The idea of a Basic Income blockchain is a great way to implement a service that is usually provided by government. It's hard for the general population to be against Basic Income. In our nerdy-crypto-microcosm, sure, we can express our philosophical objections.
But, imagine if there were trading symbols for each and every social program government currently provides? Some people in the government have already expressed an interest in the idea of blockchain technology replacing existing social programs.
Basic Income - We've already discussed this idea. One symbol for pretty much every poverty program that exists, from food stamps to lunch programs. It might even underwrite or replace government financial assistance to non-government charities.
Education - This could be implemented with several goals for one symbol, from early education through university. The Education Coin could implement scholarships too.
It might even be used for education transcripts.
FEMA - Although not strictly a social program, imagine a symbol that provides funding to entire regions for disaster relief. It probably would rely heavily on bond trading instruments in the case of over-allocation to particular recipients.
Over-allocation might be common in order to make sure relief is swift, then the recipients would buy bonds with any remaining funds.
Medicare - Why not?
Farm Subsidy - Again, why not? If this really is something people want, they can invest.
Housing and Urban Development - It's a symbol with a goal to improve the living conditions in poor areas. It could work alongside Basic Income but also improve properties.
Pretty much anything government does, there's a blockchain solution. If it can't be implemented and can't become a profitable investment, then we shouldn't do it.
None of these programs would work unless they made money. We're used to them being money pits, but that's because government just isn't good at it. A blockchain implementation could unite these programs with existing charities and become profitable.
Where does the money come from? If people want these programs, they'll invest. Some of them will invest out of a desire for altruism, which is one aspect of how government currently defends taxation. And some will invest out of speculation, something that is completely untapped right now.
Yes, each of these programs could have their own blockchain. Or they could be implemented as user issued assets in the STEEM blockchain. They could have their own "funding pool" (like the STEEM "reward pool"), along with their own smart contract to deal with allocation rules.
How do the symbols get value? They could be traded on the internal market of STEEM.