Two Angels Who Will Save People from Hell: "Basic Income" and "Helicopter Money”

A young man from Japan visited a refugee camp in Afghanistan and saw Hell (*1).

People without arms, legs, and with burns all over their bodies, who must have fled from the battlefield were seen everywhere. The sight of them reaching out their hands to him, asking for one rupee (about two cents) as if they were hell's zombies, is lingering.
　One of them, an elementary-school-aged girl who had lost both eyes, came staggering up to him in a distressed voice, saying, "One rupee, one rupee."

He could have given her a rupee or so. But he was too overwhelmed by the scene to do so.

In Rwanda, he spoke to a street child.
The child said, "The leftover food is good because it is a mixture of different kinds. When I get a lot, I sometimes use it to barter with other children.
They use the matches they get from bartering to make fire to survive the cold nights.
They can't wash or bathe. Their shirts and pants are full of holes. They spend their time under bridges, in the shadows of buildings, or in manholes and freight trains when it is cold.

The number of such street children in the world reaches about 100 million(*2).

According to an article on the website of Médecins Sans Frontières (*3), as of May 2021, about 3.5 to 5 million children under the age of five die annually from malnutrition, lowered immunity, and infectious diseases. According to a UNICEF article, as of 2018, 800 million people in the world are suffering from hunger (*4). Yesterday, some of they died, the same happened today and it can happen again tomorrow.

Now, let's turn our attention to Japan.

The Corona disaster has taken a heavy toll on women, especially those working in the hotel, restaurant, and service industries. (*5)

Just a few examples that can be relevant: a young woman searching for a way to sell her kidney on a computer in an Internet cafe where she can also sleep at a low cost, or a young woman wearing a fluffy, brownish, dirty mask and disappearing into Kabukicho(*6) saying, "I don't want to be on welfare.

I don't mean to assume that these things are hell in themselves, but they are like hell if they cost you so much.

To such hell, two angels will fall down from the sky.

Their names are "Basic Income" and "Helicopter Money." (*7)

Basic income is a plan to provide a certain amount of benefits to each citizen on a continuous basis.
Helicopter money is a real magic hammer.
It is a policy thats provides money directly to the people, just like a helicopter dispersing money from the sky. It is financed by the proceeds of money issuance.

The "proceeds of money issuance" means, in case of issuing a 100,000 yen gold coin, there will be a margin of 60.000 yen after deducing the cost which is 40,000 yen.
In case of a 10,000 yen bill, a margin of 9,980 yen is left after deducing the issue cost of 20 yen. This "helicopter money" can be used as part of the financial resources for basic income (*8).

By the way, helicopter money could bring about inflation if used badly, but it is a real magic hammer if used properly.
Having a national debt does not immediately lead to inflation. It can be used to secure financial resources at a level that does not lead to inflation.
For example, the world's outstanding government debt is about $90 trillion (*9), but the world is not experiencing inflation.
Japan, the U.S. and the EU each disbursed about $1 trillion for Corona-related reasons, but there was no inflation, this is another example.

I agree with the idea that these national debts should become perpetual bonds or can be written off in the end. The national debt is ultimately the debt of each citizen, and there are times when moderate repayment is necessary. Still, if no problem arises when the debt is written off, this equates the citizen's debt being dismissed.

The "hell" I mentioned earlier will change a lot with these two angels, "basic income" and "helicopter money." Many people will be free and escape hell.

Let's imagine this, if enough money is given to people in the hellish situations described above.

If there is a little more than one rupee, the refugees in Afghanistan can get food, clothes, etc. With more benefits, they may be able to receive medical care. The refugees mentioned above can sit around the table with their families with smiles on their faces. If they are sick or injured, they can be treated by doctors to heal their wounds and pains. I can imagine them searching for a new life with smiles and hope, not worrying about tomorrow's meal.

Street children will no longer have to worry about food. They can get clean clothes and a decent environment. Depending on how the helicopter money is used, slums could be redeveloped into decent living environments and children will be able to go to school. Children who have been oppressed on the streets will be able to smile, eat a full meal, play a lot, and sleep well.

