[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', 'I')n Australia we effectively have this- if not qualified for any other benefit, no substantial assets, very little cash- special benefit is about $1200 a month with rent assistance single.

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('drgoodword', '
')Note to Loki:

My apologies in advance if I'm mistaken, but your math seems to assume that everyone is given a set income amount per month.

[Oneaboveall]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'L')et me guess, your German?

[kiwichick]

mechcanisation and ever increasing computing power reduces the need for human labour , therefore we need less human beings

power, from whatever source , is only part of the solution

we are moving increasingly closer to the physical limits of this planet

and our descendents will have to leave this planet if they wish to survive

[Rune]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kiwichick', 'm')echcanisation and ever increasing computing power reduces the need for human labour , therefore we need less human beings

power, from whatever source , is only part of the solution

we are moving increasingly closer to the physical limits of this planet

and our descendents will have to leave this planet if they wish to survive

[kiwichick]

world bank figures 2005 - 2010 listing top 20 countries by GDP/capita

1 Luxembourg
2 Qatar
3 Macau
4 Singapore
5 Norway
6 Kuwait
7 Brunei
8 U.A.E.
9 U.S.A
10 Hong Kong
11Switzerland
12Netherlands
13 Ireland
14Denmark
15Austria
16Canada
17Sweden
18 Australia
19 Belgium
20 Germany

Qatar, Kuwait, Brunei, U.A.E. and Ireland had average annual population growth
of 2.24 %

the other 15 averaged 0.59%

all of the top 8 countries had populations of less than 10 million

only two countries had populations of over 50 million; USA and Germany

USA population growth averaged 0.97 %/ year
Germany averaged negative 0.07 % / year

of course the ranking jumps around ; the IMF in 2012 puts Australia at #5 and Japan at #12 for example, but the only countries with population growth over 2% annually and high GDP/ capita are also significant fossil fuel producers ; mainly oil

[Synapsid]

Oneaboveall:

Um...Hermes not Mercury?

(signed) Mythologynuisance

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kiwichick', 'w')orld bank figures 2005 - 2010 listing top 20 countries by GDP/capita

1 Luxembourg
2 Qatar
3 Macau
4 Singapore
5 Norway
6 Kuwait
7 Brunei
8 U.A.E.
9 U.S.A
10 Hong Kong
11Switzerland
12Netherlands
13 Ireland
14Denmark
15Austria
16Canada
17Sweden
18 Australia
19 Belgium
20 Germany

Qatar, Kuwait, Brunei, U.A.E. and Ireland had average annual population growth
of 2.24 %

the other 15 averaged 0.59%

all of the top 8 countries had populations of less than 10 million

only two countries had populations of over 50 million; USA and Germany

USA population growth averaged 0.97 %/ year
Germany averaged negative 0.07 % / year

of course the ranking jumps around ; the IMF in 2012 puts Australia at #5 and Japan at #12 for example, but the only countries with population growth over 2% annually and high GDP/ capita are also significant fossil fuel producers ; mainly oil

[Oneaboveall]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Synapsid', 'O')neaboveall:

Um...Hermes not Mercury?

(signed) Mythologynuisance

[Rune]

The New York Times

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he case from the right is one of expediency and efficacy. Let’s say that Congress decided to provide a basic income through the tax code or by expanding the Social Security program. Such a system might work better and be fairer than the current patchwork of programs, including welfare, food stamps and housing vouchers. A single father with two jobs and two children would no longer have to worry about the hassle of visiting a bunch of offices to receive benefits. And giving him a single lump sum might help him use his federal dollars better. Housing vouchers have to be spent on housing, food stamps on food. Those dollars would be more valuable — both to the recipient and the economy at large — if they were fungible.

Even better, conservatives think, such a program could significantly reduce the size of our federal bureaucracy. It could take the place of welfare, food stamps, housing vouchers and hundreds of other programs, all at once: Hello, basic income; goodbye, H.U.D. Charles Murray of the conservative American Enterprise Institute has proposed a minimum income for just that reason — feed the poor, and starve the beast. “Give the money to the people,” Murray wrote in his book “In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State.” He suggested guaranteeing $10,000 a year to anyone meeting the following conditions: be American, be over 21, stay out of jail and — as he once quipped — “have a pulse.”