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_heimdall | on: Stargate Project: SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, MGX to build data centers
How does no one pay for it, though?

I don't know the ins and outs of the UK education system, but I have to assume the facilities and employees are still paid for.

> Does food and water? Shelter?

If everyone had access to it for free? Absolutely! I wouldn't work as a farmer or build houses if no one had to pay for those products. Value, or price in this context, is only really feasible for scarce assets. If something is seemingly unlimited and freely available it will have no (financial) value.

thfuran | parent | next
It's publicly funded, not built and staffed by slaves.
_heimdall | root | parent
Sure, but then the answer to my original question of who pays for it is the taxpayer. It isn't free, the cost is just subsidized by the public rather than paid by the student.

I'm not even saying that's a bad thing, if most people want it that way I don't see the problem. But it isn't free.

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nejsjsjsbsb | parent
Tax. The missing link is those educated people pay it back with their tax. And/or contributions to the economy.

Also part of this is making education better bang for buck.

You can say who's gonna pay for it for everything. Defense and meddling in world affairs is a big cost too.

_heimdall | root | parent
Right, but if our answer is taxes then someone pays for it and it is not free. There's nothing wrong with that, we just can't call it free.

> You can say who's gonna pay for it for everything. Defense and meddling in world affairs is a big cost too.

For sure, no disagreement here. My personal opinion is that defense is only necessary in times of war and meddling in world affairs is never necessary.

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