What about in Japan?

For example, 70,000 yen (about 700 dollars) per month is provided unconditionally. Even the woman I mentioned before can continue her living and expect a chance for a better life without having to sell her kidney, without having to go on welfare, and without having to feel guilty about anything (*10).

What about the woman who was trying to work in Kabukicho? With a monthly benefit of 70,000 yen, for example, she won't be forced to work in the adult entertainment industry because she cannot think of anything else to do, but she will have the time and money to consider other opportunities.

In short, it would provide unconditional, regular income or an increase in income. Even if living on 70,000 yen a month is difficult, it will not only serve as a safety net that improves welfare, it also increases income and somehow eases poverty.

In addition, since many people will be able to choose jobs with more margin, we can expect improvements in poor working conditions. For example, in the hard positions that people will not be willing to do, we can expect their wages to rise and the work intensity and hours to be eased.

And the world will see an alleviation of hunger, poverty, and labor, and more happiness will descend upon the Earth.

By the way, the third angel, "reverse child allowance" may be necessary in some areas.

Reverse child allowance is a regular benefit paid to a woman based on the smaller number of children she bears. It has the effect on both controlling population size and promoting the protection of women. In other words, it is an angel that has the power to control overpopulation that may occur in some areas due to the global introduction of basic income.

Another important point is that basic income should not be implemented only in few countries, but should be implemented on a global scale with international cooperation. This is because, for example, if only one or few countries introduce basic income, issue a large amount of their own currency, and use the money to buy a large amount of goods from other countries, such as the U.S. and the EU, the currencies of those countries would plummet internationally.

Nevertheless, some of the determinants of the value of a country's currency may be the extent of its currency issuance and its relative position to other countries.

Therefore, countries such as Japan and the United Kingdom may be able to safely introduce basic income if they refrain from excessive currency issuance and if major countries such as the EU and the United States introduce basic income at the same time.

Let's Change Today and Tomorrow

We can do this by voting for political parties that promote basic income and lobbying the US and Japanese governments to work through the implementation of basic income with the UN and summits to reach a global scale.

Conclusion.

The introduction of helicopter money and basic income worldwide would alleviate poverty and hunger globally, this would help many people escape from hell. But first, let's vote for it.

References

(*1) Stories of refugee camps in Afghanistan, stories of street children: Honto No Hinkon No Hanashi Wo Shiyou [Let's Talk About Real Poverty]Kota Ishii, Bungeishunju, 2019
(*2) Number of street children = 30-100 million:
https://www.unicef.or.jp/children/children_now/philippines/sek_ph02.html
(*3) From the website of Doctors Without Borders.
(*4) 800 million people are suffering from hunger:
UNICEF website
https://www.unicef.or.jp/news/2018/0151.html

(*5) Examples of women suffering in Japan:
　[Women's poverty and suicides are skyrocketing! Real voices calling for politics and cries of 'Death to Japan] Shukan Josei PRIME, December 13, 2020
(*6)To work in Kabukicho implies to work in a sexual entertainment industry.
(*7)About basic income and helicopter money: AI Jidai no Shin Basic Income Ron [The New Basic Income Theory in the Age of AI] Tomohiro Inoue, Kobunsha Shinsho, 2018
(*8) Another part of the funding source for basic income should be tax revenue. Tomohiro Inoue, the author of the article mentioned in *6, envisions a two-stories basic income system using tax revenue and the helicopter money.
(*9) The world's government debt is about $90 trillion:
　 [Global Government Debt Equal to GDP, IMF 20-Year Forecast].Nikkei E-Edition, October 14, 2020.

(*10) About some of the problems with the current welfare system:
For example, people are advised to rely on family and relatives first, in some cases some of their property is confiscated, or if they earn income, their benefits are reduced accordingly.
AI Jidai no Shin Basic Income Ron [The New Basic Income Theory in the Age of AI] Tomohiro Inoue, Kobunsha Shinsho, 2018. Rupo Seikatsu Hogo [Reportage on Welfare] Ryoichi Honda, Chuko Shinsho, 2010.