Has anyone [in the U.S.] received your stimulus check? How are you going to spend it?

[redpoint5]

I've slept in my bivy or less dozens of times. One trip up Jefferson I brought the bivy and no sleeping bag. On one rainy camping trip I got fed up with the group messing around with tarps and slept in the downpour in my rain jacket and rain pants.

Surviving the elements is easy so long as those elements are anticipated.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Nobody would die if the checks stopped coming. We already have homeless with mental issue and drug addictions living on the streets, and they are overfed and don't die of malnutrition or exposure.

Except for the ones that do die. I invite you to walk though a homeless camp if you think the homeless are fat and happy - I used to almost every day when I was going into work instead of working from home.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

If some sort of UBI is implemented to replace SS, it needs to come from the general fund, not workers today paying for retired people today. The ratio of workers to non-workers is not a constant.

Social Security does come out of the general fund. When SS taxes exceeded spending the extra went to the general fund. When SS taxes stopped covering current benefits years ago the general fund made up the difference and the virtual SS checks keep going out every month. Why do you expect that to stop for our generation?

Do you really think a politician is going to vote to kill off our SS benefits? The accounting is easy to fix. The whole "Social Security is going bankrupt" is political theatre.

I agree it is stupid have a separate lines for income, SS, and Medicare taxes but that is just naming semantics.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by JSH

Except for the ones that do die. I invite you to walk though a homeless camp if you think the homeless are fat and happy - I used to almost every day when I was going into work instead of working from home.

The number of people that die of hunger in the US is so small that the stat isn't even tracked. It occurs most often by accident where elderly or mentally/physically incapable people get neglected.

The homeless are mostly in despair due to addiction, mental problems, and regret. None of those things are fixed by free money.

I've lived among the homeless when they were in prison, lived with my cousin for 2 years who periodically lived homeless, and fed the homeless in Salem. I'm familiar with the homeless.

BTW, the thing that led to my cousin dying an early death was his inability to use free money wisely. When he was living with me and working a steady job he did great. When free money came his way he'd stop working, burn through the cash in days/weeks, and destroy his body.

Should people with mental deficiency be free to ruin themselves, or should some of their liberty be demanded of them to protect their health? It is interesting that we have arbitrarily chosen the age of 18 to convey most liberty/responsibility to an individual, as if age were the most important criteria for determining ability.

[hayden55]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Listen to Economics Explained much?

maybe.. why do you ask

[hayden55]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Surviving the elements is easy so long as those elements are anticipated.

This one is nice too. If you want just a bit more than a bivy. I use this for motorcycle camping. Packed it weighs about 1.5 pounds.
Tried hammock too. Those are okay if you like sleeping in that position. But yeah I like to manspread so quilt, single person tent, pad and I'm game to camping. With the right gear. Looking forward to getting an adv bike soon. Either a tenere 700 or maybe convert a fz6r to a noob tenere with less susp travel.

What bag are you using for that? Looks cold. In Arkansas I never really see it get below 25. Mostly 35 is the low 90% of the time.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by hayden55

What bag are you using for that? Looks cold. In Arkansas I never really see it get below 25. Mostly 35 is the low 90% of the time.

That photo is old, but I was using a Sierra Designs 20 degree Polarguard 3D mummy. Sleeping pad was an original Thermarest full length. I heated a water bottle of water and tossed that in for initial warmth.

In my Jefferson trip, I spent 2 nights without a sleeping bag, but instead wore all of the clothing I brought including a down jacket, thermals, and beanie. The extra unplanned night on the glacier was colder than I'd have liked, and boots make a poor pillow.

I'd like to do some motorcycle camping again someday. Would love to have an FJR1300, or perhaps something off road capable, but I'll probably stick to my F4i. It's surprisingly comfortable.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

The number of people that die of hunger in the US is so small that the stat isn't even tracked. It occurs most often by accident where elderly or mentally/physically incapable people get neglected.....

I was more specifically thinking about exposure. Homeless people freeze to death every year in Portland. Then there is just the general ill health caused by poor diet, exposure, yes drugs, and lack of medical care.

There are plenty of people that are homeless because they can't afford housing. That is helped by money. We also were specifically talking about seniors, Social Security, at what happens to them if Social Security is replaced by private retirement funds. There are lots of seniors that couldn't make rent without a Social Security check.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by JSH

There are lots of seniors that couldn't make rent without a Social Security check.

Sure, but then they were promised that check and planned accordingly, and had some portion of their lifetime pay extracted.

It's a bad system that should be phased out for something not dependent on the number of workers in the workforce, robust against changing life expectancy, and encouraging people who want to take more control over their finances to do so.

[freebeard]

It's a bad system that should be phased out for something not dependent on the number of workers in the workforce, robust against changing life expectancy, and encouraging people who want to take more control over their finances to do so.

Totally agree. Except bad better than nothing...

Make the robots pay.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Totally agree. Except bad better than nothing...

Make the robots pay.

UBI is inevitable. I just wonder if we'll be less innovative when there's no necessity to work? I know I'd spend much of my time tinkering and learning, so I'd probably be more creative, but most people aren't so inquisitive. Kids these days are happy to spend all day every day playing Call of Duty.

The Star Trek vision is that lack of want would free us to explore like never before. I'm sure that would be true for some, but I fear Wall-e is more likely for the majority.