I remember hearing stories from my nana about how she and my papa used to go to the movies for a nickel . These days, a nickel won’t even buy you a piece of penny candy!
Everything it seems is just too damned expensive . So let’s air our grievances and check out these 15 items that people think should be provided — free of charge .
Condoms and feminine hygiene products.
It’s true that condoms are given away freely at most public health clinics. However, in most high schools they still must be bought in a machine — the same goes for pads and tampons as well.
Dental care.
“I think it’s weird that vision and dental are separate from health insurance. Like seeing and chewing are just vanity.” – Reddit u/FistedTate
I never thought of it that way; you make a good point. Why are oral and vision health separate?
Online ticket fees.
I recently had to buy tickets from Ticketmaster online and the fees were outrageous. When all was said and done, I wound up paying $40 in fees to purchase four tickets for a concert that was already overpriced to begin with.
Personal banking.
It costs roughly $17 per month on average for a basic everyday chequing account. That means that the average customer is paying well over $200 a year in fees for one basic product. Now extrapolate that over a lifetime of 50 years — the numbers are shocking.
University/college textbooks
Reddit user Candince_and_Company argues that “if you pay for the class the required reading materials should be included.”
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Also, charging kids an extra $100 for the latest edition of a book that offers no new information as far as the course material is concerned should be a crime.
The internet.
“With the day and age we are in majority of interactions require an internet connection. You have kids missing school bc they can’t attend virtual classes bc they don’t have internet. I’m not saying the fastest possible internet should be free.” – Reddit u/FuzeJokester
Hospital parking
I understand that there are people who would inevitably abuse the system. But I also feel that charging someone $20 a day to sit next to their dying loved one is perhaps one of the most inhumane and insensitive things you can do.
Funerals.
“I mean you give and give with taxes all your life and then you have to pay for your own death. Or your loved ones who are still paying taxes have to pay. But even when you’re dead you don’t stop paying, ridiculous.” – Reddit u/SpiritualTear93
College applications.
“Colleges are already having you pay a shit ton for tuition, so [expletive] off with those weirdly high prices. Especially considering that you literally send your alumni mountains of mail FOR FREE that ask you to give them even more [expletive] money.” – Reddit u/Terezzian
Insurance.
Chris Rock has an amazing bit where he refers to insurance as “in case [expletive].” You pay money every month in case [expletive] happens. But if [expletive] doesn’t happen — shouldn’t we get even a small portion of that money back?
Healthcare.
The first question that a doctor asks before attempting to save a dying human being’s life shouldn’t be “do they have insurance?”
Healthcare should be considered a human right, rather than a line that divides those who have from those who have not.
Paywalls.
“If your article contains information pertaining to public health and safety it shouldn’t be behind a freaking paywall!” – Reddit u/BiteyMax22
I’m going to have to disagree with this one; you can’t demonetize information pertaining to public health. What publication or research professional would bother with it in the first place, otherwise?
Access to drinking water.
Did you know that a shocking amount of indigenous communities within Canada have absolutely zero access to clean drinking water? How is it that a country as prosperous as ours could abandon its own citizens without the slightest concern?
Public transportation.
“I lost a lot of potential jobs because I couldn’t make it to the interview or job site. I know Job placement agencies are meant to help with things like that, but quite a few of them will only refund the cost.” – Reddit u/AussieMilk
Public toilets.
I love Europe. It’s one of my favorite places in the entire world to travel. But there’s one thing that the majority of Europe still hasn’t figured out: making someone pay to use the toilet is about as dastardly a deed as there is.
What’s something that you think should be made freely available to all? Leave a comment and let us know!
h/t: Reddit
