Summary of Why we should give everyone a basic income | Rutger Bregman | TEDxMaastricht

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

Rutger Bregman, a political economist, makes a case for why society should give everyone a basic income. He cites historical examples of successful basic income experiments and argues that it is a proven idea that could fix many of the problems with our current welfare system.

• 00:00:00 Rutger Bregman, a Dutch political economist, argues that the basic income is a proven idea and that it should be implemented in order to fix the various problems with our current social security and welfare systems. He cites a number of historical examples of successful basic income experiments, and concludes by urging listeners to consider the idea.
• 00:05:00 Rutger Bregman argues that giving everyone a basic income would result in a number of positive social outcomes, including lower poverty, less infant mortality, lower health care costs, and lower crime rates. He cites a study that found that the cost of the project, including wages for the aid workers, was £50,000.
• 00:10:00 Rutger Bregman argues that a basic income is a better alternative to our current welfare system, and that it is possible to implement it. He cites examples of experiments that have shown that most people want to contribute to society. Nixon's proposed basic income was almost implemented, but was ultimately rejected because some senators were concerned about the size of the income.
• 00:15:00 Rutger Bregman argues in favor of a universal basic income, or a payment given to all citizens regardless of income or wealth. He points to past Utopian ideals that have eventually come to be realized, and argues that the time is now ripe for such a policy to be implemented.