Benefits

The New Minimum is a simple program. It starts by giving people who are struggling a path to self-sufficiency. It uses the free market to create the greatest benefit at the lowest cost. And it grows at a pace that ensures the rest of the economy grows too. Over time, this program will slowly and effectively rebuild our economy for the benefit of all workers. 

Below are a few of the problems that exist in society today and they ways that a program like The New Minimum is going to help. 

Homelessness is a complex problem. People who experience long-term homelessness tend to have other issues (mental health, addiction, etc.) that require additional services that are not included The New Minimum. 

But for people facing homelessness because of a life event (loss of family member, loss of employment, medical issues, etc.) The New Minimum will provide a lifeline to get them get back on their feet. 

When this program is launched, it will only be available to people who are residents of NYC. Without this, too many people would travel to NYC to take advantage of this program. But while we will not provide this program to non-residents, some of the employment offered through this program will address the homeless problem in NYC. The New Minimum will bring an end to people panhandling, sleeping on the streets and the associated noise and trash in our communities. 

The problem of a person wanting a job but being unable to find work, will be solved. There will always be some unemployment. People changing jobs, a woman on maternity leave, or an older person looking to retire will often be intentionally unemployed. But every person who needs to find work to support themselves will be able to find work.

Somewhere in America, in a think tank, a boardroom, or a political party headquarters, a small group of people have decided how many Americans should go bankrupt because of their medical bills. They have calculated the expected number of honest people who will become homeless and they calculate the number of suicides. They calculate how many people will lose all of their savings, how many will take money from their children in order to stay alive, and how many will need to launch GoFundMe campaigns. And they calculate all of this to maximize the corporate profits of their donors. 

I believe we should no longer accept this in America. It is time we say “ENOUGH!!!” And, with The New Minimum, the number of people becoming bankrupt and homeless due to medical bills is zero.  

A person facing insurmountable medical bills can enter The Employment MarketPlace and be immediately covered for their medical costs. I would expect that someone who is visibly ill, possibly in the late-stages of cancer, would receive a compassionate employment offer that allows them to stay active and maintain their independence while they face that difficult disease. 

A single person living alone in a large home might need to share their living space in order to receive the housing benefit, but they will never lose their home. 

Under The New Minimum, the number of people facing medical bankruptcy will be zero. 

By eliminating unemployment in disadvantaged communities, The New Minimum will help create the greatest improvement in equality our city has ever seen. 

People of color looking for a job are often faced with hiring managers who make decisions based on race. Even a manager who is not a racist person might be pressured not to hire someone because of their manager or their customer’s racist views.  

The New Minimum will reduce racism everywhere as it transforms neglected communities into positive neighborhoods. The stereotypes of “the hood” or the “ghetto” will be eclipsed as The New Minimum transforms these communities into beautiful neighborhoods. 

When “Broken Windows Policing” became policy in the 1990’s we were told that issuing fines and arrests for low level offenses would result in improved communities. But what this policy actually did was turn more young people into “criminals.” It created more arrests while doing nothing to address the cause of these low-level offenses. 

The policies under The New Minimum are going to fix the “broken windows” by creating a workforce focused on cleaning up our parks, removing trash from our streets and sidewalks, improving our infrastructure including repairs to potholes and uneven sidewalks, and planting trees, flowers and other plants to beautify our communities. 

Crime exists across all races, genders, education and economic status. We will always have some crime. But the crime created by poverty or lack of opportunity will be solved. 

One of the primary reasons people get caught in human trafficking is financial desperation. With The New Minimum people will always have another option.

No job is worth tolerating harassment. But for many workers, the risks of leaving a job feel greater than the pain of tolerating harassment. Therefore, many people, especially single mothers, LGBTQ+, immigrants, and others tolerate harassment daily in the workplace. 

As a society, I am very proud of the positive changes that have been made towards correcting this injustice. The New Minimum will help move us even closer to true justice. 

Domestic violence is a complex issue. The New Minimum is not going to solve all of the ways domestic violence can occur. But it will solve one of the main components that cause violent relationships to develop: Financial dependence. 

With The New Minimum, a person will always be able to step away from a dangerous relationship and support themselves while they get the help they need. It will also make this step easier to make. Leaving a relationship and moving into a shelter is often too difficult for some victims. So they tolerate the violence as it continues to grow. But, if the minute violence appears, they can get a job and move into their own apartment, they will have the power to make the best decisions. 

And when the victim wants to work on the relationship, the city has other services that can arrange counseling, neutral visitation, and other services to ensure a safe situation, all while making it possible for the victim to remain anonymous in their new employment. 

Our current disability insurance system is abusive. People with obvious disabilities are forced to struggle just to receive the minimum they need to stay alive. 

The New Minimum will put an end to this. When a person shows up to The Employment MarketPlace with their oxygen tank, lack of vision, or withered legs they will be evaluated by at least 10 employers who will evaluate their value. Two things will happen:

1. In most cases, these employers will see a value in the person that the current employment market does not appreciate. It will give everyone an opportunity to be productive and accomplish more. 
2. But in some cases, such as a person with late stage cancer, these employers will see their situation and make a compassionate job offer to work at a very low level, just enough to receive housing, food, and medical care. 

Artificial Intelligence and robotics have the power to replace many jobs in the very near future. By creating a “floor” to our economy, The New Minimum will ensure that even if certain jobs or entire industries disappear, we have a process in place to move those workers to the jobs of the future.