I don't know. I mean, there are mentally ill homeless people. It scares me, because if it wasn't for my parents, I'd probably be homeless. Not that I was some picture perfect, sinless but mentally ill person, but...yeah. Mental problems. What are the alternatives? State mental hospitals are mostly closed down and they were often abusive. Group homes are sometimes good, often not so good, and run by corporations squeezing as much profit as they can out of what little money the residents bring in.
I believe in a safety net, obviously. I get disability. It goes straight to my dad, who takes a bit for my upkeep, and then doles the rest out to me. Its weird, you know, being 30 and basically living off the government and my parents, but...the alternatives are no good. I'm working on a degree, so that's good. Still..in this economy, its not a sure fire thing.
My friend, she moved to the UK w/ her husband, she says the safety net works. I mean, sometimes people gripe about the permanent under class in England (I think they're nicknamed "chavs" or something like that), but...they have less violent crime, far fewer homeless people, and adequate--not top notch, but adequate--health care for everybody.
