll down to February 14, and click on “City Watch.”
14. NEW MEMBERS
Seven new members have joined the USBIG Network since January. The USBIG
Network now has 127 members from 28 U.S. states and 22 foreign countries.
Membership in USBIG is free and open to anyone who shares its goals. To become
a member of USBIG go to www.usbig.net, and click on “membership.” The current
members of the USBIG Network are:
Karl Widerquist, Cassopolis, MI; Eri Noguchi, New York, NY; Fred Block, Davis,
CA; Michael A. Lewis, New York, NY; Steve Shafarman, Washington, DC; Brian
Steensland, Bloomington, IN; Al Sheahen, Van Nuys, CA; Robert Harris, Roosevelt
Island, NY; Philippe Van Parijs, Brussels, Belgium; Stanley Aronowitz, New
York, NY; Carole Pateman, Los Angeles, CA; Frances Fox Piven, New York, NY;
Eduardo Suplicy, Sao Paolo, Brazil; J. Philip Wogaman, Washington, DC; Chris
LaPlante, Blacksburg, VA; John Marangos, Fort Collins, CO; Fransisco Sales,
Carretera Mexico City, DF, Mexico; Manuel Henriques, Lisbon, Portugal; Amelia
Baughman, Williams, AZ; Robert F. Clark, Alexandria, VA; Jason Burke Murphy,
Saint Louis, MO; Joel Handler, Los Angeles, CA; Glen C. Cain, Madison, WI;
Timothy Roscoe Carter, San Fransisco, CA; John Bollman, Bay City, MI; George McGuire,
Brooklyn, NY; Adrian Kuziminski, Fly Creek, NY; Hyun-Mook Lim, Seoul, Korea;
Kelly D. Pinkham, Kansas City, MO; Michael Murray, Clive, IA; Josep LI. Ortega,
Santa Coloma, Andorra; Michael Opielka, Königswinter, Germany; Brenden Miller,
Cambridge, MA; Myron J. Frankman, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Frank Thompson, Ann
Arbor, MI; Harry F. Dahms, Knoxville, TN; Buford Farris, Bastrop, TX; Roy
Morrison, Warner, NH; Robley E. "Rob" George, Manhattan Beach, CA,
Almaz Zelleke, Brooklyn, NY; Gonzalo Pou, Montevideo, Uruguay; Elisabetta
Pernigotti, Paris, France; Ross Zucker, New York, NY; Sean Owens, La Mirada,
CA, Dean Herd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Hugh Thompson, London, UK; Jan van
Knippenberg, Kinrooi, Belgium; Adam Csillag, Berlin, Germany; Steve Gazzo, Pittsburgh,
PA; Mike Cottone, Weaverville, CA; Brigitte Sirois, Quebec, Quebec, Canada; Guy
Standing, Geneva Switzerland; G. W. Putto, Den Haag, the Netherlands;
Anonymous, Berkeley, CA; Pete Farina, Washington, DC; Robert Wirengard, Fair
Share, Florida; Urban Boljka, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Ronal Cohen, Bennington,
Vermont; H.T.L. Quan, Chicago, Illinois; Lourdes Maria Silva Araujo; Espirito
Santo, Brazil; Patrick S. O'Donnell, Santa Barbara, California; Stephen
Nathanson, Boston, Massachusetts; Jerey Vogt, Washington, DC; Justine Lam,
Arlington, Virginia; Ricardo A. Bunge, San Antonio, Texas; Aziz Akgul, Ankara,
Turkey; Judith A. Kaluzny, Fullerton, California; Leonard Butters, Spokane,
Washington; Peter Christiansen, San Francisco, California; Kyle Patrick Meredith,
Chattanooga, Tennessee; Benjamin Hyink, LaGrange, Illinois; Nancy Folbre,
Amherst, Massachusetts; Noaki Yoshihara, Kunitachi, Tokyo; Bernard Mueller,
Torrance, California; Zool (Paul Zulkowitz); Woodmare, New York; Amanda Reilly,
Wellington, New Zealand; Adam Sacks, Lexington, Massachusetts; Mark Levinson,
New York, New York Kathy Fitzpatrick, Grand Rapids, MI; Stephen C. Clark, Port
Hueneme, CA; Cristian Pérez Muñoz, Sauce, Uruguay; Richa, Grand Rapids, MI;
Floyd Robinson, Ann Arbor, MI; Bradley Nelson, Portland, OR; Mark Ewbank,
Coventry, United Kingdom; Bernard Cloutier, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Mark
Erickson, Skokie, IL; Dale Carrico, Oakland, CA; Joseph Meyer, St.Vith,
Belgium; A.R. Rowe, Brooklyn, NY; Pius Charles Murray, Somersworth, NH; John D.
Jones, Milwaukee, WI; Troy Davis, Williamsburg, VA; William E Fraser, Santa
Cruz, CA. Twelve new members have joined USBIG since December 18, 2005. They
are Luke Mead, Astoria, OR; Ori Lev, Baltimore, MD; Ralph Rostas, Chester, VA;
Laura Cornelius, Woodbridge, VA; Dylan Matthews, Hanover, NH; John (Jack)
O'Donnell, Millville, NJ; Stefano Lucarelli, Ancona, Italy; Richard Lippincott
Biddle, Philadelphia, PA; Alanna Hartzok, Scotland, PA; Hank Delisle,
Fukuoudai, Japan; Michael LaTorra, Las Cruces, NM; Mike Roberts, Rochester, NY,
Anson Chong, Fen Forest, HI; Michele Lewis, Washington, DC; Heather Boushey,
Washington, DC; Nicolaus Tideman, Blacksburg, VA; John Carroll, Edinburgh, IN;
Rosalind Diana, Seaside Heights, NJ; W. Robert Needham, Waterloo, ON, Canada;
Cedric Neill, Orlando, FA; Richard Cook, College Park, MD; Miroslav Turcinovic,
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; William DiFazio, Brooklyn, NY; Angel Garman,
Hugo OK; Karin Nyquist, Emmaboda, Sweden; Larry Dansinger, Monroe, ME; Richard
G. Wamai Cambridge, MA; Melissa Farrell, Staten Island, NY.
15. LINKS AND OTHER INFO
For links to dozens of BIG websites around the world, go to
http://www.usbig.net/links.html. These links are to any website with
information about BIG, but USBIG does not necessarily endorse their content or
their agendas.
The USBIG Network Newsletter
Editor: Karl Widerquist
Research: Paul Nollen
Copyediting: Mike Murray and the USBIG Committee
The U.S. Basic Income Guarantee (USBIG) Network publishes
this newsletter. The Network is a discussion group on basic income guarantee
(BIG) in the United States. BIG is a generic name for any proposal to create a
minimum income level, below which no citizen's income can fall. Information on
BIG and USBIG can be found on the web at: http://www.usbig.net.
You may copy and circulate articles from this newsletter, but please mention
the source and include a link to http://www.usbig.net. If you know any BIG
news; if you know anyone who would like to be added to this list; or if you
would like to be removed from this list; please send me an email:
Karl@Widerquist.com.
As always, your comments on this newsletter and the USBIG website are gladly
welcomed.
Thank you,
-Karl Widerquist, USBIG Coordinator. Karl@Widerquist.com