I agree for a more practical reason as described in my vagrants haiku:
I have had pigeons
I stopped giving them bird seed
The pigeons are gone
There is only one solution to deal with this problem:
Offer the vagrants three choices: Stop being a vagrant OR accept room and board in return for sobriety and WORK (via job shops) OR get arrested and be put to work. The couple of percent who truly are too ill to work, we will take care of (after we've concluded they have no assets or income). The job shops partition out work the illegals are doing now: picking crops, processing chicken, sorting recyclables, cleaning buses, repairing hiking trails, picking up trash, etc. Get tough or accept vagrancy. The employers pay back the government to offset the cost of the room and board or incarceration. There are no other solutions. This is bullet proof. Win Win Win Win Win. If you have a better solution, provide it.
If you have a better solution, provide it.
It depends on who you mean by "we". If you're referring to the state, then I don't think it's a good idea. Simply because the state is never held accountable, and it's far too easy to abuse the system such as - at some point - redefining anyone that doesn't want to work as needing to be cared for (like what happens now).
I think private charities (or even church) on the other hand are a better provider because no one is compelled to give their money (like taxes), and it's in the charities best interests to be as efficient and frugal as possible. They're not going to be supporting career beggars.
Finally, if someone chooses not to work, I don't think it's right to force them to, even if hey would die otherwise. No only does it go against my principles, but it's terribly inefficient.
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