You could start your own company, be your own employer and work as much as you feel like.
Most people in the United States do not have this option because they do not have enough money to do so.
You're searching for the ability to live without constraint. So long as scarcity exists, this is fundamentally impossible.
Absolutely agree.
>>>They have the option to raise that money.
Absolutely disagree. They are working 2 and 3 jobs, my friend. They do not have the money to raise that money.
>>>You're searching for the ability to live without constraint.
Please explain where I indicated this, I did not mean to.
> Yeah but we’re not allowed to. Most employers will demands you show up for 40 hours a week and then frown at you or, at least, never promote you if you don’t stay for a lot more.
The whole point here is that we aren't limited to what our employer "allows" us to do. We choose to follow the directions of any particular employer because it typically rewards us with money, which we can use to survive.
You are making the argument that people in the US don't have options. Of course they have options. The costs may be high to exercise those options, but that doesn't mean they don't have them.
And of course, the larger point:
> We should all do whatever the fuck we want, until we die.
Applies equally to employers as it does to everyone else.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, I will try to explain my original comment for you.
I agree with you that starting a business is possible in the legal sense and it is a culturally acceptable thing to do. The US government and the general socio-economic climate of the US makes it morally, legally, and socio-economically possible to start a business. Agreed.
Here is my response to olliesaunders:
>>>Most people in the United States do not have this option [starting a business] because they do not have enough money to do so.
If starting a business takes X amount of time, Y amount of money, and Z amount of skill, my contention is that most Americans do not have sufficient levels of each. To say nothing of the luck involved.
So with that in mind, let me reply to part of your most recent comment:
>>>You are making the argument that people in the US don't have options. Of course they have options.
This I agree with, as stated above.
>>>The costs may be high to exercise those options, but that doesn't mean they don't have them.
This I do not agree with. Starting a business costs Q amount of money. A certain segment of the population will never earn that much money in their entire lives.
To be snarky, I will likely never earn enough money to buy an island. The fact that it is legal to buy an island does not make buying an island an option for me.
I will strongly agree for consumer purchases by people at or above the median household income in America. Strongly disagree for medical purchases, since if you try to save money you may die.
I'd love to see some numbers or studies to prove your claim as it applies to Americans in poverty. Even some anecdotal math would be fine, using craigslist apartments and bus ticket costs and food costs and medical costs and etc. Poverty line is 23,050 for a family of 4.
November 2012: 20% of American children live in poverty
The poverty numbers are cooked to drum up support for the socialist welfare apparatus. For example, if a 17 year old's family moves and they stay behind with a friend's family, they are classified as a "homeless child".
Additionally, do you have any evidence for your assertion?
For those with money, don't forget luck. Also don't forget timing, but I repeat myself.
The money thing comes into play for the lower 30% of the population which has 10k to -infinity in net worth. Here's a tip: price out some business plans, then look up the percentage of the US population has enough net worth[1] to fund or convince a bank to fund their plan.
[1]http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/11/30/study-american-hou...