Would You Support A Law Providing Free Basic Necessities For Every Human?

As with most realities in this world, this is a very complex issue which requires a complex answer and solutions. In fact, to cover this topic properly one needs to write a book about it. Never be fooled by the fact that it is possible to write the question in a form that makes it look simple. Demanding a “Yes”, or “No” answer, does NOT mean complexities can be ignored and simple ten word solutions will suffice. One might hope that is one thing (Dis-) United Kingdom voters have learned from their experience of giving a “Yes” or “No” answer to a Brexit referendum. The referendum posed an apparently simple question that ignored ALL the complexities. Result of giving a simple answer - confused muddled costly polarising disaster for years to come, which may yet see the break up of the United Kingdom. Pretending that complex questions can yield to simple answers is a lie, and David Cameron’s Referendum question committed that sin. The long term on-going negative consequences to many millions of people in the UK, Europe, and the World, have been and are horrific. From economic consequences to the UK, to personal family break-ups, Brexit has caused them all and remains a lesson in consequences.

So - if you still want a two paragraph answer that nevertheless does some justice to the complexities of this issue you could do worse than have a look at Will Matter’s answer on Quora, to an essentially similar question posted later.

Will Matter's answer to Would you commit in writing to a law that would give the basic necessities of life, free of charge, to every human?

Indeed - if ever there was a question where reading the small print of the law lay at the heart of the issue, this is it.

The first seriously complex issue is what is meant by the term “basic necessities”.

Always remember that, like Brexit, we are talking about LAW here. The Law has to define terms sufficiently clearly that they can be understood, implemented, and followed. The UK’s Brexit process, and the United States’ Presidential Impeachment processes both indicate just how difficult and unsatisfactory this can be. What are “High crimes and misdemeanours?” What are “basic necessities”?

A logical first visit in considering the issue of what constitutes “basic necessities for every human”, is to consider what The United Nations has included in its idea of Human Rights, which includes health care and education. I’m not a fan because there’s a world of difference between aspirin and a plaster, and heart lung operations, plastic surgery, and free sex-change operations. And between being taught reading and arithmetic, and getting a PhD in whatever subject you feel like studying. The USA, the wealthiest nation on Earth, does not provide free basic health care to its all citizens or residents, although many other nations do.

So - does the term “basic necessities”, mean enough water to drink, oxygen, and calories to live on, or are we talking about comprehensive health care including experimental telomere treatments that may enable you to live past age two hundred?

As I’ve written elsewhere on this site Celestial Koan is not a fan of the ‘Rights’ concept. I think we need to think in terms of privileges and responsibilities.

Which raises the second point to which Will Matter’s also alluded - what are the responsibilities that attach to this ‘Basic Necessities’ privilege? Clearly the idea that one can just have fifteen children by ten different partners and expect them to all get the ‘Basic Necessities’ privilege as well, doesn’t fly. The world’s ecosystems are already suffering from the fact that too many humans on the planet are destroying species habitat, increasing ocean pollution, and basically stressing the biosphere beyond its natural ability to cope and recover. A restriction on reproduction seems to be an essential responsibility with or without the privilege of ‘Basic Necessities’.

But besides the question of the extent to which ‘Free Basic Necessities’ includes dental work, accomodation, clothing, transport, education, entertainment, massages and emotional counselling, communications connectivity, free i-phones, sexual opportunities, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, and life long aged care, there’s another important issue - jurisdiction.

The question asks about ‘a law … for every human’.

Laws are currently regional, and national. Nations, states, counties, and even precincts and councils, all have their own laws, regulations, and rules relating to things ranging from planning permission and garbage collection, to mowing one’s lawn and Euthanasia.

Progress (if that’s what it is) towards globalisation has certainly occurred, but we are still a long way short of having:

• one language,

• one currency,

• one military,

• and a single jurisdiction.

There are no ‘citizens of the world’.

Europe, the United States, and at one time The Soviet Union, created Unions, Federations, Soviets, that applied common laws across numerous states / nations, but the Soviet Union has gone, and the United Kingdom is battling to leave Europe. Even the USA is a very polarised and divided nation with many holding onto their fire-arms because they don’t trust their own government (or anyone else much it sometimes appears to we non-Americans). It remains possible that Scotland and Ireland (part or whole), may remain in Europe while England and Wales leave. The United Kingdom may cease to be ‘united’ and so may ‘Europe’.

So there is currently no way that anyone can pass a law that gives ‘Free Basic Necessities’ to ‘every human’.

Most nations pass laws that do one of four things.

1. Apply to every citizen of that nation.

2. Apply to every resident of that nation.

3. Apply to everyone currently within the territory of that nation.

4. Apply to every transaction involving a party of that nation.

Provision of ‘Basic Necessities’ to every human, appears to refer to ‘every human on Earth’ (and in space). That’s every one of half a billion undernourished Indian Untouchable, every child born in Africa, Yemen, a refugee camp, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iran, etc.

