zlacker

>>tedsan+(OP)
This is so much money with which we could actually solve problems in the world. maybe even stop wars which break out because of scarcity issues.

maybe i am getting to old or to friendly to humans, but it's staggering to me how the priorities are for such things.

>>deknos+6a1
For less than this same price tag, we could’ve eliminated student loan debt for ~20 million Americans. It would in turn open a myriad number of opportunities, like owning a home and/or feeling more comfortable starting a family. It would stimulate the economy in predictable ways.

Instead we gave a small number of people all of this money for a moonshot in a state where they squabble over who’s allowed to use which bathroom and if I need an abortion I might die.

>>CSSer+xk1
Eliminating some student debt is a fish. Free university is the fishing rod. Do that instead.

>>nejsjs+Sw1
Free to the student sounds nice, but who pays for it in the end? And does an education lose a bit of its value when anyone can get it for free?

>>_heimd+a02
Not anyone. Some kind of test is required for admission. I am thinking like the UK system.

Also if you are being $ focused then offer it where there is ROI: STEM, medicine (allow more doctors too).

Education doesn't lose its value if it is free. Does food and water? Shelter?

Unless people are just tuning out of their degree and it is just a social thing. In which deal with that specific problem.

>>nejsjs+rb2
How does no one pay for it, though?

I don't know the ins and outs of the UK education system, but I have to assume the facilities and employees are still paid for.

> Does food and water? Shelter?

If everyone had access to it for free? Absolutely! I wouldn't work as a farmer or build houses if no one had to pay for those products. Value, or price in this context, is only really feasible for scarce assets. If something is seemingly unlimited and freely available it will have no (financial) value.

>>_heimd+YY2
Tax. The missing link is those educated people pay it back with their tax. And/or contributions to the economy.

Also part of this is making education better bang for buck.

You can say who's gonna pay for it for everything. Defense and meddling in world affairs is a big cost too.

>>nejsjs+Nr3
Right, but if our answer is taxes then someone pays for it and it is not free. There's nothing wrong with that, we just can't call it free.

> You can say who's gonna pay for it for everything. Defense and meddling in world affairs is a big cost too.

For sure, no disagreement here. My personal opinion is that defense is only necessary in times of war and meddling in world affairs is never necessary.