Quote:
Originally Posted by Purrybonker
Well, maybe my suggestion is that the basic elements of life perhaps shouldn't be buffeted and exposed to financial market conditions.
So many people are obviously around us, we can call them lazy, ignorant, attach whatever label we want - they are clearly unable to compete in a competitive world.
By "compete" I mean that they lack either the brains, the mental stability (eg drug abuse) or the environmental background to enable them to succeed.
We can blame them, label them, call them lazy. Labelling fixes nothing. Calling them down will not reduce the numbers of rent defaulters or homeless lining our streets.
It's fine to have a competitive world, but it should be competitive only on the basis of a fundamentally level playing field. Everyone should have uncompetitive access to the basics. Housing, healthcare, food.
Beyond the basics, compete all you want.
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I absolutely agree. We, as a society have to decide which side we come down on, leave those labeled people to fend for themselves regarding food, housing, and health care or provide it for them.
The USA comes down in the middle. We pretend we expect them to compete, but we provide housing, healthcare, and food in the most backhanded and inefficient ways possible, while pretending we don't.
Everyone gets healthcare. If you present at an ER they may ask you how you intend to pay, but if you tell them point blank you aren't going to they still treat you - and you get health care in the most expensive way available. It's the law.
Food assistance comes from the Department of Agriculture, of all places. Housing comes from another department with it's own additional bureaucracy.
We need to stop pretending the labeled people don't exist and set up an efficient, comprehensive way of doing what we are doing now in an insanely inefficient, disorganized way.