we paid for public services, we want those public services to be accessable to us we also paid for a shitload of bombs and corporate bonuses, but the people recieving that ‘free stuff’ seem to be fine with it only when it goes to them, not to the needy
Breaking down how tiny the cost is for some of our most valued social and governmental services is really something. Even working hourly paycheck to paycheck, I’d gladly pay for these programs multiple times over even without redistributing the taxes that fund the military and corporate subsidies. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be willing to do the same.
There are certain things that are just such a huge return on investment in our communities that it’s amazing we even talk about this at all. And a lot of the investment people sometimes push for and get asked “how do we pay for it?” are things that pay for themselves multiple times over. Like investing in public transportation; there’s something like a 4:1 ROI on something that we should do anyway because of the human and climate benefits.
When you set people up for success, when you invest in communities and give people the tools to succeed, a rising tide lifts all boats. Very few investments only affect a small group of people. I don’t have children myself, but I want kids to be fed! 1) I don’t want kids to go hungry, wtf, and 2) those kids’ health impacts us all in the future when they’re the ones running the country, and in the present because the state of the kids affects the adults caring for them. It doesn’t help anyone if half our workforce and fellow citizens are stressed and overworked and distracted and isolated because they’re focused on just keeping their kids fed.
No one lives in a bubble. And we shouldn’t have to. There’s a reason humans form societies. Life is better for everyone if we work together and support each other. It’s literally what we evolved to do; how we people, on a very basic level. And it’s more important to remember that than ever, with challenges like climate change facing us.