Robert Theobald: Right to Income

Posted by admin on Sunday, March 11, 2018

Robert Theobald Money Quote saying in his 1963 book ‘Free Men and Free Markets’ that prosperity should bring with it the right to an income provided by the government. Robert Theobald said:
 

 

We will need to adopt the concept of an absolute constitutional right to an income. This would guarantee to every citizen of the United States the right to an income from the federal government sufficient to enable him to live with dignity
— Robert Theobald

 

 

In this quote, Robert Theobald was proposing that the United States should establish an “absolute constitutional right to an income” guaranteed by the federal government. Some key points:

• Theobald advocated amending the Constitution to recognize every citizen’s right to sufficient financial support from the government to meet basic needs.
• He envisioned this as enabling all people to “live with dignity,” implying a minimum standard of living would be ensured through such an economic bill of rights.
• Theobald’s proposal was an early expression of concepts like universal basic income, suggesting the government has an obligation to directly provide income support as a right of citizenship.
• The quote conveys Theobald’s view that in a wealthy nation, no one should have to fall below a livable income through no fault of their own if the means exist to prevent it through social policy.

Overall, Theobald was promoting the idea of economic security as a fundamental right through government assistance to guarantee all citizens can afford basic necessities and live with financial dignity.