The Walking Man
Lost among the many things President Ronald Reagan did to America during his eight years as president was one particular budget cutting measure. Perhaps in these days of fiscal austerity it is good to look back to the past as a guide if for no other reason then to teach us about the ignorance of our as of yet "unmade" decisions. Prior to Ronald Reagan you didn't see many homeless people on the streets. Those that existed tended to live outside of society. They were the "Hobos" of yesteryear. America had a system of mental hospitals and for better or worse these institutions cared for and accommodated the nations mentally ill. Reagan wanted to reduce corporate taxes and to find the money for this he had to cut the welfare state. The result was the de-funding and closing of most of the nations large public mental hospitals. The theory was that mental health care could be more efficiently provided by private companies. Of course this only works with those