4 ms·

What’s hard to understand is why I should work even harder making money so that you don’t have to.

• labrador 5y ago
  No one says you have to work even harder. If you reduce your consumption and live according to your most basic needs, you can achieve a level of self-suffiency that allows you to actually support yourself with your hobbies. Live simply, plant a garden, buy your clothes at thrift stores and shop at discount grocery stores. What ever it takes to follow your passion. Live like a starving artist and make something great. But if you're just a worker drone with no inner life and need to be a corporate servant, I can understand your frustration.
  • teakettle42 5y ago
    I was replying in the context of implementing UBI, but to take the broader view: If I recall correctly, the per-capita share of the US budget individuals are responsible for, if we split it evenly between every US resident of age, is (very) roughly $10k a year. I currently pay above $100k/year in federal taxes; about 10x my share. How much does the person “following their passion” pay? Are you really self-sufficient if you rely almost entirely on the largesse of others to fund your society?
    • labrador 5y ago
      You're assuming that people following their passions add no value and such people are getting a free ride. Take roads: corporations need them to move their products around, workers need them to get to their jobs. Yes, I get to use them for free, but say I keep bees and harvest organic honey. It's not a money making business (say a net neutral), but people who work at corporations are happy I have produced organic honey for their enjoyment. Or I'm a muscician who likes to play at restaurants at night. I get paid the very little, just the cost of gas basically, but I enjoy it. Am I mooching off your 100K?