Re:Officials put the wrong man in a mental facility for two ...
by munificent on Friday August 06, 2021 @12:44PM
(#28089663)
> Which sort of presumes that there are other places said people can shuffle off to.
I think in general society and government does and should presume that people can figure out most solutions to their own problems. Our instutitions provide a framework for people to figure out how to live, and help them do with things that require scale, but I don't think it's reasonable to say that the government needs to give everyone a "designated place to go".
> Actual homelessness is something that doesn't occur much anywhere else I've seen in the world to the same level as it does in USA.
There are a few things uniquely driving homelessness in the US:
* The opioid epidemic thanks to Purdue pharma.
* The deinstitutionalization movement was stronger here than in other countries.
* Not having free healthcare.
Outsourcing, automation, and the shift to an urban service-oriented economy is probably part of it too, but I don't think that's a huge driver. Most of the homeless stories I hear start with one of:
"I got hurt at work, and was prescribed Oxycontin. I ended up addicted and when the subscription ran out, I ended up on heroin..."
"I was mentally ill and unable to hold down a job because of it..."
"I got cancer and once all the medical bills piled up, I ended up deep in debt and couldn't afford to pay rent..."
I think in general society and government does and should presume that people can figure out most solutions to their own problems. Our instutitions provide a framework for people to figure out how to live, and help them do with things that require scale, but I don't think it's reasonable to say that the government needs to give everyone a "designated place to go".
> Actual homelessness is something that doesn't occur much anywhere else I've seen in the world to the same level as it does in USA.
There are a few things uniquely driving homelessness in the US:
* The opioid epidemic thanks to Purdue pharma.
* The deinstitutionalization movement was stronger here than in other countries.
* Not having free healthcare.
Outsourcing, automation, and the shift to an urban service-oriented economy is probably part of it too, but I don't think that's a huge driver. Most of the homeless stories I hear start with one of:
"I got hurt at work, and was prescribed Oxycontin. I ended up addicted and when the subscription ran out, I ended up on heroin..."
"I was mentally ill and unable to hold down a job because of it..."
"I got cancer and once all the medical bills piled up, I ended up deep in debt and couldn't afford to pay rent..."