Quote Originally Posted by bu villain View Post
Yes you can, but that is not the question. Obviously such a plan is not sustainable. I'm imagining a scenario (admittedly unrealistic) where no one is forced to work without worrying about their survival because the basics of survival are provided without human labor.
Actually, the plan is fully sustainable and working today. The reason that it is sustainable is because the vast majority are willing to work to improve their lives, rather than sit in a prison cell, or live in the ghetto just surviving. In this country, no one is forced to work to survive. The basics of survival are provided by the people currently. If you are hungry, you can go to a soup kitchen. If you need shelter, there are shelters all over the country.

Your argument for a world without work being necessary is one that was presented by 19th century utopians - a society rich enough that fewer and fewer people need to work — a society where leisure becomes universally accessible, where part-time jobs replace the regimented work week, and where living standards keep rising even though more people have left the work force altogether.
Oh wait - that is what is happening now in today's society.
What we see here and now is a continuing decline in blue collar work. Americans dropping out of the work force are not destitute: they’re receiving disability payments and food stamps, living with relatives, finding work here and there, and often doing as well as they might with a low wage job. By historical standards, they live a more comfortable life than the Democrats want to admit.
Right now, we have a country that requires almost no work to survive already.