Switzerland is considering $2800 guaranteed income

http://gawker.com/swiss-to-vote-on-guaranteed-28-000-monthly-income-for-1441514881

"The money for their socialist utopia could come from their social insurance system, which already provides them with universal health care (they pay some premiums, depending on if they can afford it).

...

Switzerland has recently passed some of the strictest laws on executive pay in the world, and will vote in November on a 1:12 initiative, which would cap executive pay at only 12 times the amount of a company's lowest paid employee. No date has been set for the guaranteed income referendum yet."

So that's two pretty dang interesting pieces of legislation regarding income. The 1:12 ratio thing is interesting and possibly very very stupid.

But, I keep reading that the guaranteed monthly income is actually a libertarian-capitalist idea. Someone more versed in political science might be able to explain that to me. But, I believe Canada did something like this, once. It was, from what I read, pretty dang successful.

Could someone find the "test run" that Canada did, the study on those results, and post it in this thread. I had no luck. But I'm very interested in this idea.

What is your opinion of what the Swiss are doing with their Execs and their guaranteed income ideas?

When people ***** about how America "hates businesses" I just chuckle and point them at Switzerland.

What a socialist thing to do.

Minimum income is considered a kind of "libertarian" idea purely because it means they can divest themselves of all responsibility toward social programs while pretending to care about human life. Libertarians also see it as providing less inference than other programs, if you're a truly more person presumably you go and give all of your minimum income to the rich people the government is stealing from.

I don't see the point of the salary cap unless Switzerland counts things like stock options in CEO pay. Honestly the only problem with it is the fear that CEOs will "go Galt" and try to hold the country's industries hostage, which a) is a purely American and b) has never happened that I know of.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Minimum income is considered a kind of "libertarian" idea purely because it means they can divest themselves of all responsibility toward social programs while pretending to care about human life. Libertarians also see it as providing less inference than other programs, if you're a truly more person presumably you go and give all of your minimum income to the rich people the government is stealing from.

That makes more sense. I appreciate you explaining that. If minimum income was the only social program offered, then it would absolve them of any other social responsibilities (because I could picture some extreme libertarians putting forth that idea). However, that's not what is up for vote in Switzerland. They would keep all of their other programs and then add this to it. Despite that, people on reddit were talking about it still being a libertarian-capitalist's wet dream (to do what Switzerland is doing).

If that's true, then wouldn't the US want to do something like this?

Talk me through this, man. I'm having a dumb moment. 🙁

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
I don't see the point of the salary cap unless Switzerland counts things like stock options in CEO pay. Honestly the only problem with it is the fear that CEOs will "go Galt" and try to hold the country's industries hostage, which a) is a purely American and b) has never happened that I know of.

Those were the two things I thought of that made that CEO idea of theirs completely stupid: companies that HQ'd in other locations and "not really income...but still income" options like Stock.