Still Report #929 – Basic Income Referendum Fails in Switzerland

from Bill Still

lass=”” >Tonight I have friends that are deeply dismayed that today’s referendum in Switzerland, proposing a guaranteed basic income of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,555) per month to every adult, was soundly rejected by the practical Swiss citizens by a 77 to 23 margin.
This was the first time that the guaranteed basic income had ever come to a vote. It has lingered for decades in the twilight realm of economic idealism along with other social credit and socialist ideas of how a perfect would could be run.
The idea is that if one’s basic needs were met, each person would be better able to develop their unique skill set to its maximal degree, thereby creating a society of highly skilled and marvelously happy and fulfilled individuals.
To me, this is the ultimate utopian plan – a plan that is completely impractical to the point of societal destruction.
Why? Because it violates the basic, basic concept of the incentive-driven society that has been at the core of making America great.
Why are incentive-driven societies better than utopian-driven societies? Today’s Europe is the perfect example. They let socialism take control under its most utopian promises. Utopian societies make the people weak – easily overrun by more primitive, war-like societies.
On the other hand, incentive-driven societies are self-healing and self-correcting – more like the human immune system – because incentivists are less interested in the “how” and more interested in simply reaching the goal; therefore they identify threats to goals early on. When that group of war-like primitives invades an incentive-driven society, it automatically starts the correction cycle much earlier on, thereby maximizing the possibilities for healing.
In the case of Germany, France and Sweden, full recovery from the invasion is probably already an unachievable goal.
Let’s take a smaller example. Right now, it’s Sunday evening. I feel I deserve a rest. My hands have typed all week and they certainly feel they deserve a rest. However, I work for money and I need more of it.
If I were a rich man, right now, I’m much rather watch the French Open tennis finals, whilst lying prone on a comfy couch. In fact, I had to tear myself away from it to come do this piece before I run out of energy and called it a night.
But consuming television sports content WILL NOT get this piece written, filmed, edited and created on YouTube TONIGHT. Because tonight, some young, incentive-driven economist, looking to make a name for himself fresh out of London School of Economics or Warton, will be out looking for something to watch.
So my dual incentives tonight are to do something which may make me some additional income. But really, equally important is that I feel a responsibility for promoting monetary reform – at least my version of it — because it is the only weapon that can effectively destroy the #1 economic and social ill of all humanity on this planet – the debt money system.
However, if my governmental patron in the sky had gifted me with an additional $2511 in yesterday’s mail, I wouldn’t be here working on the first day of the week into the late evening doing what is essentially God’s work.
No, I’d be watching tennis as I fell to sleep.
Thankfully, basic income is NOT monetary reform, which is what this channel is ultimately all about. Monetary reform depends on the incentive-driven approach – basic income would at least have a troubled marriage with it.
Monetary reform boils down to these two primary targets for changings.
1. Banks can no longer create the national money.
2. Governments can no longer borrow money. Pay-as-you-go only. Why should a sovereign nation borrow, when it can – and must — by definition — create – create the nation’s money?
It’s like asking Donald Trump: Why build that wall across the southern border of the U.S.?

In both cases the answer is the same: because these two functions are the very definition of sovereignty. If you want to be free, you have to do these two.
Lastly, my motto for monetary reform:
“It’s not what backs money that is important.
It’s who controls the quantity.”
Will it be we, the people for all citizens equally?
Or, it will be the bankers who – you can be absolutely sure – will create the money to serve their benefit alone.
So which money system do you think we might be under the predatory claws of today?
I’m still reporting from Washington. Good evening.