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A Better World Is Possible

“You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one” - John Lennon, Imagine.

Saying 2021 was a dumpster fire would be an understatement—and an insult to dumpster fires! The year started with a failed coup at the Capitol, continued with several mass shootings, and ended with another COVID variant that will inevitably keep the ongoing pandemic going.

As this year has been less than optimistic, so, too, sadly, have been my monthly columns. I consider that a personal shame. When I started this column, I didn’t want to become yet another muckraking pundit, and yet it’s hard to avoid racking muck when so much muck keeps getting flung around.

And yet, despite my pessimistic screeds this year, over the past three years, my columns have remained relatively optimistic. Sure, I complain about bad things when they happen, but overall, I try to pen productive pieces about potential policies that can provide positive payoffs.

From four-hour work weeks (https://bit.ly/3HflAK1) to problem-oriented policing (https://bit. ly/3ElJdid), I’ve discussed policies that could make the world better. While pessimists would dismiss these proposals as “pie in the sky” fantasies, many have become proven realities.

Several years ago, I wrote about Housing First, a radical idea to give homes to the homeless. (https://bit. ly/3sygLHl) Sounds too good to be true? Yet Finland proves it can work.

Since 2007, Finland started providing its homeless population unconditional housing and services to address addiction and other mental health issues. More than 3,500 new homes have been built since then, and, as a result, the number of long-term homeless people has fallen by more than 35 percent, according to The Guardian.

As for the overall cost, while building new homes and hiring new workers have cost taxpayers €250 million, as The Guardian explains, “the savings in emergency healthcare, social services and the justice system totaled as much as €15,000 a year for every homeless person in properly supported housing.” Housing homeless people costs less than keeping them homeless!

I’ve also written about basic income, a proposal to end poverty by giving people a lump sum payment to help fund their basic needs. (https:// bit.ly/30XzAIJ) Sounds utopian, doesn’t it? Yet one city in California proves this utopian idea to be a reality.

Two years ago, the city of Stockton, as reported by The Atlantic, started “sending payments of $500 a month to 125 randomly selected individuals living in neighborhoods with average incomes lower than the city median of $46,000 a year.”

Did these folks become “freeloaders” who quit their job and spent their “free money” on booze and cigarettes? No. In fact, of the people who received these monthly payments, the number of people with full-time jobs increased by 12 percent, according to The Atlantic.

Furthermore, households saw their month-to-month earnings increase by 46 percent, with that extra money mostly going towards essentials like food, utilities, and gas. As The Atlantic reports: “The cash also doubled the households’ capacity to pay unexpected bills, and allowed recipient families to pay down their debts. Individuals getting the cash were also better able to help their families and friends, providing financial stability to the broader community.”

If these stories prove anything, it’s that the world doesn’t have to be as bad as it is. We don’t have to accept problems like homelessness and poverty as inevitabilities. A better world is possible. We can make it better if we just try. And imagine!

The views and opinions expressed in columns are not necessarily the views and opinions of Today & Tonight Magazine or Today & Tonight, Inc.