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Published: 3rd July 2012

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A Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) is the unconditional government-ensured guarantee that all citizens will have enough income to meet their basic needs without a work requirement. There are two main versions of such a program - BIG and a Negative Income Tax (NIT). BIG provides an income to all people whether they have other income or not. The NIT provides an income only to those who lack sufficient other income. Reading about BIG can be confusing because these terms are used in different ways by different people. Any policy that gets cash into the hands of people without saddling them with conditions or supervision moves in the direction of BIG. These are questions such as: Can the U.S. afford a BIG? Why can't everyone get a job? Why don't the current welfare programs work? Why should we adopt a BIG? Why not guarantee everyone a job? Would anyone work if his or her income were guaranteed? Does everyone have a right to a BIG? Has a BIG ever been tested? This book answers each question in simple, easy-to-understand language, updates many of the statistics in the 1983 version, and answers even more questions.

"This book is a great idea - brilliantly stated. Some may think it's ultra-liberal, as they did when I proposed a similar idea in 1972. I see it as true conservatism - the right of income for all Americans sufficient for food, shelter, and basic necessities. Or, what Jefferson referred to as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." - U.S. Senator George McGovern, 1972 Democratic Party Presidential Candidate
"Sheahen and I are as far apart on political philosophy and the causes of the nation's current mess as two people can be, but we both think that a basic income guarantee has to be part of the solution. That says something about the potential of this important idea whose time, as we both hope, is coming. Basic Income Guarantee will help make that happen." - Charles Murray, author of In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State
"Basic Income Guarantee is a fascinating, lucid presentation of a complex subject. Sheahen asks and answers the questions of what a just society should and could do to overcome income insecurity. Given our prolonged economic malaise, everyone in America should be thinking about it." - Theresa Funiciello, author of Tyranny of Kindness and head of Social Agenda
"Absent as an issue for almost fifty years, Allan Sheahen places the idea of a basic income for all Americans squarely back on the national agenda. In plain English, this radical idea is not only clearly explained but answers even the toughest objections that can be raised. This book should make sense even to my most dysfunctional colleagues in Congress." - Bob Filner, U.S. Congressman of San Diego and former chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee
"There are a myriad of issues surrounding the concept of a guaranteed income. Sheahen deals with each of these issues logically, rationally, and, perhaps most importantly, succinctly.
For a BIG to become reality there needs to be a paradigm shift in the thinking of Americans. (That's the r

ISBN: 9781137005700
ISBN-10: 113700570X
Series: Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee
Audience: Tertiary; University or College
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 220
Published: 3rd July 2012
Dimensions (cm): 22.2 x 14.3  x 1.3
Weight (kg): 0.454