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Raising the Floor
- How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew Our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
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Raising the Floor
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Summary
Andy Stern, the former president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), spent four years traveling the country and asking economists, futurists, labor leaders, CEOs, investment bankers, entrepreneurs, and political leaders to help envision the US economy 25 to 30 years from now. He vividly reports on people who are analyzing and creating this new economy - such as investment banker Steve Berkenfeld; David Cote, the CEO of Honeywell International; and Andy Grove of Intel.
Through these stories, we come to a stark and deeper understanding of the toll technological progress will continue to take on jobs and income and its inevitable effect on tens of millions of people. But there is hope for our economy and future. The foundation of economic prosperity for all Americans, Stern believes, is a universal basic income. The idea of a universal basic income for all Americans is controversial, but American attitudes are shifting. Stern has been a game changer throughout his career, and his next goal is to create a movement that will force the political establishment to take action against something that many on both the right and the left believe is inevitable.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 16-04-18
Book good, narrator not so much
The narrator was putting me off for the whole book, made it difficult to listen, but that is just my personal taste I guess. The book is worthwhile to read and the experience of the lead author definitely puts some weight behind the concepts discussed in the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anthony
- 21-11-20
Great Book, UBI is the game changer
Really enjoyed listening to this book even though it was prescribed in the America context blah blah blah.
The author made valuable points for and against UBI whilst allowing the audience to make the own mind up.
In a world were we currently have US$60 Trillion of Debt and enslavement on a global scale with 85% of people disliking their day job the reality is that not only is UBI needed in America it is needed globally.
Even in the US where it's a Dominant Free Market Economy 16% of the population live in the welfare state with no hope of getting out and continuously creating a new generation of welfare state citizens who are unhappy and stressed out.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 19-04-18
An important voice
Andy Stern's book, Raising the Floor, joins the chorus of progressive voices in favour of Universal Basic Income. What sets this book apart is the personal story of its author, which is prominent on its pages and which gives me hope. The author's point of view feels very refreshing, since it's so rare to find a union guy - let alone a big league ex union boss! - who understands how obsolete the old labour markets are in responding to rapid structural changes.
Stern isn't afraid to challenge many taboos of the American left while retaining the spirit of solidarity that animates the labour movement. He sees how New Deal social democracy needs to change as a result.
I don't think he goes far enough in abandoning the piecemeal legislation, pro regulation, pro big government mentality, since he advocates for raising the minimum wage and mandating a shorter work week, but at least he acknowledges that these are, at best, short term policy solutions, while a UBI ought to be the long term solution.
Even if, as a libertarian, I disagree with him on many details, I admire his commitment to bipartisan dialogue and open-minded attitude into assessing the risks and rewards of the future. This should be mandatory reading for all social democrats across Europe and the United States.
Note about the audiobook: The voice performance sounds a bit strange in its accents and inflections, but it's perfectly adequate.
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