[QuadmasterXLII]

We could provide food for the poor and disabled who lack or are not using family support with a tiny fraction of our industrial output. We wouldn’t even notice this expenditure, let alone whine about it. But what we are providing is actually “Healthcare. Specialists. Medications. Supplements. Mobility aids. Physical therapy. Accessible housing. Delivery fees when you cannot physically shop for yourself. Ride shares when public transportation is inaccessible. Caregiving.” and this turns out to be enough effort to make society groan and strain.

It’s good that our society is doing this, and we could do better! but why do we have to characterize this existing herculean effort as “fundamentally hostile to bodies that cannot produce consistently”

[therealdrag0]

The US spend like 66% of our federal budget on these things. Hard to imagine significantly increasing it and “hardly noticing”. People notice higher taxes in California; people notice higher taxes in Europe.

[sleight42]

We spend that much because of inefficiencies in the system designed to maintain the wealth of the wealthy as well as legacy business models. It's propped up by lobbyists for same.

POSIWID and its purpose is not providing efficient and effective healthcare.

[zbentley]

I'm not clear on what you're trying to say here.

Are you saying we're providing those things instead of food? Or that if we provided food we wouldn't need to provide those things?

If so, that's patently false. A lot more than food is needed to give someone a better standard of living.

[QuadmasterXLII]

I’m saying that providing a better standard of living to adults who cannot work is something we are spending ~3% of our GDP and 5% of all fulltime workers on.

That providing these things is something we are doing, that is good, and that is hard work actually.

[zbentley]

Makes sense, thanks for clarifying.

[marcusverus]

> We could provide food for the poor and disabled who lack or are not using family support with a tiny fraction of our industrial output.

I absolutely agree. We spend $30K/year per person (not per household, per person!) under the poverty line, and that's only on HUD, Medicaid, and Food Stamps. These resources should be lavished on those who actually need them. The tricky part is dealing with the perverse incentives which come with doing right by the disabled. The obscene abuse of military disability benefits is a case in point.