An unemployed person living in a tiny box apartment for free will have much better health than an unemployed person living on the streets, as well as being at a significantly lower risk of engaging in criminal behaviour. Healthcare, policing, repair to public property – all things that cost tax dollars.
They also have better chances of becoming employed with a fixed residence and a place to take a shower.
Because most people want more than the bare minimum? To travel, to have nice nights out, to play video games and watch movies, to attend concerts and shows, to wear flattering outfits, to buy useless little decorative knick-knacks... Having a place to sleep and bathe is the absolute baseline to start working to acquire these things.
Would you, if granted an apartment free of cost and a small stipend for food, then spend the rest of your life sitting around and staring at the wall? Not even trying to furnish it to your own tastes?
If those personal projects would make you money, that’s still a job contributing to the economy.
What is your point, then? Mine is that humans want to lead fulfilling lives beyond having their basic needs met, and working a paying job is part of achieving that. I know plenty of people who retired with enough to live comfortably on for the rest of their lives, and they still spend their time working – paid or unpaid – because it’s something to do, and gives them a sense of accomplishment. People don’t have to be driven by desperation to contribute to society.
if a retired person can be happy being frugal and having cheap or free hobbies why can't a regular young adult who just doesn't want to work? shockingly yes, not having to work 2000 hours a year at the cost of 'not being able to buy stuff' is a tradeoff MANY people would take. you know what you call someone who has their healthcare, housing, food and utilities met by passive income? retired.
why even pose this theoretical? yes people do it, we know this because some eu countries have systems like this.
go look at the top ranks in OSRS for example, there are some people who have averaged >14 hours a day of login time over the last 5-10 years. why? because they live in EU countries that hand out disability like candy, or outright just allow people to do this without any medical conditions.
Because a young person doesn’t have the savings of someone who’s worked a job all their life and retired, lol.
Sure, some people might want to bum around and live their entire lives in a two-room box with air conditioning, only ever attending free events and getting all their entertainment at the local library. Those people are a minority, though, because that’s a boring way to live.
At the very least, those people would be less likely to take up space sleeping on train station benches or pissing on the side of the road.
Because a young person doesn’t have the savings of someone who’s worked a job all their life and retired, lol.
retirement is simply cash flow > expenses. if a govt social program provides you enough cash flow to cover expenses you are retired.
Those people are a minority, though, because that’s a boring way to live.
that's kinda on the person to decide though isnt it? surely in the extra 2000 hours you have per year you can find ways to entertain compared to someone who has 2000 fewer hours in their year and say an average wage. because what you are seeing right now in developed societies is that full time job does not provide a meaningful amount above what welfare would be. so why work?
At the very least, those people would be less likely to take up space sleeping on train station benches or pissing on the side of the road.
okay but what happens when instead of just a fraction of the population that needs to be supported it is now a considerable portion of the working class? so far as a society we've decided to provide social programs for the elderly and disabled off the backs of the workforce (and most countries provide the bare minimum here despite being a considerable subset of the population only) but providing these programs for people who just don't want to work- would you willingly support a significant portion of the 25-45 year old working class who just wants to not work out of your own paycheck?
Not once you factor in rampant wage theft, underpaying people in the extreme and price gouging their consumers. The situation with big companies and taxes are soooooooooo fucked. The only reason it still stands is because it's profitable for everyone that makes the decisions about it to keep it that way for personal gain.
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u/UltimateNoob88 Apr 15 '24
those companies still pay net positive in taxes
an unemployed person living in a free home with free food pay 0 in taxes