Universal Basic Rights

Feeling disappointed for Andrew Yang's withdrawn of the 2020 U.S. Democratic candidate election, here's for him.

Andrew Yang was the only Asian American that was running for the 2020 presidency(for dropped from the Democratic Party for now). The concept of "universal basic income" was one of his flagship policies along with dozens more and which still lingers after his suspension of campaigning. It's difficult not to think about it. Andrew Yang, as a Taiwanese American and a successful businessman, proposed UBI as a key countermeasure to prepare the American people and for the 5th industrial revolution, AI. While we're not here to discuss how much or little we agree with his policies, the idea of universal basic rights is worth discussing.

We live, not to survive, but for the betterment of life. When we already have a sense of basic rights such as education, work, and gender equality, perhaps it's time to update the fundamentals once more.

What do you think is something that everyone should have by humanity thus far? The majority if not all, is the right to be educated, able to work for a living and to have freedom, thanks to the battles fought before us. Is it enough though, just to live? We believe not.

survival < life < quality life < betterment of the world

If we keep getting stuck on trying to make it to the next day, month or year, we'll eat each other for it. In this generation, there are a few things that we believe are our basic human rights and here are merely a few:

p.s. "Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination or attachments"; it shouldn't involve a price either.

1. access to public transportation(bus), drinking water, bathrooms

2. education (mandatory)

3. Wi-Fi, charging stations

First of all, the question that everyone asks- where does the money come from? It comes from taxpayers, obviously, and also foreign investments, high pollution industries, recreational drugs...etc.

Taxation has always been the mandatory practice but it also serves as the symptom that will cause an inevitable wealth gap. The rich pay less and less until even none for tax but are the most benefited in society. Ironically and inescapably, they are the top 1 percent and has always been this way throughout human history. What if, though, we put a value tax on their wealth, no matter it being their real estates, artistic collections, income, foundations...whatnot by just 1% or even 0.5%? They would have been the heroes of the poorest and if they didn't like this they could always just leave. This country needs and deserves people who want to stay and not those who empty it until they are done with it.

We dare to say that most of us would agree with UBR but would not support the initiative of it knowing that it would help more people who aren't ourselves. The sooner we look at good deeds reversely the sooner we would achieve it. We first target the problems from the bottom and work our way up. People who have a successful career or life would not want to risk it by committing crimes; it is the ones who are hopeless about their lives that would. By helping them, we help everyone. It is that simple.

Would this affect or obstruct the elites of society? Definitely not. As a matter of fact, they know how to work their way up and they'll give their best to stay up. Raising life standards would even help them find better employees.

The reason for the listed three basic rights came from the thought of homeless people's suffering or those who are constantly in the streets(bagging and such). Aside from the unique cases that they chose to be there, which we do not believe, can we say this with a clear conscience that we're not trapping them there? Are we not, in some ways, letting them rot and die? Are we doing the best we could to move them up to our level or we're doing at most keeping them alive?

Why are there those who urinate on the streets? Why are there those who get stuck and not getting help? If we're offered a job/task that can guarantee a slight betterment of the current life, we'd be all over it. Give a man one meal and he'd thank you for the day but give a man a sense of purpose, he'll live to help more of his kind. What if a homeless person is assigned to trim bushes from the parks or take care of some dogs from the shelters in exchange of his food, shelter and maybe more? Tell me how many out there that want to stay out.

The distribution of responsibility(work, sense of purpose) to people who are surviving is the key to changing their living conditions, i.g.cleaning areas in exchange for temporary shelter, delivery, errands... etc. which engage people of all kinds to participate in society not only just help the poor but those capable to have sympathy for everyone.

Are we making sense yet? We hope so. You may think then, Wi-Fi, seriously? Education is the only real way out of poverty. Most countries are more than capable of making/having completely free public Wi-Fi. Take Taiwan for example. We have quite many libraries which could provide almost all that was mentioned above. Go there, catch a water break, access to the next "task location" and take a free bus there. It's totally doable. The libraries also have a lot of available space at night to provide shelter for those in need but so far not being used enough.

If we are not making the world better, what the hell are we living for? Everyone will die; why not live better.

#selfreflect