ruveyn wrote:
Screw that. Will it add a day to my lifespan? Will it help me lose a pound? Will it add a dollar to my income? What is the use?
ruveyn
If personal profit is the only motivation sufficient for you, then consider that homelessness imposes a social cost that is borne, ultimately, by both the public sector (thus, you as a taxpayer), and by individuals (you as a consumer).
Some costs are direct charges on the government: Who pays for medical care when the police bring a homeless person to the ER? Who pays for the, "three hots and a cot," when a homeless person is arrested and cannot be released on bail because they cannot provide an address?
Some costs are direct costs on consumers: Why are home insurance rates higher in cities than rural areas, and higher still in neighborhoods with high homeless populations? Because property crime increases as homelessness increases. Who pays for the cost of shrinkage caused by shoplifting? It is built into the retail price of goods.
Every homeless person who comes in off the street is diminishing the cost that all of us must pay to tolerate this social phenomenon in our midst.
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--James