The government isn't inherently evil or ineffective, such notions are nothing more than cheap, self-serving capitalist rhetoric. Your claim that publicly-run psyche-wards are all corrupt and abusing their patients is a gross exaggeration and simply false. Some of the very best mental health institutions are run by our federal, state and local governments. The VA offers the very best mental healthcare in the world, and I know that because I have a family member with PTSD , who's a war veteran and has been admitted to the VA on more than one occasion. He loves the care that he received at the VA and continues to have it now. Privately run, for profit psyche wards are not better:
Private charity and churches are not adequately meeting the needs of the homeless and poor, so our government can and should resolve the problem. What is government? It's a social apparatus/tool/instrument organized by the people to manage their LARGE-SCALE socioeconomic, civil affairs and projects. That's "government", it's not inherently good, nor is it inherently wicked, it's
WHATEVER WE WANT IT TO BE. It's that simple. There are a lot of bible believing Christians here on this forum and if you're one of them, you need to come to terms with what your deity in the bible says about government. According to the Christian deity, government is a divinely created institution:
Tit 3:1 Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work,
Pe 2:13 Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme;
1Pe 2:14 or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well.
1Pe 2:15 For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1Pe 2:16 as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.
1Pe 2:17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
1Pe 2:18 Slaves, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. And wouldest thou have no fear of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from the same:
Rom 13:4 for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
Rom 13:6 For this cause ye pay tribute also; for they are ministers of God's service, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7 Render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
Jesus said:
Mat 22:21 ...Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
Government authorities are established by divine will/fiat/providence and Christians should submit to such authorities. Heck if that wasn't enough, the bible even says that Christian slaves should serve their masters as they serve The Lord. The bible doesn't teach slaves to rebel against their masters, but rather to faithfully serve them.
Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42 for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink;
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
According to the bible, Jesus will cast people into hell for not opening the doors of their homes to the homeless and letting them in. Are homeless shelters the answer to resolving the homeless crisis in America? No. Have you ever been to a homeless shelter? I have, I now work with the homeless at a non-profit, that teaches them web development, android app development, and other computer skills. We visit homeless shelters where 40, even 100 people are being packed like sardines into a small room with bunk beds. Can you imagine being in there, with 50 other homeless people coughing on you with TB? You're getting eaten alive by bedbugs, the guy on the bed next to yours is doing drugs or hearing his little radio all night, till 4 am, not allowing you to sleep. How are you going to perform at your new job tomorrow if you're not sleeping? How can you get a good night's sleep when people around you are getting robbed and stabbed, even raped? I know how it is, I was homeless for 6 years, between 1998 and 2004 here in NYC.
I'm a veteran so the VA helped me get back on my feet through a program called TORCH-VA. Without the VA I would probably still be homeless urinating and defecating on the sidewalk in front of your grocery store or brownstone home. Panhandling and harassing your customers as they walk into your store. What effect does that have on the local economy? How does that affect you and your family? Homelessness is extremely expensive. I wasn't going to stay in a homeless shelter, no way. Been there, done that and I left. I was sleeping rough outside. Shelters are definitely not the solution to homelessness, if anything they are vectors of disease and a public health hazard. If your business or home is near a homeless shelter, what do you think that does to your business or the value of your home? Shelters are not the solution. Permanent housing is the solution.
I agree with you on what you said about the need to commit a % of the homeless population to mental health hospitals. Yes, about a quarter of them may not be able to function or rehabilitate themselves as I did. My life now is completely restored and different than it was 18 years ago. I learned a valuable skill, I educated myself and started a family. All of that is thanks to the VA lifting me up from that hell that I was in, mentally, and physically. etc.
The way to get rid of homelessness in America is simply to provide basic, clean, modern housing to the homeless and other needed services, like healthcare, mental-health and drug counseling, vocational job training, and employment opportunities. That's how you eliminate homelessness, not by abandoning people on the sidewalk. When you ignore the homeless problem or simply force the homeless out of your city, it simply makes the problem worse. The US government is sending billions of dollars to Ukraine to fight their proxy war with Russia when that money should be used to eliminate homelessness in America.
Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Isa 58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward.
Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and Jehovah will answer; thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly;
