• @[email protected]
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    141 year ago

    can i replace “affordable” with “free” please? these are human basic needs. just give it to me.

    • @[email protected]
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      1 year ago

      Okay, but unless healthcare workers, teachers, First Responders, construction workers, you, me, and everyone else is willing to work for free, it still has a cost, even if the government pays it. I agree that it should be a basic human right though…

      EDIT:

      Clarification: OP is asking for these things to be “free”. Free is if I start handing out hamburgers on the street, no strings attached. We already pay for these services, we pay the most of any country in the world, and we get worse results.

        • @[email protected]
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          41 year ago

          Taxes which… pay for all of those. Not sure why you have to jump to condescension, I’m not being obtuse. Things cost money, and we pay for it either way, that’s my only point.

          • @[email protected]
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            11 year ago

            But… Maybe I’m the one being obtuse here. What was your point? Even though you pay for it either way, the difference for how that works out with taxes or direct expenses is the whole point of taxes

            When someone says “college is free in most of Europe”. It’s wouldn’t be a counter argument to say “well, it’s not free is it, because its paid for with taxes”. The people who would (without it being “free”), need to pay for college themselves, are not in the position to possibly cover that cost (college funds are irrelevant). But, since a skilled labour force is important and a value to society, it should be covered by everyone.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 year ago

        Why? What does the one thing have to do with the other? There’s always money for war, for bailing out banks, for lobbying… Thus there’s enough money for basic human needs to be met without me working for nothing. It’s a choice whom to give the money to.

        But I agree to a certain point: if I don’t need to pay rent, healthcare and education, I don’t need to slave away in jobs that I don’t want.

          • @[email protected]
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            21 year ago

            Capitalism isn’t broken, you’re right. The misery of 90-95% if society is expected under capitalism. It’s not a sign of capitalism being broken but for it working as intended.

          • @[email protected]
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            31 year ago

            Personal property and private property are important distinctions. Personal property is established and maintained autonomously through social connections, while private property is maintained thru coercive systems and institutions (an invention from capitalism).

            The threat of starvation and coercive violence are the main factors incentivizing people to work under capitalism.

            For more - read ANARCHY WORKS by Peter Gelderloos. Chapter: Economy, “Without wages, what is the incentive to work?” (pg. 61)

            https://anarchy.works/primer.html#toc22