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"It's astonishing this is a thing." Indeed, any decent modern society should provide free quality education, and that should include free quality meals. Especi

"It's astonishing this is a thing." Indeed, any decent modern society should provide free quality education, and that should include free quality meals. Especially the richest country in the world.

ponector 1y ago
Free education means no one will value it. Education should not be free, just cheap. However there should be help and assistance to people who wants to get an education but cannot afford it. Same with food. Subsidize it for everyone. Cannot pay? Serve few hours to the local community and get a meal. There should be no starving people anywhere in the world.
- jacknews 1y ago
  "Free education means no one will value it" Ridiculous. Of course, if it's free, then it's just the default, and some people will strive to be better than 'the masses' and pay for private education. But in any case, your whole society gets decently educated, which makes everyone richer, in every way.
  - ponector 1y ago
    I'm from a country where university degree can be easily obtained for free. As a result: 1. Students usually are not interested in attending classes, like at the middle school. 2. Bachelor/masters degrees means nothing as everyone has one.
    - jacknews 1y ago
      There's a big difference between 'degree for free' and 'education for free' I think. One is just worthless paper, the other is equal opportunity for everyone to actually attain the standard required for a degree.
      - ponector 1y ago
        But education without a degree already is free and accessible for everyone everywhere where internet is. Free courses, free books, free lessons! During my student years I could only dream of attending lectures from Stanford or MIT! Nowadays they are at your fingertips anytime you want.
trollbridge 1y ago
America provides food stamps that provide groceries to those who need it. However, I'm not sure it is the responsibility of a "decent modern society" to provide free quality meals to the populace. How far does this go? Does the government need to run restaurants? Vouchers to use at restaurants? I'm not convinced restaurants are even serving necessarily "quality meals". I think a program providing groceries is a good idea, with some additional support for the rare cases of people who are completely unable to prepare meals from groceries.
- jacknews 1y ago
  I didn't say free restaurants for everyone, that's a ridiculous extrapolation. But it is the responsibility of a decent modern society to ensure kids get at least a basic level of care and education. Morally, and in fact in the interests of having a decently educated and functional society. For foodstamp groceries, are you expecting the kids to prepare their own lunch? It seems like another callous 'personal responsibility' argument.
  - trollbridge 1y ago
    Our "decent modern society" already does this, because the government SNAP program guarantees that anyone for whom the standard food budget is not met by their income receives government support. Groceries, however, are expected to be bought by parents and then meals prepared for their children. I don't expect children to prepare their own lunch, but I do expect their parents to - and the same for breakfast, dinner, and snacks. I consider not doing this to be a rather serious form of child neglect. Correcting this problem would be another responsibility of a "decent, modern society", although usually the best way to do that is to require parents to go to parenting classes and get help to overcome their neglect.
    - jacknews 1y ago
      Again, just provide the kids themselves with decent (not stratified) meals, rather than tying it to parental responsibility or otherwise. It's like you're trying to make a mean society.

"It's astonishing this is a thing." Indeed, any decent modern society should provide free quality education, and that should include free quality meals. Especially the richest country in the world.

ponector 1y ago

Free education means no one will value it. Education should not be free, just cheap. However there should be help and assistance to people who wants to get an education but cannot afford it. Same with food. Subsidize it for everyone. Cannot pay? Serve few hours to the local community and get a meal. There should be no starving people anywhere in the world.

jacknews 1y ago
"Free education means no one will value it" Ridiculous. Of course, if it's free, then it's just the default, and some people will strive to be better than 'the masses' and pay for private education. But in any case, your whole society gets decently educated, which makes everyone richer, in every way.
- ponector 1y ago
  I'm from a country where university degree can be easily obtained for free. As a result: 1. Students usually are not interested in attending classes, like at the middle school. 2. Bachelor/masters degrees means nothing as everyone has one.
  - jacknews 1y ago
    There's a big difference between 'degree for free' and 'education for free' I think. One is just worthless paper, the other is equal opportunity for everyone to actually attain the standard required for a degree.
    - ponector 1y ago
      But education without a degree already is free and accessible for everyone everywhere where internet is. Free courses, free books, free lessons! During my student years I could only dream of attending lectures from Stanford or MIT! Nowadays they are at your fingertips anytime you want.

trollbridge 1y ago

America provides food stamps that provide groceries to those who need it. However, I'm not sure it is the responsibility of a "decent modern society" to provide free quality meals to the populace. How far does this go? Does the government need to run restaurants? Vouchers to use at restaurants? I'm not convinced restaurants are even serving necessarily "quality meals". I think a program providing groceries is a good idea, with some additional support for the rare cases of people who are completely unable to prepare meals from groceries.

jacknews 1y ago
I didn't say free restaurants for everyone, that's a ridiculous extrapolation. But it is the responsibility of a decent modern society to ensure kids get at least a basic level of care and education. Morally, and in fact in the interests of having a decently educated and functional society. For foodstamp groceries, are you expecting the kids to prepare their own lunch? It seems like another callous 'personal responsibility' argument.
- trollbridge 1y ago
  Our "decent modern society" already does this, because the government SNAP program guarantees that anyone for whom the standard food budget is not met by their income receives government support. Groceries, however, are expected to be bought by parents and then meals prepared for their children. I don't expect children to prepare their own lunch, but I do expect their parents to - and the same for breakfast, dinner, and snacks. I consider not doing this to be a rather serious form of child neglect. Correcting this problem would be another responsibility of a "decent, modern society", although usually the best way to do that is to require parents to go to parenting classes and get help to overcome their neglect.
  - jacknews 1y ago
    Again, just provide the kids themselves with decent (not stratified) meals, rather than tying it to parental responsibility or otherwise. It's like you're trying to make a mean society.