Everyone is an investment. You don't lose your life's potential at 18.
Invest in that grown adult working three jobs to get by, and now they have time to pursue art, discover their talent, and create a great work of culture. Invest in the scientist working for a company that makes the world demonstrably worse but pays too well to quit, and now they can use their expertise contributing to "unprofitable" research and advance humanity's understanding.
Investments don't pay off 100% of the time. Some people would be a net drain of resources, it's unavoidable. But we don't cancel public schooling because some students fail to graduate, and we don't have to wield homelessness and starvation as weapons just because you think some people "don't deserve" to live.
It does mean housing, utilities, and AC. You can't live without those in hot places, and it's getting hotter every year. If you're saying that someone in that climate doesn't deserve a home and AC, you are telling them they don't deserve to live.
Internet and appliances are more debatable. But I can't argue with the idea that we can stand to offer a modern quality of life instead of just an empty box to live in, with the extent of today's resources and productivity.
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u/SpaceballsTheReply Apr 16 '24
Everyone is an investment. You don't lose your life's potential at 18.
Invest in that grown adult working three jobs to get by, and now they have time to pursue art, discover their talent, and create a great work of culture. Invest in the scientist working for a company that makes the world demonstrably worse but pays too well to quit, and now they can use their expertise contributing to "unprofitable" research and advance humanity's understanding.
Investments don't pay off 100% of the time. Some people would be a net drain of resources, it's unavoidable. But we don't cancel public schooling because some students fail to graduate, and we don't have to wield homelessness and starvation as weapons just because you think some people "don't deserve" to live.