The DUmmies have a ball dreaming up all the stuff we owe them for simply existing:
BrentWil (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:21 PM
Original message
What is the minimum standard of living a society should accept for its poorest?
Simple question, very complex answers. Thought this is a very basic discussion that one should spend some time thinking about every so often.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x232633#232664DUmmy ZombieHorde starts the fantasy, including a classic stoner game:
ZombieHorde (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:24 PM
Response to Original message
2. Health care, housing, food, and D&D.
HEyHEY (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:25 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. Dungeons and dragons? That seems excessive, and nerdy
Not excessive at all. You may recall that the Las Vegas Lardass, a career freeloader, maintains a "premium" membership to some DUmbass computer game that he plays for endless hours every day, instead of looking for work. So DUmmy ZombieHorde's dream has already been realized.
DUmmy Motown_Johnny adds to the Sim World:
Motown_Johnny (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:40 PM
Response to Reply #3
19. + water, heat (or air conditioning in extreme climates) Some other energy provisions
such as simply having electric lights a refrigerator and a way to cook food, proper sanitation, proper clothing, some minimal creature comforts such as basic furniture
Security should go without saying, police and fire protection as well as EMS services if needed and national defense.
leftstreet (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:25 PM
Response to Original message
5. Article 1, Section 25, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
All bums are bums due to circumstances beyond their control.
DUmmy jody asks a really stupid question:
jody (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:30 PM
Response to Reply #5
10. Excellent answer but what if there's not enough wealth to go around?
DUmmy DJ13 explains democrat economics to the slow-learning jody:
DJ13 (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:35 PM
Response to Reply #10
13. Theres always enough wealth, no matter the country
Take a country like Mexico for an example, it has an abundance of wealth derived from its rich mineral deposits, but the wealthy have never developed a sense of sharing, so theres a huge disparity between the well off and extreme poverty.
Its getting the obscenely wealthy to share thats the problem in most every country.
By the way, if you're reading this, you are obscenely wealthy.
DUmmy demmiblue has dreams of a couple of weeks at Sandals Antigua:
demmiblue (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:27 PM
Response to Original message
7. Food, housing, healthcare, education, modest vacation.
This talk of a beach bungalow rouses bobbolink from the back seat of the '86 Buick:
bobbolink (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:28 PM
Response to Original message
8. After the obvious necessities, FDR included recreation. But, then... he was a Commie.
Seems reasonable that poor people should have access to things like recreation centers... to be able to swim, work out, take classes, etc. Even the Indian villages of New Mexico do that for their people. Why is it so unthinkable for the rest of the nation?
Can you imagine the odor in that Buick when DUmmy bobbolink gets back from her free Zumba class?
DUmmy dkf is a Lousy Freeper Troll:
dkf (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:32 PM
Response to Original message
11. What is the minimum a society can expect from an able bodied citizen?
That is probably the flip side to this question.
DUmmy demmiblue, lost in dreams of palm trees, thong bikinis, and free umbrella drinks, is furious with DUmmy dkf:
demmiblue (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:42 PM
Response to Reply #11
21. I would be interested in reading your minimum expectations. Please, elucidate.
DUmmy Luminous Animal gets down to brass tacks. We owe him two grand a month tax free, plus COLA. His old lady gets the same:
Luminous Animal (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 10:36 PM
Response to Original message
14. Guaranteed income for all adults.
I'm thinking $24,000 a year indexed to real cost of living increases. For every dollar you earn, a dollar is taken away.
DUmmy catnhatnh gets the spirit. If Luminous Animal and his squeeze get $4K/mo. tax free, why not take it a step further? He'll let us off the hook if we guarantee him and his shackup $12K/month total, tax free and with COLA:
catnhatnh (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-19-11 11:27 PM
Response to Reply #14
33. Just slightly off...
For there to be an incentive to work (which benefits the society) something more like a 50 cent reduction would work better...when I make 72K or more in income I'm on my own...
Surely the DUmmies won't be satisfied if a shacked up couple is only guaranteed $144K per year. The price of weed would probably go up by more than the Consumer Price Index. So at the very least, COLA needs to be indexed to the price of an ounce of Maui Wowie, and we need that spelled out in legislation.