Should Food and Water Be Free

[Neko]

I was leaning towards yes, but I chose no instead. Here's my reasoning:

If you think about it, both food and water cost a ton of money to maintain. Where will that money come from to purify the water you drink every day? Or to process and package the food you eat? It would throw off the whole economy, even more than it already is, to make such a radical change alone. Now instead of screwing over people who don't have money to buy a lot of food, everyone is screwed. Would I want that? I think not. Call me selfish, I don't care. In this case, the greater good theory is applied and stands strong.

 

[twocows]

Depends on the economic system. If the system is capitalist, free food and water would put a lot of people out of jobs and taxes would go sky-high. The welfare/charity system we have, while not perfect, is the correct way to do it in a capitalist system.

In a socialist/communist system, this would be a more reasonable concept; I can see most people either having to participate in some sort of farming thing or just working in exchange for food or something.

Then again, it'd never *really* be free. You'd always be doing something for the food, even in the latter scenario (you'd be working for food and money instead of working for money that you use to buy food).

 

[Brushfire]

Where I live at least, water is free. Other drinks I can understand them making us pay for, as they are made by manufacturers that have to pay to create the product (though as with all food/drink these days, they cost twice the amount that they used to make profit).

Food follows a different idea. We're free to get our own food if you choose not to buy it in the shops, quite simply. Of course it's a human right, but it's also of your own accord to get it yourself, it's not anyone else that is responsible to do that for you. If you don't work, (where I live) the Council supplies you with money that you can use to do just that. It's a matter of choice.

So in whole- water should be, as we can't very well go out and drink river water. Food should not.

 

[Ray Maverick]

I voted 'No'. Why? Because if food and water were free, the people wouldn't work so they can get the money they need to buy food and water; they'd just sit and enjoy their free food and water, and that would cause problems.

I understand that we need them to live, and the goverment wouldn't even care if we have them or not. But i don't agree with you for the reasons i mentioned.

 

[Kleinchen]

As the majority of people have been saying, free food and water is pretty much an impossibility in our society. People who gather, package, and otherwise prepare the food we buy at the store need to be paid for the work they do. Same goes for water. If we were to make all that free, it would wreak havoc on our already-stumbling economy.

As an idea, free food and water is great. But socialism is great as an idea too. And as that obviously shows, just because something is a great idea doesn't mean it will be great at all when actually implemented.

 

[ÇyänïdëÉX]

Food should be controlled not free. Its a weird concept because food seems to be part of the problem with some parts of the world. Some don't have it and some have so much that tons of it go to waste every day. So i guess thats my two cents on the matter.

 

[Uzumaki_King]

If free, people would just be greedy and even wasteful.

 

[Kura]

Never. People would abuse it. Hell! In certain places in the states, people try to buy cigarettes with welfare food-stamps. And argue when they can't get them!

No, no, and never.

Need food? Go to a homeless shelter or soup kitchen if you are that desperate. They WILL feed you.