[quote=@SleepingSilence] 'I feel that's kind of what we already have in many ways,[/quote] Some things are in place, like public education, but I'm talking about higher education as well, and healthcare. [quote]and a lot of those social elements are very poorly handled.[/quote] Some of our social elements, like social security, are actually universally loved and approved of by people on both sides of the political spectrum. Are there issues here and there with the way we do certain things? Of course. Regardless of whether it's a social program or not. Nothing is perfect. [quote]It seems that a lot of problems facing America currently have almost always not a free-market economy, but some horrible hybrid.[/quote] Like? [quote]Could you provide some specific examples to what you might be describing? What problem do you think a 'mixed-bag system' solution would be useful for? Can we really pull random bits from other nations, and just stick them here? As people like Bernie Sanders may imply, when he talks about 'Literacy Programs' of Nicaragua. Is that what you believe will work?[/quote] I've already given some examples of things I'd like to see socialized. Healthcare and higher education should be free. If you want the option to go to a private school that you pay for, or want specialized healthcare that you pay for, those options should also be there. When I think of a hybrid system I am thinking about the Scandinavian way of doing things. [quote] I wouldn't exactly want a free government car. Nor can I imagine how'd you'd implement such a thing realistically...[/quote] I don't know if you misunderstood, but... I didn't say people should get free government cars. [quote]But now, it's comfortably/'with dignity'. So again I'd have to ask, who decides that exactly? In a world with people's nature, who desire for more...[/quote] Jesus, man, it's simple. Comfortable doesn't mean you get a Jacuzzi. It means you have the basic things needed to live without having to worry about putting food on your table. It means not living paycheck to paycheck with no room for improvement because you're stuck in an endless loop where you're just barely getting by. Dignity just means you aren't living in the gutter. You're complicating things for no reason. Yeah, sure, people have desires. What's your point? I didn't say the government needed to pay for people's desires. [quote] What's a living wage? Do you think that answer is the same across the board or that all people will be satisfied with the number you give? [/quote] Basically what I said above. Living wage is actually somewhat well-defined: [quote] A living wage is the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. This is not the same as subsistence which refers to a biological minimum.[/quote] It basically means enough to live in decent, standard conditions. [quote]I think there's a shred of truth to that, I think some people can turn their noses at people problems because they've not experienced the same struggles. The sorts that claim we can't afford houses because of avocado toast, are tools who the sensible can laugh at. Though yes, people that spend hundreds on a phone and expensive clothes and drugs and alcohol would do a lot better in the world saving their money.[/quote] Drugs and alcohol, sure. Phones are pretty essential these days, though. [quote]You mentioned you don't agree with equal outcomes, but equal opportunity. But set basic incomes wages for existing...isn't that. And even that can be heavily exploited depending how it's implemented.[/quote] I think we already talked about how equal outcome refers to basic things, and a living wage is, again, a means with which to provide those basic things. I don't see how these two things are at odds. If you have a higher education and are more successful, you are going to work a better job that pays more. No one is saying that even highly educated people should be limited to a living wage, or that a poor person with no education should be given a paycheck comparable to the one given to a CEO. [quote] [i]Oh.[/i] I mean the "give everyone lots of money so that everyone is comfortable."[/quote] I didn't say lots. A living wage is not "lots of money." It's literally the minimum income necessary for basic needs. [quote]Give people money every month to 'live with dignity', and the problems of gambling addictions and people bad with money, etc will be solved...[/quote] I definitely didn't say that. The closest thing I said to that is that if people aren't having to worry about basic needs they are more likely to be able to afford a car (even if cheap), so transportation becomes an issue that is fixed naturally by paying people a basic, living wage. [quote]I was simply theorizing what "basic" means in such context. Since you weren't specific. But you even had to add the word comfortable, so okay...do you think someone should live without two legs? I can't imagine it's a comfortable life. So why not have free prosthetic limbs surgeries?[/quote] Comfortable doesn't mean you're completely free of inconvenience or that you live in luxury and have no problems whatsoever. It means you have all the basic needs required to live in decent conditions. Someone without legs can still live in a decent apartment that isn't falling apart around them while they worry about bills and food because they aren't paid enough to be able to juggle all the costs. Comfortably means you aren't worrying about those things because at the very least you have enough to pay the bills and put food on your table.