The current situation in the world, including the past two years and the pandemic that changed society on political and economic fronts, has emboldened those who wanted to stand but were afraid to. Antiwork is not a new idea, it is a new label on an idea that goes back ages, but it has been redefined.
Antiwork means being able to subsist in a viable lifestyle without having to work a job. Note that this does not define landlords or business owners that give control of running the business over to other people. I have thought on this subject and find that there are several things that need to happen in society for this to be possible.
The first is an income of some form. Current disability and SSI or retirement payments are not enough for this. To combat this a UBI (Universal Basic Income) will need to be instated. A monthly payment to individuals and families that provides them with enough to keep food on the table, a roof over their head, and clothes on their back.
Next is universal health care. There is another point that I will make that will help to address this. Healthcare is the largest cost it has ever been in the history of healthcare. I recently had surgery on one of my toes and had to have a portion amputated because of an infection. The reason why was because I tried home treatments because I don't have healthcare while I was unemployed. I have no idea how much this surgery will cost me, but I know it will be in the thousands. Previous hernia surgery was billed to me for over $6,000 after an uninsured reduction of over $10,000.
The third part that will affect universal healthcare is lower-cost secondary education. Yes, many states have a lottery-funded grant system that helps with paying for some or all of secondary education. The sad part is that this is only available for a limited time, usually one to two years, while dedicated specialized degrees demand more than two years. Such programs as doctors, engineers, specialized sciences, and technicians require up to 8 years of schooling. A reduction of the cost or full elimination of the cost will reduce the cost of what these individuals will have to be paid to fulfill their debts and increase the availability of these jobs to those that want them.
Lastly is housing. The cost of housing is extremely expensive. This is for a home and rental as well. Yes, there was a moratorium on a certain mortgage and rental payments during the pandemic. I personally do not agree with living in a domicile of another at no cost, but I also agree that using the rental of a home to pay the mortgage that the landlord has on it is egregious. The answers are either public housing funded by the government, laws that control rent, or a limit on the number of homes a person can own a rental property.
I know that these are just some of the problems we face to reach this goal. These are the primary ones that I see and that if dealt with first will lead to solutions for other problems. Please, comment your ideas or critiques on my ideas, creative discussion can lead to a refinement of this and a call to implement these ideas.