For the purposes of that post; it's a relative term.

Man, Marx must be soooo out of fashion. Oh wait, he is.

A person should receive in exchange for their labour (over the course of their working life) enough that they can live and replace themselves in the population. This means paying for their food, clothing, shelter, health care, their further education, the feeding, housing and education of their children (the initial person's education being supplied by the previous generation) and their retirement and eventual death expenses.

Exactly what this works out to in material terms is variable. In a society of farm labourers, formal education is above the bare minimum. In a society of industrialised workers who have to read safety warnings and such, literacy is required and so education is necessary. In a technological/service focused economy, education and socialisation is necessary and for the latter, a televsion could be considered a necessity - but it doesn't have to be an enormous flat-screen. In a market where most job seekers have a mobile phone, to not have one is a significant employment disadvantage and so they are necessities, but they don't have to be fancy. Likewise internet access.

I know this lacks details.

I think the crucial thing is that there is no poverty trap. That is, no one is so poor that they cannot allocate any of their resources to the gradual imporvement of their situation, because all resources must be devoted to immediate survival. I know many people who are in a poor situation have some resources which they could use to improve thier situation, but which they instead use for other purposes, like drinking. Their choice. Their consequences.

Drinking is not a necessity? :eek:

>What's the bare minimum standard of living that an American should have, and how much will it cost?

>Should every American have food, clothing, shelter? How about a TV, phone, heat/ac? Should we minimally have an education? If so, to what level?

>How much does a household need to gross in order to provide this standard of living for itself?

What's your answers, Spexx?

There is no answer. Just as you said all along, Henry.

Really, my belief is that many of these people would shoot somebody in the face for stealing their Wii or scratching their car.

So I'd hardly find any of their feelings on what a person needs to live to be even remotely valid.

Who are you referring to when you say "these people"??

Lamp...
 

...Spexx is not obligated to answer (anymore than I was obligated to answer, or obligated to answer in a way Spexx might like)...but: Spexx DID ask the question(s)...in my experience the person asking has some point to make.

I'm just encouraging Spexx to get on with it... ;)

"...many of these people would shoot somebody in the face for stealing their Wii..."
 

HA!

I believe each and every US adult citizen should receive $1000 per month in non-debt based US Treasury issued new capital. Medically necessary health care should be assured by the government, also funded with US Treasury issued new capital. How each citizen maintains their lifestyle after that is up to them.