In short, global thinking means the USA does NOT build walls, but instead the wealthiest nation on Earth (the USA) uses its resources to provide ‘Free Basic Necessities’ to Iranians, Mexicans - (legal, illegal, in Mexico or out of it), members of ISIS, Afghanistan’s Al Qaeda fighters, radical islamists in Indonesia, North Koreans, and the Rohingya, Kurds, Palestinians, and anyone else lacking a homeland.

Provision of ‘Free Basic Necessities’ for ‘every human’ means you do NOT get to exclude anyone because:

• they aren’t a citizen,

• they arrived somewhere illegally,

• they were born in the wrong place, at the wrong time, of the wrong parents,

• they have the wrong nationality, skin colour, religion, culture, language, ethnicity, socio-economic background, skills set, congenital deformations or are born with AIDS,

• they lack birth certificates,

• were born out of wedlock,

• have a criminal record,

etc. etc.

So, there are three MAJOR issues.

One. What Does ‘Basic Necessities’ Mean?

Does the USA consider that it is currently providing ‘Free Basic Necessities’ to:

1. Those it is detaining in Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre?

2. Those it is holding in US Gaols?

3. Illegal Immigrants currently imprisoned separated from their children?

4. Homeless US citizens?

It needs to be remembered that prisoners in the USA do tend to get better health care treatment than the ‘free’, but homeless.

This ‘Basic Necessities’ question is non-trivial.

Two. What ‘Responsibilities’ Go With The Privilege (not ‘Right’) to ‘Free Basic Necessities’.

1. Restrictions on Procreation?

2. Restrictions on ‘Criminal’ Activities?

3. Other?

None of these are trivial either. How exactly are restrictions on procreation to be achieved (see China’s One Child Policy of the recent past)?

What are defined as ‘criminal activities’? Presumably one can’t go around flying planes into tall buildings and still get ‘Free Basic Necessities’. But laws currently differ very much between nations. They vary from dress codes, drugs including alcohol, ages of adulthood, consent, drinking, etc., driving / flying / fire arms licences, marriage / divorce and polygamy, pornography, to votes and freedom of speech. These can all differ between countries, and often states therein. Do active practicing pedophiles get ‘Free Basic Necessities’? What does one have to do to cease to get ‘Free Basic Necessities’, and what happens to them then?

What may the ‘Other’ category include? Hate speech? Satan Worship? Homosexuality? Supporting ‘Communism / Democracy’ or other ‘Extremist’ views? Is one still allowed to support North Korea’s leader, an ISIS Caliphate, Vladimir Putin, or become a trillionaire? (Should trillionaire’s still get ‘Free Basic Necessities’?)

Are there restrictions on movement, information access, legal rights, ownership rights, marriage rights? Presumably there have to be some - so what are they? (Anyone can’t just walk into a military base or have access to information about anything.)

Three. Law and Jurisdiction

Does this ‘law’ apply to the whole world equally?

How can ‘every human’ receive ‘Free Basic Necessities’ otherwise?

If not - what are the restrictions? Only ‘legal’ immigrants, ‘recognised residents’, ‘adults’, ‘registered voters’, ‘party members (think Chinese Communist Party), Followers of the Prophet, or whoever get ‘Free Basic Necessities’?

If this ‘law’ applies to everyone how can things like nationalism still operate? What happens to national borders?

Who handles the finances, the delivery of services, the registrations, etc. The United Nations?

Clearly this requires a re-allocation of resources from those who ‘Have’ to the ‘Have-Nots’. Clearly this means the wealthiest nations must allocate resources to help the poorer nations. The USA must allocate resources to help the poor in India and China and Mexico.

Conclusion

Would I commit in writing …?

Sure … after I had read, re-read, and agreed with all the fine print, and been truly convinced that whoever gets to run this program is completely trustworthy, competent, and has the necessary power and resources to do so.

The United Nations?

Well only if the US Military is disbanded and the UN Military forces are the ONLY military forces in the world.

How else could the UN compel the USA to provide the necessary resources to provide free Basic Necessities to the starving millions of India?

So … all said and done, Celestial Koan might be happy enough to sign up to such a fine idea in principle, but … practically, I doubt that anyone is going to be able to provide the necessary legislation, small print, or confidence, that would enable me to reasonably sign up to any such thing.

This is an important question to consider in this century. And it includes a lot of the complexities we need to consider and resolve before the end of this century.

CK is doing his best to ‘do his bit’ in this regard, but satisfactorily resolving good answers to most of these issues is going to require the involvement of a LOT of smart caring people.

Hope this helps.