As I watch homelessness increase in my city, and along with it, drug addiction, I say once again, give people money first and foremost, along with a place of their own and mental and physical help.
Give people money. Every month. No questions asked. In conjunction with social guidance.
Let people make their own choices.
Of course, politicians and corporations do not want free minded people. People who can now choose not to work for next to nothing, to be slaves to companies and individuals who treat them as disposable and worthless.
Money gives people options.
It is simple. It solves very complex problems.
The money is there. I say again. The money is there.
It has been proven over and over and over again that basic income works. Don’t make this complicated. Give people money, enough money to live on.
Damn it, this makes me so mad.
When people have enough money to have shelter, food and medications they then can move on to bigger and better things, like improving their lives so they can get better jobs, better health, and contribute to society. In combination with social programs to help them get out of the terrible rut that poverty brings and all the stigma attached to that, people become valuable members of our society.
Basic income also provides a buffer, to get you through those sudden, unexpected losses of income that if you live long enough, you probably will experience at least once. People spiral down very, very fast when they find they don’t have enough income to support themselves. How quickly life can pull the rug out from under your feet if you lose your job, your health, your home, or your spouse to a younger lover. Knowing you can afford the rent, buy food and necessities and keep your pet while weathering the sometimes brutal realities of life is not only beneficial to the person suffering, but to all society. It cuts back on hospitalizations. Suicides. Poverty. Addictions. Crimes.
Give people basic income. No questions asked. I am sick of the waters being muddied. Just do it and see how this eliminates poverty, addiction, and sickness. Money gives people autonomy. Dignity. Options. HOPE.
Oh, sure there are always going to be people who will not do anything. That won’t change. And there are people who genuinely cannot work for whatever reason. That won’t change either. People should not be excluded from money or help based on perceived or cultural merit. I believe the vast majority of people do want to improve their lives if given the chance and should not be judged by their present circumstances. Basic income gives them that chance. And it helps not just individuals receiving the money, but their families and all of society.
F off with building more houses that only the rich can afford. F off with social programs that interrogate and shame people. F off with privatizing our health care system so no one can afford it.
Money is the answer. People are not lazy. They are money poor. Simple.
GGGGRRRRR!
