10 reasons why we need
a Guaranteed Livable Income

1. Nature: A guaranteed livable income would prevent the destruction of the environment due to the attempt to grow the world's economy to create full employment. The loss of clean air, clean water, forests, aerable soil, all forms of "wild" life cannot be measured. Trying to create full employment to meet people's needs is stunningly costly, vastly wasteful and destructive to both the humans, nature and all living things.

2. People: A guaranteed livable income would prevent people from having their lives shortened and made miserable from poverty and poverty-related ill health.

3. Peace: Millions of jobs depend on war. Only with a guaranteed income could we afford to end the war industries.

4. Productive Choice: Right now many mothers and others denied the right to look after their children because they cannot afford to. Caregiving is not considered to be productive work. Those who do this unpaid work are financially penalized. A GLI allows for the productive choice of providing care to family and community members and the natural world.

5. Freedom: Only with a guaranteed livable income can people get "free" time to be free of having to perform jobs that are unnecessary or wasteful and/or which are harmful or degrading to the human mind, spirit and body. Only with an economic security can people be free of exploitation, degradation and being under the control of those who have the power to take away their means of living.

6. Dignity: People should not have to feel they are failures and be huminlated by having to beg for charity or welfare because they are not 'productive'. In addition, babies, children, elders, people with different abilities, people with illnesses are some of the people who society allows to live in poverty because they are "unproductive." This is shameful. A GLI would allow for dignity in our communities.

7. Economic Democracy: Democracy is a cruel joke if you can vote but you cannot eat. People who are struggling to survive or are exhausted from low-pay or no pay work, do not have the time, energy or means to participate in democracy, even at the local level. Who can attend a long public meeting if you are in crisis, are hungry or have young children to care for?

8. Health: As long as millions of jobs depend on the consumption of health destroying products and on the proliferation of pharmacueticals and the medical industry, we cannot afford to have a fully healthy population.

9. Justice: "We have enough for need, we don't have enough for greed" MG.There are more than enough natural resources in the world that everyone should be able to have a healthy and happy life. However vast quantities of resources are being squandered(or polluted and destroyed) on unnecessary and/or harmful economic activity.

10. Transition to a Life-Cycle economy: There are hundreds of good ideas that people have to make society better. Relearning subsistence skills, community building, bartering, learning about healthful eating, storytelling, mentoring, playing and dreaming are all really good ideas, however, with so much time, energy and resources being squandered on harmful or wasteful economic activities, people have little energy left except to be a zombie and get their dose of junk TV, junk music, junk food, junk entertainment and other forms of escape. A GLI would allow us to create a bridge to a life-affirming economic system.

Right now cities are growing and the countryside is emptying as people look for places to live where they hope to find a job. A guaranteed livable income would mean people could reduce their living costs by moving out of the city. For some people this would also mean healthier living. One could imagine the development of a 'hobbit' economy where there is more small scale production, more time off, more barter, more artisans, more music and more people available to share in family care work.

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