Are deliberately unemployed people a drain on society?

[politicus]

lolno

Care to elaborate?

[politicus]

lolno

Care to elaborate?

Nah, not really. I believe that every human being has a universal right to a basic standard of living ensuring access to basic goods such as food, housing and education, regardless of whether they choose to work or not. There isn't much more to say.

Okay, thanks for the elaboration. I agree that every human being has the right to a minimum standard of living, but that doesn't change the fact that people who chose  not to work (or do anything else productive, such as caring for their family) are objectively a drain to society. If you consume resources without contributing, you are a drain.

[politicus]

lolno

Care to elaborate?

Nah, not really. I believe that every human being has a universal right to a basic standard of living ensuring access to basic goods such as food, housing and education, regardless of whether they choose to work or not. There isn't much more to say.

Okay, thanks for the elaboration. I agree that every human being has the right to a minimum standard of living, but that doesn't change the fact that people who chose  not to work (or do anything else productive, such as caring for their family) are objectively a drain to society. If you consume resources without contributing, you are a drain.

Only if you consider such resources (and let's remember we are talking about nothing more than some meager unemployment benefits here) to be a reward for work or for the act of seeking work. However, if they are an entitlement (a word that is almost always used in disparaging terms but which the left should reclaim), then nobody can "drain" them from anybody, since everyone has access to them.

Society has a limited pool of resources, if you take resources without contributing (with labour or otherwise) you drain that pool. This can be legitimate if you cant contribute because of age, illness, handicap etc., but if you just choose not to contribute anything its both unethical and a drain of resources that somebody else could use.

[politicus]

so the underlying assumption behind most every post here is that the only way to 'contribute to society' is to take part in the production-and-consumption market economy.

if my friends and family like me and I make their lives happier, is that a contribution to society?  

there is also the problem of unpaid household labor, which is not directed towards commodity production but yet forms the backbone of every society, even the soulless USA.  see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_work

Actually most of us included (some) other kinds of productive activities in our definition of contributing to society.