The GAIA could be administered in numerous ways. Chrystal's suggestion of a tax
refund to people falling below a certain threshold may be the most practical.
One possible threshold would be one-half the average personal income in that
year - which many surveys find to be a socially agreed upon poverty line (in my
view, this is still too low, but it might be the kind of compromise needed to
get support). The funding would derive from income tax revenues - and overhead
costs would decline by scrapping several other (now unnecessary) cash transfer
programs. The savings could be used to increase the GAIA and/or invest in
public health care, education, and child care.

I think a flat rate for each citizen or permanent resident is preferable to
adjustments based on region, family structure, etc. - simply because the latter
adjustments are divisive and there is really no logical end to them. For
example, the cost of living is higher in Toronto than in northwestern Ontario.
But the cost of living also depends on age, gender, religion, and a host of
other factors. How would we decide which adjustments to make?

By combining a flat GAIA with adequately funded public services that people need
at certain points in their lives (health care, child care, education, etc.) or
in certain regions (e.g., public transit and immigration settlement services in
cities), I think we can deal with these issues.

Finally, on the philosophical debate about "goodness", I agree there is plenty
of evidence for humans' "bad" behaviour - genocide, slavery, capitalist
exploitation, domestic violence, etc. But there is also evidence - every day
and throughout history - of humans working together to solve problems, of
helping, of co-operation, of trust, of love. These are things that I consider
"good" - and they are rooted in our propensity to be social animals. You may
disagree, and that is fine. But if we can pull together and make a GAIA work in
Canada, then you'll probably agree that's a "good" thing - for you, for me, for
the health of the population. (I also don't think humans are the only creatures
with the potential to be "good").

Jeff

--
Jeff Denis
PhD Student
Department of Sociology
Harvard University

"The principle of organizing our society for the benefit of all the people and
not for a privileged few - that is still here and that is a principle to which
we adhere." - Tommy C. Douglas





Quoting Chrystal Ocean <[log in to unmask]>:

> A means test applied at the time one files one's income tax return makes a
> GAIA no less universal. Everyone would be subjected to the same test, not
> just certain people, and the numbers would do the evaluation of
> 'worthiness', not someone sitting across a desk from you.
>
> Essentially, a GAIA paid by cheque to everyone in Canada and then taxed back
> vs. a GAIA issued as a tax refund, is the same thing; the difference is the
> time delay in the first year of implementation. However, the average person
> would likely find the latter method easier to stomach - although it would
> still be a hard sell due to misunderstanding about the nature of work, who
> works, and why.
>
> Concerning the amount of a GAIA, which is a question that came up in private
> correspondence, perhaps a larger question is... Do we want a flat rate for
> each person (say $12,000), regardless of where they live or household size,
> or a rate that adjusts to these? If the latter, then I'd like to see
> regional, provincial and federal govts cooperate (!), so that the threshold
> would be adjustable to the economic condition of each region, rather than to
> our provinces/territories, which are larger than most countries. In terms of
> household size, Canada's tax system has mechanisms now that (are intended
> to) adjust the amount of tax owing accordingly.
>
> I do wonder about the possible advantage of a flat rate, which raises
> chicken-and-egg questions. E.g., is Toronto or Vancouver more expensive
> because salaries are larger? Or are salaries larger because it's more
> expensive to live in Toronto or Vancouver? If the GAIA were set at a flat
> rate, it could well help lift areas that have come economically deprived. It
> could encourage sons and daughters, who have fled to urban areas to earn a
> living, to return home.
>
> [Thread drift] With respect to human beings as social animals, it doesn't
> follow that they are therefore fundamentally good. Chimps, elephants, and
> many other species are social animals, and as any ethologist can attest,
> they frequently work for a common cause, as do bees, ants, and so on.
> Suggestions that humans are fundamentally good always gets my knickers in a
> twist, as there is much evidence that it just ain't so. [/end thread drift]
>
> Ocean, WISE Coordinator
> http://www.wise-bc.org/
>
> -------------------
> Problems/Questions? Send it to Listserv owner: [log in to unmask]
>
>
> To unsubscribe, send the following message in the text section -- NOT the
> subject header --  to [log in to unmask]
>
> SIGNOFF SDOH
>
> DO NOT SEND IT BY HITTING THE REPLY BUTTON. THIS SENDS THE MESSAGE TO THE
> ENTIRE LISTSERV AND STILL DOES NOT REMOVE YOU.
>
> To subscribe to the SDOH list, send the following message to
> [log in to unmask] in the text section, NOT in the subject header.
>
> SUBSCRIBE SDOH yourfirstname yourlastname
>
> To post a message to all 1200+ subscribers, send it to [log in to unmask]
> Include in the Subject, its content, and location and date, if relevant.
>
> For a list of SDOH members, send a request to [log in to unmask]
>
> To receive messages only once a day, send the following message to
> [log in to unmask]
> SET SDOH DIGEST
>
> To view the SDOH archives, go to:
> https://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/sdoh.html
>

-------------------
Problems/Questions? Send it to Listserv owner: [log in to unmask]


To unsubscribe, send the following message in the text section -- NOT the subject header --  to [log in to unmask]

SIGNOFF SDOH

DO NOT SEND IT BY HITTING THE REPLY BUTTON. THIS SENDS THE MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE LISTSERV AND STILL DOES NOT REMOVE YOU.

To subscribe to the SDOH list, send the following message to [log in to unmask] in the text section, NOT in the subject header.

SUBSCRIBE SDOH yourfirstname yourlastname

To post a message to all 1200+ subscribers, send it to [log in to unmask]
Include in the Subject, its content, and location and date, if relevant.

For a list of SDOH members, send a request to [log in to unmask]

To receive messages only once a day, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SET SDOH DIGEST

To view the SDOH archives, go to: https://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/sdoh.html