2017
May
30
Tuesday

Monitor Daily Podcast

May 30, 2017
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It takes courage to confront injustice. Last Friday night, three men made a choice to intervene during a hateful anti-Muslim rant against two teenage girls on a train in Portland, Ore. Two of those three men died, stabbed by an avowed white supremacist.

At the Monitor, we’re well aware that the tragic event is a few days old now. But we thought we should pause and recognize heroism when it happens.

Ricky John Best, an Army veteran and married father of four, was a hero for what he did as a civilian Friday.

Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, who had just begun his first job out of college, exemplified courage Friday. He acted on his highest principles.

And Micah David-Cole Fletcher, who describes himself as an aspiring poet, put the safety of others before his own.  

The perpetrator of the crime should be, and likely will be, forgotten. But these three heroes won’t.


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Today's stories

And why we wrote them

Back channels have historically allowed honest communication to take place out of the political spotlight. But among the questions circling around Jared Kushner’s reach to Russia: Was the motive self-serving or serving the nation?

Toby Melville/Reuters
British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke at an election campaign event in Wrexham, Wales, last week. The Conservatives’ lead over the opposition Labour Party has narrowed in polls ahead of a June 8 snap election.

Brits say they’re tired of so many recent votes and referendums. Some say it’s undermining democracy and faith in national leaders. But never underestimate the power of citizens to assert control – at least at the local level.

In his book “The Life of Reason,” George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” He was discussing paths to progress – and what might derail them. This next story looks at why, 50 years later, Nigeria is still dealing with an independence movement in its southeast.

Special Report

Hyungwon Kang/Reuters/File
A pharmacist catches up on record keeping at a pharmacy in Great Falls, Va. Big data has helped federal investigators spot suspicious billing practices by pharmacies and others in the health-care industry.

Evil often hides in plain sight. In this story, corrupt doctors, pharmacists, and others are stealing billions of dollars in US federal health-care money – a theft “hidden” among millions of medical transactions. But the Monitor’s Warren Richey looks at how fraud investigators are now using computer programs to reveal patterns that expose larceny.

Fundamentally, this next story is about untapped potential: Thanks to an effective shift in self-concept, these young, low-income workers discover their innate confidence and leadership skills.


The Monitor's View

 This summer, the government of Ontario begins a social experiment that will put the character of some 4,000 people to the test. The Canadian province will give as much as $16,989 (Canadian; US$12,616) a year to selected low-income individuals, whether or not they are working or on government assistance. Over three years, the recipients will be tracked to see if they have squandered the free money or, as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne hopes, they “get ahead and stay ahead.”

The experiment is similar to a pilot program launched in Finland earlier this year. That plan is giving about $7,200 annually to 2,000 unemployed people but taking them off normal government assistance. Even if they do find work, recipients keep receiving the cash payments.

These are two of the boldest attempts yet to move toward a much bigger idea called universal basic income, or the government providing a guaranteed financial floor to everyone regardless of their personal wealth.

The idea of an unconditional safety net, which has been proposed for centuries, has lately gained popularity among some liberals and conservatives. Those on the left see it as a way to allow workers to survive the loss of their jobs to automation, help reduce income inequality, and provide stability for people to start a business or get retrained. Those on the right hope it might end a complex welfare system that often encourages a degrading dependency on taxpayer revenue.

Much of the advocacy for the idea has come from high-tech celebrities. Last week, for example, Facebook founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg told the graduating class at Harvard University, “We should explore ideas like universal basic income to make sure that everyone has a cushion to try new ideas.”

Last June, Switzerland considered a full-fledged plan of about $2,500 a month for everyone– not a only those who are jobless or on state aid. Yet in a referendum, nearly 80 percent of Swiss voters rejected it. By one estimate, the plan would have cost 30 percent of gross domestic product. Yet more important, many worried about the potential effects on people’s work ethic and self-reliance.

The question of character keeps rising in the debate over universal basic income. If given minimal financial security, would people still be willing to find a greater purpose in work or other activities that contribute to society? Or would they become inward-looking and lazy?

In a recent TED Talk, Rutger Bregman, a Dutch historian and an advocate of basic income, argued that such plans would curb many bad habits of the poor. “Poverty is not a lack of character. Poverty is a lack of cash,” he said. He quotes economist Joseph Hanlon: “You can’t pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you have no boots.”

Others are more nuanced. In a new book, “Basic Income: A Radical Proposal for a Free Society and a Sane Economy,” Belgian academics Philippe Van Parijs and Yannick Vanderborght explore all sides of the arguments but contend that any basic income plan must be universal. Otherwise, giving money only to the poor or jobless will turn them “into a class of permanent welfare claimants.” And to avoid a backlash against the higher taxes needed to pay for a basic income, they suggest each individual in the United States receive $1,163 per month. That is about a quarter of the average per capita income and, by their estimate, would still provide an incentive to find work.

In the US, a political debate over people’s character in relation to government programs often divides Republicans and Democrats. Can ethics and morals be tested, nudged, or molded by force of law or bureaucratic incentives? Or is it more influenced by family, peers, media, or religion?

In a new paper from the Brookings Institution, liberal scholars Richard Reeves and Dimitrios Halikias argue that “questions of character have moved front and center in US politics.” Developing “self-efficacious” attributes of character are vital for social opportunity and to “live under your own steam.”

“The research is clear enough that a great many valuable soft skills, including persistence, attentive listening, and social competence, can indeed be shaped and nurtured by parents, teachers, and others,” they write.

“Character goes well beyond the rational response to economic and political incentives. Character relies on norms, not paternalistic nudges; it is cultivated through culture and role models, not directly engineered by technocratic government policy.”

And the authors add: “A humane, liberal society is one in which men and women possess the discipline, self-command, and personal autonomy needed to live with a sense of purpose and direction.”

As different governments test out the feasibility of a guaranteed basic income, the question must be answered: Will such schemes reduce character or enhance it? 


A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

Thirteen women around the world were honored by the US State Department this year for courage and leadership. Many heroes say that their strength and fortitude come from a higher source than themselves, writes contributor Mark Swinney. He recalls his own grandfather’s courage in helping Jews in Nazi Germany, and attributes this to an ability we all have from God. In our reflection of this higher power, every individual expresses all the strength, bravery, love, and willingness needed for selfless heroism. Relying on God as our source for strength and fortitude gives us the power to face whatever challenges come our way. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). This kingdom – the spiritual consciousness that God, good, governs all – brings out our true nature.


A message of love

Danish Ismail/Reuters
Boys in Shadipora, India, on the outskirts of Srinagar, read the Quran inside Markaz Al-Madrasa Al-Islamia, an Islamic school and orphanage. The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began Friday.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

A look ahead

Thank you for reading today. And stop back tomorrow. In the wake of Angela Merkel’s statement that Europe may need to go it alone, we’ll be looking at this question: What changes if the US pursues an interest-based relationship with Europe?

More issues

2017
May
30
Tuesday
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