omg thank you, voice of reason.

No disrespect intended to parent posters (i appreciate them sharing their anecdotal experience), but def sobering to see that at the top, and realize "oh, this is the common view of hivemind i'm participating in"

I have this vague hope that maybe the 'top comment' position is also based on number of replies, not necessarily upvotes, but then... the discussion itself is pretty sobering. The current program cost relative pennies, proved to be effective at both helping people and freeing up police workers to focus on crime/traffic-related issues. More effective use of city tax $$$$ through targeted spending of $. Seems like a win win win. Anyway, I agree with this particular branch of the discussion-tree.

The FAQ doesn't have a specific entry about comment rankings, but I'd guess it's based off a similar system as the Stories rankings:

"How are stories ranked?

The basic algorithm divides points by a power of the time since a story was submitted. Comments in threads are ranked the same way.

Other factors affecting rank include user flags, anti-abuse software, software which demotes overheated discussions, account or site weighting, and moderator action."

HackerNews is a pretty miserable place when it comes to social issues.

> (i appreciate them sharing their anecdotal experience)

(I don't. This whole subthread can be dismissed by recalling that "the plural of anecdote is not data.")

It's very surprising to me how a personal anecdote is used to argue against any kind of social service, no matter how benign and that arresting these people will somehow be better.