Can baseline socialism be combined with higher level Capitalism

[donttread]

My adult son came up with an interesting idea the other day. What if we were to amend the Constitution to allow for a baseline subsistence level Standard of living for all? Of course the system would have to use direct benefits ( like modest government owned or leased housing units ) and a SNAP card for very basic foods instead of cash. Throwing cash out just inflates the cost of the food and housing and defeats its own purpose.
In other words if you had no job you could still have a small apartment with no cable and basic foods along with healthcare for free or in exchange for Community service depending upon your ability.
The whole point would be safety and survival without any frills but also with limited control over your life. Even Ophra or Bill Gates could participate but to do so they'd have to shop at a food pantry and live in an 800 square foot apartment. The Homeless could have homes.
Most would choose to work and would not draw these benefits.
This could probably be accomplished by the states individually without a Constitutional Amendment .
Thoughts?

[Peter1469]

It would be interesting to see the states try several different options and see what works and what doesn't work.

My experience with "projects" (free housing), is that the residents trash them in under 5 years. There was talk when I was in school of creating a new "project" but only letting people move in who signed over their rights to future welfare payments (a % to cover rent).

[Mister D]

The problem with "welfare" as we know it is that there is no reciprocity and no sense of obligation. The recipients of welfare receive their subsistence from some remote bureaucracy and are more or less unaccountable. There simply is no satisfactory substitute for the communal bonds of the past.

[donttread]

It would be interesting to see the states try several different options and see what works and what doesn't work.

My experience with "projects" (free housing), is that the residents trash them in under 5 years. There was talk when I was in school of creating a new "project" but only letting people move in who signed over their rights to future welfare payments (a % to cover rent).

Great point about states rights. Multiple models can be tried, tweaked and copied as they succeed or fail.

[donttread]

The problem with "welfare" as we know it is that there is no reciprocity and no sense of obligation. The recipients of welfare receive their subsistence from some remote bureaucracy and are more or less unaccountable. There simply is no satisfactory substitute for the communal bonds of the past.

Enforced ER copays would be a start

[Mister D]

Great point about states rights. Multiple models can be tried, tweaked and copied as they succeed or fail.

They will all fail in so far as they are necessarily degrading.

[Mister D]

Enforced ER copays would be a start

You can't enforce what I'm referring to. In the kind of society we have, however, force is all we have to work with.

[Green Arrow]

That's not socialism, "baseline" or otherwise.