can i replace "affordable" with "free" please? these are human basic needs. just give it to me.
this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024
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Norwegian here. Healthcare isn't entirely free here, but it sure is affordable. I'm not sure if entirely free is a thing to strive for. A minor cost helps upper the bar slightly, so people don't annoy the doctors office with stupid minor stuff (which is already happening).
Higher education is also not entirely free, just really cheap. But as long as you get a stipend (everbody that finish their study does), the state end up giving you more money than you spend. So yes, free higher education is great, I feel sorry for americans.
Affordable housing: should that be free? I agree it should be affordable though, but how can that be achieved? It's basically the free market deciding
There's no such thing as a free market. It's a myth. I'd rather believe in unicorns.
Okay, but unless healthcare workers, teachers, First Responders, construction workers, you, me, and everyone else is willing to work for free, it still has a cost, even if the government pays it. I agree that it should be a basic human right though...
EDIT:
Clarification: OP is asking for these things to be "free". Free is if I start handing out hamburgers on the street, no strings attached. We already pay for these services, we pay the most of any country in the world, and we get worse results.
Are you... Hm.. Where to start.. Do you know the concept of taxes?
Taxes which... pay for all of those. Not sure why you have to jump to condescension, I'm not being obtuse. Things cost money, and we pay for it either way, that's my only point.
But... Maybe I'm the one being obtuse here. What was your point? Even though you pay for it either way, the difference for how that works out with taxes or direct expenses is the whole point of taxes
When someone says "college is free in most of Europe". It's wouldn't be a counter argument to say "well, it's not free is it, because its paid for with taxes". The people who would (without it being "free"), need to pay for college themselves, are not in the position to possibly cover that cost (college funds are irrelevant). But, since a skilled labour force is important and a value to society, it should be covered by everyone.
Why? What does the one thing have to do with the other? There's always money for war, for bailing out banks, for lobbying... Thus there's enough money for basic human needs to be met without me working for nothing. It's a choice whom to give the money to.
But I agree to a certain point: if I don't need to pay rent, healthcare and education, I don't need to slave away in jobs that I don't want.