A different perspective

[Astreja]

Free to live in bad neighbourhoods.

Free to eat ramen every day.

Free to walk miles and miles to get out of the local "food desert" to pick up good quality fruits and vegetables.

Free to spend virtually all of the welfare cheque on rent, electricity, food, and maybe a phone if there's any money left over for it.

You have zero conception of real freedom.

"Real freedom" does not exist.  You would have to be completely independent of literally everything:  Food, water, shelter, gravity, sickness and death.  At best we can have relative freedom, and that has to be seen in light of what we want from life.  There will be trade-offs, assuming some responsibilities to acquire some privileges.  Access to money, via working at an adequately-paying job, is one of those trade-offs.

I have the freedom to live in my house, or to sell it and move somewhere else.  I could go live somewhere else in the world if desired.  I can eat ramen, or beef Stroganoff, or roast goose.  I can jump in my car and pick up groceries from anywhere in the city - and beyond.  I can get on the phone and order a $1500 clarinet from halfway across the country, and not worry about making rent (paid off the mortgage over five years ago) or having the lights cut off (haven't missed a utility payment in many years).  My bills are current, my house is warm and lit, and there were homemade cinnamon buns in the kitchen when I came down to get ready for work this morning.  They were delicious, BTW.

You're so hung up on freedom, Ahriman, that you fail to see the benefits of accepting a bit of responsibility and trading time for resources.