Adults in Switzerland could be in for a windfall, under a proposal set for a national referendum. The government would provide every adult $2,750 a month, every month, in what’s known as a “basic income.” One economist says it’s not as whacky as it may seem to us.
In December, Republicans and Democrats managed to extend a payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits and a fix for Medicare payments. That extension runs out at the end of the month but, at least when it comes to the payroll tax cut, Republicans are willing to offer another extension through the end of the year.
More than three million more people are now collecting Social Security payments because of disability then were in 2007. A new report from the Obama administration and others suggests that as people lose unemployment benefits, they’re going after disability benefits.
It should come as no surprise that Democrats and Republicans are disagreeing. President Barack Obama has a proposal on the table to extend the existing cuts and expanded to employers, and Democrats are coming around to the idea. But they disagree vehemently over how to pay for it.