Apahin

me:

So I looked up how these rules got started

-Don’t wear a hat inside: Medieval knights were more vulnerable if they removed their helmets. Because of this, removing it in a church or in the presence of royalty felt like a respectful act of humility. It’s rude to wear a hat indoors because 1500 years ago some soldiers wanted to show God and King that they trusted them not to stab them in the head

-Don’t put your elbows on the table: In the middle ages European royalty didn’t have dining tables in their banquet halls, they used a long board balanced on trestles and covered it with a table cloth. If you leaned on the table it would unbalance and topple. People are still telling kids not to put their elbows on the table because 1500 years ago some nobles didn’t want to be embarrassed by knocking over a make-shift table and ruining a feast

Your partner brings you a mug of your favorite warm drink and lets you know the monthly basic income checks have arrived. You pay your rent online and relax, knowing you have plenty of money leftover. Rent control laws and student/medical debt forgiveness have allowed you to save up for a downpayment. You and your partner are planning on buying a house next year.

If you decide to have kids, you don’t need to quit your job to take care of them. You and your partner both get one year of paid parental leave for a new baby or adopted child. Daycare has been added to the public school system and is now free. You don’t need to set aside money for them to go to college either. That’s free too.

The extreme wealth tax has paid for improvements to infrastructure nationwide. Nearly every city in America is carbon neutral now. It will be 100% by the end of the decade. Gas stations have all been replaced by electric car charging stations. Parking lots are all covered in solar panels, which also provide shade for cars. Public transportation is so efficient and accessible that few people drive anymore anyway.

Corporate monopolies have been broken up and right to repair laws are being enforced. Most repetitive, back breaking work is done by machines. You can order packages from anywhere whithout worrying about workers being exploited. You can expect your appliances to last for decades now. Manufacturing regulations have improved the quality of everything from clothes to refrigerators.

You are thinking about taking some time off of traditional employment to work on creative projects. Basic income means more people have money to spend on things they enjoy, so you will find more success than you expected. On Saturdays, you can sell your work at the local farmer’s market while your partner browses the booths. Afterwards you will have a picnic at your favorite park.

After the debate you watch an interesting documentary about an extinction reversal project. The ecosystem of North America is being restored to its natural state as much as possible. Passenger pigeons are already being released into the wild and positively impacting the environment. You start planning a summer national park trip.