A Universal Income ... in Deutschland
The Berlin groups are always way better than the other German expat groups on Facebook. Everyone in there is angry, cynical or desperate. Today someone took the time to link to an article announcing an opportunity to cash in on a new universal income here in Germany. And to be really honest I was in a personal rut at that very moment. I got rained on yesterday, walked 1000 km in it and so I feel like I have the latest Malaysian strain of Covid. I was looking for the motivation to take this generic ingwer shot and move on with my day. I swear nothing is more immune boosting than free money. I leapt at the opportunity to learn more and see what the catch was. To my surprise there is no catch. Well, maybe it is the entire thing being promoted auf Deutsch. The op who posted linked to an English information page but any further clicks took you down a rabbit hole of C1 words and I only have a B1 certificate. But a few copy and pastes in Google Translate later I was able to apply to a random chance at earning a UI for three years with no strings attached. Yep! Free money, every month and it yours to keep and do as you wish. You do not have to pay it back. The only ask is to fill out a few surveys during the three years.
It took a lot to get into the actual form for the anmeldung. I had to provide an email to gain access and in order to figure that out it took several clicks. The wild toad ride wasn't so bad because I learned more about the initiative. The government isn't involved. You do not need to be a German citizen to sign up. And in essence the entire thing is more of a lottery. Only a select few will be eligible and chosen to get the monthly stipend of 1200€ per month for three years. This amount is assumed to supplement a current household income. However, there aren't any questions which really elaborate on who is actually benefitting from the divulged income. In example, my household income is quite large but I am only privy to so much of it as a trailing spouse and homemaker. I haven't had an earned and or indispensable income since I married. So this benefit would be a game changer for me. Of course the majority of my expenses are carried by my husband but I cannot spend anywhere how I used to when I was single and worked full time. And the reality is living here in Germany I could never be gainfully employed with my prior experiences and American credentials in the way I was years ago. Those funds would give me an enormous amount of freedom to do the things my husband doesn't financially support. It would have been nice to clarify that but there was no option to.
And as per usual there were the standard multiple choice questions related to an opinion on UI, ones background education and current age. There are no specific or other options for answers which makes me believe the choice of individual is completely random. And maybe the future surveys and details around a persons age and education will assist in studying how a person will ultimately utilize the funds. However, the need to sign up for additional information to learn if you are chosen opens the flood gates to donation requests. And I'll assume those that provided a handsome income and educated background will be pandered to the most. Personally I would love to play a role in supporting but unfortunately I cannot afford to do that. And my German husband who is conservative and does well for himself would probably be opposed to UI and wouldn't support it with as much of a single Euro. If I was selected I would gladly give back a percentage after leveraging my new financial freedom. I could do a lot with that money in the realm of marketing my blog and brand. I would definitely have a return on my investments. And I strongly believe I would be an anomaly because I can spend that money freely while my household expenses are taken care of. It is unfortunate that most people who are chosen that are truly struggling will simply live off that money. And while that is probably the entire point of a basic universal income I would much rather use it as a stipend, grant or fellowship to expand upon dreams and goals that will put me in a better place. While I support UI I just see people buying a lot useless crap, paying bills and eating a lot of döner. And as long as there is no hidden agenda in proving that people who need money really just want money I will just have to be okay with that.
So as long as you can navigate an organizations website full of donor verbiage and endless white pages you can sign up. Results of who will get the UI will be provided in November. The initiative will be fully funded by donations so the more word that is spread about it the better. Here is the link to the main page for Pilotprojekt Grundeinkommen - Unconditional Basic Income. And no I will not tell you how to get to the actual sign up because I want my chances at getting chosen to be really high. Seriously, I want that money or at least an opportunity to speak to the reasons why someone like me would benefit from it. I do not want every Tom and Heidi applying because they want to buy crap at Zara and go to Mallorca. And come on let's face it that is what those two are going to do. *Does Money Rituals and Charges Crystals* If anything else comes out on this UBI organization and initiative between now, Berlin sentiment and November I will report with an addendum or part II so stay tuned.
Show Me The Money!
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