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Robbie,
I agree with you. There are many people in this world who are lazy, incompetent, dim witted sheep. Lets say its 15% of the population. People can quibble over the percent... But for the moment take it as a given. Now acknowledge there are also competent hard working people out of work or unlucky etc who also fall upon hard times. Call it 10% of the population. That number will continue to grow and the speed will accelerate as automation, globalization and efficiency continue to increase.
Within your lifetime more than half the people able to work won't be needed for work. Society can already make all the food we need, all the shelter, clothing, transportation, etc etc etc with a tiny fraction of our population. Not well enough for everyone to live in free mansions and drive designer hand made cars... But easily enough to a moderately comfortable standard of living for the population with a decreasing number of people doing the work. Eventually there will be jobs for 10% of people and the production will be sufficient for 100% of people. That is what is actually coming. What shall we do with most people when we do not need them.
It used to take dozens of people to open a singe storefront a few decades ago. Now, I can open a dozen storefronts in a single day online by myself and manage all of them without a single employee. We grow food with a tiny fraction of the farmers that were needed. We can fight wars that used to require a draft and 100,000 boots on the battle filed by having four guys a few thousand miles away in a simulator flying drones that are 100,000 times more effective.
When most people are 'bums' what do you want to do with them all? Not everyone can be an entertainer or mistress. Many will simply be extra people. Up until now we have jailed many of them for nonviolent crimes. Good luck when it is more than alf the population that we no longer need. The paradigm of only getting what you earn is heading for obsolescence. Like it or not. Hard workers will only be working for luxuries soon, and extra people will be getting baseline needs met whether they work or not. The alternative is mass graves full of hobos.
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