Mere days after Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed a plan to “guarantee” a $15/hour job to anyone who “wants or needs one,” Finland announced that it will shutter its universal basic income program by year’s end.
The program handed out $685/month to unemployed people between the ages of 25 and 58, which was projected to raise taxes in Finland by 30 percent. The already over-taxed population finally said enough is enough, and the welfare system will soon begin to cut benefits to those not seeking employment.
If Finland, a small, relatively homogeneous country, would have to raise taxes by 30 percent to sustain this kind of program, how much would the US have to increase the amount of money it collects from its citizens? If Sanders and Co. gain momentum for increased government-handout programs, hardworking Americans could be looking at a massive tax increase over the next decade.
That’s why those hardworking Americans have joined the Convention of States Project. An Article V Convention of States has the power to propose constitutional amendments that force Congress to be fiscally responsible. These amendments can include spending cuts and tax caps, which would ensure that hairbrained schemes like Sanders’ never see the light of day.
