The myth that the U.S. functions as a meritocracy - where the skills and hard work of an individual defines their success, wealth and power, while disregarding the role that wealth, privilege and luck can play - is foundational to the economic injustice that plagues our country.
Join us in changing the narrative around how our economic systems function. Join us in re-imagining what a just economy could look like, one rooted in the idea that every human being deserves to have their basic needs met.
Sign up to learn more about work happening in your region as well as across the country as we continue to build the movement for economic justice through the bold idea of basic income.
There is a growing movement in the United States to reimagine how our economy works, so that we are prioritizing the many, rather than the few. The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, at the most advanced time in human history. Yet, more than 130 million people in our country have no savings and cannot cover their basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. At the same time, the wealthy have continued to pay less in taxes, companies have pushed for stagnant wages that have not kept up with inflation, and the billionaire club keeps growing.
It doesn't have to be this way. There is a growing movement focused on getting a national basic income in place as one part of shifting our systems to help everyone in the United States thrive.
What is basic income? It is an idea built on a shared belief that one key function of a government (by and for the people!) is to create systems and policies designed to support the liberty, health and well-being of it's people. Having individuals basic needs met is critical to healthy communities and a healthy society. By providing unconditional cash directly to people, and building their income so they can cover their basic needs, we will have a society where millions of people who are currently struggling to survive can move towards stability.
There are more than 200 basic income pilots happening all across the U.S. and coalitions of nonprofit organizations, researchers, policy advisors, and grassroots advocates are fighting to move those pilots into permanent, wide-scale policy at the state and national levels.
In this work, we know the importance of a tool that supports long-term coalition building. This is why we created the I Support Basic Income Open Letter.
The goal of this open letter is to accumulate millions of individual signers and thousands of organizations, businesses, and local, state and national elected officials to show that our movement isn't going away - it's getting stronger by the day. Add your name to the letter. Urge elected officials to join you in supporting basic income for a more just and equitable society.
