We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living.

[gratuitous]

11. A terrific statement

A guaranteed basic income, coupled with guaranteed housing, clothing and food would put us back on the track of being a civilized society. I read a story in the local alt-news weekly several months ago about some twenty-something snow bums who liked nothing better than to spend the day snowboarding at the local ski resort. They'd put in enough work a couple or three days a week to afford their resort passes for the other days. In reading the article, I didn't think any of these fellows was in danger of coming up with a cure for cancer, but why should they? They're engaged in a fun leisure time activity, not hurting anyone, and the world continues to turn on its axis in a reliable and consistent 24 hour cycle.

Give them enough to eat and a place to stay, and they'd be perfectly content to while away a long time. It wouldn't be any skin off my nose, and I'd much rather have my tax dollars affording them the life they choose than paying for weapons to be used to kill millions of people all over the globe. At some point, if they decide that there's more to life than pot and shredding, make a couple of years of college available at no charge. Let them see what they can make of themselves without having to be the next Bill Gates or David Koch. With all the labor-saving devices we've come up with in the last century plus, why aren't we saving ourselves from having to labor more and more for less and less?