Swiss voters reject proposal to give basic income to every adult and child

 Did Swiss voters just dismiss a part of the globalist agenda for us?

Preface by Pam Barker | TLB staff writer

On Sunday, Switzerland became the first country to vote on the Universal Basic Income, and rejected the idea by a resounding 76.9%. This among a total of 5 national issues citizens voted on.

Swiss citizens are allowed to hold referenda on certain areas of the constitution if their initiatives garner the support of 100,000 signatures first.

The losing side, which didn’t expect to win, hailed a 23% margin in favour as a significant step forward in favour of the practice. Finland has committed to carrying out a pilot project starting in January 2017, and Utrecht in the Netherlands will also conduct an experiment on UBI. The Liberal Party of Canada under Justin Trudeau has also passed a resolution in favour of providing a minimum guaranteed income.

While the notion of the UBI seems premised on social justice concepts and has support from left-wing politicians such as Yanis Varoufakis, the ex fin-min of Greece, it was actually endorsed by none other than Milton Friedman, who saw it as a way of freeing people from government beauracracies. Curiously, however, it is being promoted by a former member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a subgroup of the globalist Trilaterial Commission – Andy Stern, a Big Labor boss. Writes Alex Newman in the New American,

Even before the Swiss vote, though, the scheme has been making waves — and it appears to have support from elements of the establishment. Later this month, a book will be published pushing the scheme written by former Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Big Labor boss Andy Stern, who served on the globalist Council on Foreign Relations‘ Trade Task Force. Entitled Raising the Floor: How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew Our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream, the book calls for handing out money to everyone.

SwissUBIvote

If the globalists are behind this scheme, then we may start to wonder about other elements that are not being advertised: enforced taxation to redistribute wealth; a move toward the cashless society; government control of the citizen through electronic systems of payment.

Enjoy the Agence-France Presse article, published in the Guardian.

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Exit polls suggest 78% voted against scheme to give £1,765 a month to each adult, which supporters say would help fight poverty and inequality

By Agence-France Presse in Geneva

Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to give the entire population of the country enough money to live on, according to exit polls.

A projection provided to the public broadcaster RTS said 78% had voted against all Swiss citizens, along with foreigners who have been residents in Switzerland for at least five years, being given a universal basic income, or UBI.

Supporters said providing such an income would help fight poverty and inequality in a world where good jobs with steady salaries are becoming harder to find.

The result comes as no surprise, however: opinion polls ahead of the vote had indicated more than 70% of Swiss voters opposed the measure. The Swiss government and nearly all the country’s political parties had urged voters to reject the initiative.

Critics have called the initiative “a Marxist dream”, warning of sky-high costs and people quitting their jobs in droves, to the detriment of the economy. “If you pay people to do nothing, they will do nothing,” said Charles Wyplosz, economics professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Proponents reject that suggestion, arguing that people naturally want to be productive, and a basic income would simply provide them with more flexibility to choose the activities they find most valuable.

Ralph Kundig, one of the lead campaigners, said ahead of the vote: “For centuries this has been considered a utopia, but today it has not only become possible, but indispensible.”

Kundig conceded there was little chance of the initiative passing, but said that “just getting a broad public debate started on this important issue is a victory”.

The amount to be paid was not determined, but the non-political group behind the initiative had suggested paying CHF2,500 (£1,765) a month to each adult, and CHF625 (£445) for each child.

Authorities have estimated an additional CHF25bn (£17.6bn) would be needed annually to cover the costs, requiring deep spending cuts or significant tax increases.

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Original article

ER recommends articles by the Guardian

References

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/results-votes-june-5th-2016-in-switzerland/42153620

http://www.euronews.com/2016/06/01/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-universal-basic-income/

http://www.euronews.com/2016/06/05/swiss-advocates-of-basic-income-for-all-claim-moral-victory-despite-crushing/

http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/item/23341-swiss-voters-reject-giant-tax-funded-handouts-for-all

About the contributor

TLB image Pam

Pam Barker is a TLB staff writer/analyst based in France. She has an extensive background in the educational systems of several countries at the college and university level as a teacher and administrator.