Derek McGowan Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Guilty! Yes that was a sensationalist headline designed to grab the attention of those ready to smash any socialist sounding ideas on this forum but... it was just a headline.This list is things that I think, from the perspective of the implications of an advanced society/first world morality and principles, that would be free in a idealistic fantasy world. This list does NOT take into account the very real overhead that is incurred when providing these products or services. This list is NOT a request for policy changes (in fact some things on this list already are free in some areas- and I don't mean free through tax dollars) and through this list I'm NOT advocating for a person, group of people or government to force private OR public individual or institution to provide any of this stuff. The things on this list just make sense to me in an idealistic setting.Again, this is not based in reality...1. Water- One of the primary marks of a first world nation, going back to Rome, was an abundant supply of fresh water being supplied to its citizens. To me, it would seem to go against that principal to have even the possibility that one or some of the citizens can't pay for it.2. News and product information- Having a well informed citizenry allows for more educated decision making to occur.3. Voting- Self explanatory4. Courts- In the instance of dispute arbitration, the playing filed should be level and available to all, especially when there are very real consequences to having lost an dispute/conflict.5. Museums- If someone has art or natural history specimens in their home or office, then that is indeed a private collection in which you show it to your clients, friends, or family. But if one builds a 10,000+ square foot space dedicated specifically to sharing the collection with the open public then, to me, it seems that entry should be free.6. Entry to beaches and camping grounds- If the area is not privately owned, why shouldn't someone be able to go and sit for a few hours to relax.7. Vaccinations- If the expressed goal is to prevent outbreaks among the general public then everyone should have access to such (this is not an argument for mandating vaccinations)8. Advice- I really don't like the coaching/consulting industry (and I say this even though my wife has been a consultant/coach for over a year now) I don't even care for the self help department in the book store. My opinion, of course.9. On the health care front (!!Screeching Alarms!!) I'm on the fence as would I ideally want preventative care to be free ie., check ups every six months and dietary advice, or accidental medicine ie., getting struck by lightning, or burned by a fire that you didn't start or attacked by sharks. But no, I don't think that health care in general should be free.So there you have it. Beyond the reality based nature of scarcity (of time and resources) do you agree with anything on this list? Do you have other items that I missed? Stay tuned for my next list- illegal actions which should carry the highest fines. My WTF-you-do-that-for list?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Are there penalties for folks who post lists?And punitive damages for lists of more than three (3), or, less than ten (10)?A... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek McGowan Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Are there penalties for folks who post lists?And punitive damages for lists of more than three (3), or, less than ten (10)?A...Yes, but I have diplomatic immunity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Are there penalties for folks who post lists?And punitive damages for lists of more than three (3), or, less than ten (10)?A...Yes, but I have diplomatic immunityOkay, Adam. He's got diplomatic immunity. SHAME HIM!!--Brantworks best if he's Japanese--are you Japanese, Derek? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek McGowan Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Are there penalties for folks who post lists?And punitive damages for lists of more than three (3), or, less than ten (10)?A...Yes, but I have diplomatic immunityOkay, Adam. He's got diplomatic immunity. SHAME HIM!!--Brantworks best if he's Japanese--are you Japanese, Derek?1/64th japanese. Great great great great great great grandmother played with a doll made in Japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jts Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Speaking of 'free':Debian currently has 37,500 software packages and the number increases. All or nearly all are free, in both meanings of the word, free speech and free beer. If you had to pay for all that, how much would it cost you at an average of $100 each?Debian is one of about 300 distros, probably the one with the most packages.Compare Microsoft Windows and Gnu + Linux.Windows:Imagine you are an employer of a hundred employees, each on a computer. You decide which way you want to go, windows or linux. Computers usually have windows pre-installed but let's assume all your computers have no operating system. If you go with windows, how much does windows cost? It is illegal to make many copies of windows so multiply the price of windows by the number of computers. How much money to install windows on a hundred computers? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? Something like that. But you can't do much with only windows. You need a bunch of applications, each costing money, multiplied by a hundred computers. And that's not all. Every few years you upgrade all your software, spending all that money again.Linux:Now let's imagine you go with linux instead of windows. You can download it for free. You can burn as many CDs and DVDs as you want for free, with their blessing. The package includes not only the operating system but also all the popular applications, all for free. Whatever you want that is not included in the package, you cam downlad from the repository, for free. All the upgrades are free. Upgrading is easy with the .deb files; dependency hell is a thing of the past. How much does all this software cost you on a hundred computers? Nothing. It is zilch zero free.I think that's a great example of something for free. Nope, it does not cost the tax payer. It has nothing to do with government. And nope it is not piracy.And the quality is high. Many people seem to think linux is still only command line, as if nothing happened since 1991 when Linus Torvalds released the first version of linux. It is point and click, like windows. It is, I think, more intuitive and easier to use than windows. Programs are easier to find and install and upgrade than on windows.Windows is more subject to viruses than linux. Windows is a hog on computer resources. Windows does not like to share the computer with other operating systems.Almost always a new computer has windows already installed on it. Most people go with that; why bother with another operating system when you already have one. I delete it and replace it with linux.Linux has been criticized for not having quality games. Check out zero AD, a zero priced high quality game.Windows 8 refuses to run Age of Empires version 1; wine runs it. Wine is a linux program that runs windows programs without windows.More linux propaganda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 All right now come clean...How many NY City parking tickets have you not paid?A... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Are there penalties for folks who post lists?And punitive damages for lists of more than three (3), or, less than ten (10)?A...Yes, but I have diplomatic immunityOkay, Adam. He's got diplomatic immunity. SHAME HIM!!--Brantworks best if he's Japanese--are you Japanese, Derek?1/64th japanese. Great great great great great great grandmother played with a doll made in JapanProbably best not to continue this conversation.--Brant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Are there penalties for folks who post lists?And punitive damages for lists of more than three (3), or, less than ten (10)?A...Yes, but I have diplomatic immunityOkay, Adam. He's got diplomatic immunity. SHAME HIM!!--Brantworks best if he's Japanese--are you Japanese, Derek?1/64th japanese. Great great great great great great grandmother played with a doll made in JapanProbably best not to continue this conversation.--Brantagreed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 All right now come clean...How many NY City parking tickets have you not paid?A...When my uncle attended Columbia in the late 1930s he amassed many parking tickets and didn't pay any. After he got a bunch in one precinct he illegally parked in another then another. Driving home to Florida he was chased for speeding in South Carolina or Georgia and stopped after he crossed the county line. The deputy told him he no longer had any authority, but wanted to see the car that could out run him.--Brantit's in the genes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Posting on a philosophy forum should be free.Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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