Reply to change my mind: can't pay a living wage to all

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If true, we need universal basic income and very robust social services so that people in jobs that do not pay a living wage have access to housing, healthcare, and other basic necessities of life. Otherwise we deal with all the externalities of having a large, desperate underclass -- crime, homelessness, substance abuse, civil unrest, etc.

Pick your poison.[/quote]

"Access to housing" does not mean no roommates and a bedroom for every child. [/quote]

Who said it did?  My kids attend a school that is pretty diverse socioeconomically, and plenty of their classmates live in apartments AND share a room with a sibling, and it's still a challenge for the family to afford a non-decrepit apartment.  And there are many neighborhoods in this area where multiple families are sharing a house- my guess is you don't live somewhere like that so maybe you didn't know?[/quote]

+1, I'm the one who said we need UBI and services to prevent homelessness, crime, etc. I shared a room with a sibling my entire childhood. I chose to have one child in part because it allows us to live in smaller homes without sacrificing privacy, so we can spend less money on housing.

But I think what the OP and others don't get is that when I say we need UBI and social services to help the people who can't make a living wage, I'm not saying that out of some bleeding heart desire to make everything okay for everyone. I'm saying that I want to live in a functional society without unacceptable levels of crime, homelessness, disease, etc., and that if we can't do that by getting everyone into a productive job that pays them enough to buy their own housing, healthcare, etc., then society has to step in and do it. It's fine with me if that housing is pretty bare bones, if the healthcare is relatively basic. I think often advocates for the poor and unhoused often unnecessarily stymie efforts to address these issues by demanding that every single person get access to a middle class lifestyle. But that doesn't mean we can just let people rot because they also the capitalist race. We all pay the price for that. I want a functional society and to feel safe in my community and to not have to walk past homeless encampments in my middle class neighborhood. That means I'm fine with my tax dollars going to prevent those things by helping those people, even if it means my taxes go up. I DO make a living wage so I'm happy to pay money to ensure that I also get to live in a safe, enjoyable society, not some weird dystopia where I have to board up my windows to prevent the have-nots from breaking in to steal my bread or squat in my basement or whatever. Just give them housing and food and and basic services and dignity. It's way better than the alternative.[/quote]

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