>>As a libertarian (not an anarchist one, though, correct?), what is your opinion of how to solve this mess?>
Duncan, the reason I asked the question is because my understanding of libertarianism is a little fuzzy on spending for social programs, and in fact this is my greatest problem with libertarian philosophy. Reinsitutionalizing the seriously mentally ill who cannot care for themselves, and treating substance abuse on demand, which in my opinion are both very important, require fairly large and structured government programs, do they not?
I agree that there is a small group of people who are homeless by choice. In olden days, these were romanticized as hobos. Certainly, in a free society they should be able to make that lifestyle choice. I would disagree with you about the financially homeless. The last statistics I read indicated 18% of homeless work fulltime. In northern California, rents are so high that some people make a choice to be homeless so that they can eat and otherwise live, because they cannot afford both. Also, that safety net is disappearing under current welfare reform laws. |
