Okay, so if you’re a ‘bleedin heart liberal’ like me, then you’ll know that the thought of Universal Basic Income sends your ideals and dreams of a Utopian paradise world into overdrive, where everyone is financially stable, and employers have to work hard to secure us, rather than the other way around. Guess what? Universal Basic Income is finally here. Yup, it is. It really is. No joke. It’s on the blockchain in the form of ‘Manna.’ Manna is the coin based cryptocurrrency that is distributed to everyone regardless of age, gender, sexuality, origins, whatever, all you need to be able to do is prove that you are human and have access to the internet. It took nearly a week for them to process me but I think that was because I am a non-US based resident, but so far, all my American friends have received instant approval.
It’s free? How come?
Yes my friend, all you need to be is human and have an internet connection. That’s it! The thought process behind this is where governments generally fail us as human beings. To receive benefits to survive in the UK, there needs to be a bank account and a home address. If you have no home address then you can’t have a bank account. Thinking about it realistically as I write this I wonder ‘why’ you need to have a home address to have a bank account? It’s almost as if it’s designed to be like that; to keep the riff raff away from earning any money. Nevertheless, I’ve worked in enough charities throughout my life and lead enough projects at the grass roots to understand that the system fails the people that need it the most; it’s why there’s a growing trend of homelessness and food banks in the UK. I dread to think the situation in more resource-deprived countries.
This is where Mannabase steps in. Although it’s no ‘paint with large strokes’ solution, it certainly has the potential to reach a significant amount of people that need it the most. Homeless people, jobless people, hungry people, people in war-torn and resource stricken countries; the list is literally endless. Now I know you’re thinking here, “jeez, Raymond, Internet access may be a basic human right in your part of the world but what about people that have zero internet access?” And you would be right in thinking that, but at least it’s a start when no-one else is providing a solution. Our government in the UK absolutely refuses to even give thought to Universal basic Income.
Mannabase – You don’t need to have a bank account
A couple of years ago I lead an Internet Cafe open to the public so that they could get access to employment and do daily things that other people see as a privilege. We did great things with that place, including somewhere for homeless people to connect with one another and have a warm coffee and a browse. You see my train of thought here? You need not own a computer, an internet connection, a house, or even a bank account. Use a public computer and collect money from sites like these! (p.s. I use some of these places too – so I trust them). It’s a start, and at least someone is prepared to do something about it.
I have deep woven contacts within the Charity sector and I’ll be sharing this around like crazy; there will be some people in there that will absolutely love this idea. Like me, the notion of something amazing to prop up people struggling in times of need is like when the Bear finally tastes that honey from the pot. A solution to their problems; trying to help people that sometimes don’t want help, or are too proud to accept help is often a hard, uphill struggle, but give them the means to help themselves and then boom! They’re away helping themselves.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the price of Manna is very low right now and I’m unsure what the weekly payouts are like because I haven’t had one yet. I only signed up a couple of days ago and my first payment is due soon. I don’t expect it to be worth huge amounts because the users of this platform are only in their thousands and the coin price is low, but working on the base of supply and demand, as more people hear about this project and want to ‘buy’ into it then the demand for the coin will increase. It’s a beautiful beginning and I’m proud to be part of it. It’s very exciting.
You don’t need to use your cut
What if you’re like me and have enough money behind you that you probably don’t need much of a basic income? Taking it would only make you feel greedy? Not that I’m saying taking it will make you any worse or better than anyone else; live and let live and such, but there are some of us in life that would feel guilty about this and just not opt in because they would feel that others could benefit from it more. Well, no, sign up anyway and donate it to those people!! Yup, you don’t need to collect anything. Sign up and donate 100% to charity, or withdraw it and give it to a charity of your choice. There are no options to do this right now but please understand that this is a work in progress. As I say in all my articles — Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Team Manna – Fuck Yeah!
So there we have it. The first true, without discrimination, without prejudice, completely equal Universal Basic Income to hit the market. Completely decentralised and unfiltered, ready to fill the pockets of anyone that signs up for the program! Great isn’t it? I’m really looking forward to this one coming out.