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Gov't Proposes Massive Homeless Tracking System
Chris Hoofnagle writes "The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development is proposing a massive system of tracking for homeless people and others who are served by shelters and care centers. The system will track people by their SSN, and will collect health (HIV, pregnancy) and mental information. Secret Service and national security agents can gain access to the database by just asking for it! EPIC has released a fact sheet on HMIS, and the public can comment on the guidelines until September 22, 2003, but no electronic comments are being accepted."
WozNet suppositories for everybody on Capitol Hill!
Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
Couldn't this money be spent in a better way? Better shelters, lower income housing, etc. We don't need to track them. We need to help remotivate them, and get them back into society.
Defender of Microsoft and Communism!!!
and perhaps imprint on all those who don't resist a number.
Makes you wonder what Revelations the department of Home Security will find.
A. Rightmann
Now that guy on the corner wil be right about the government tracking him.
I mean, seriously, a lot of these people already wont go into treatment as it is, why give them one more reson not to.
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
Now if only we could track spammers this way.
So, the bottom line here is if you want government benefits you have to give up some privacy in order to get them. Why don't we just ear-tag the homeless with RFID's and track their migration like an endangered species?
There are a significant portion of the hard-core homeless that will simply stay off-grid, that's why they're homeless in the first place, they decline to participate. Now, these people won't be able to stay anonymous and get fed or get medical care from the government. My suspicion is that the govt. knows this well and is anticipating a reduction in cost while being able to issue press releases about the decline in the numbers of homeless as they stop coming to the clinics and kitchens.
This is analogous to the reports in the declining unemployment rate reflected in lower numbers of people collecting unemployment insurance. It doesn't count the people that have given up, or have turned to the black/gray market for a living.
The best way to do is to be.
I hope that no one is actually considering this in any sort of "real" sense. Besides, is homelessness a temporary or permanent thing? Would you be opening these accounts to track on every kid that ran away and stopped by a soup kitchen for some food, or only the "terminally homeless"? Also, how do they plan on tieing an individaul to an account? I sincerely doubt that the majority of homeless people are going to give government officials their truthful name or SSN. Maybe we can implant them with chips the same way zoologists track endangered species or farmers track cattle!
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Take it sleazy,
-The Shockmaster
And how long before they start tracking everyone in this way? Sure, it seems okay when you apply it to faceless masses of homeless people, but soon they'll be tracking all of us like this.
Fine with me. So long as you also provide the list to Habitat for Humanity
While I understand how Privacy Advocates might go to arms over this, I think there are benefits to the people who are tracked.
As I recall, there have been instances in the past where mentally handicapped have been confused by cops as criminals and shot or wrongly imprisoned. To be able to determine someone as mentally handicapped would be beneficial as the person may not him/herself be able to notify the officer he/she has a problem. Also, this would help hospitals treat patients they have never seen before, as it could assist them in identifying a mentally ill person that needs a specific form of medication.
But I guess you could say that the risks outweigh the benefits, and you are possibly correct.
Well, it's good to want things like this, but I don't think it will really happen. Homeless people tend to be trasients, which means they're going to be hard to track. Additionally, most don't use legal names (preferring assumed names and nicknames), and may invent social security numbers. Others will be illegal immigrants who won't appear in any other record.
Why can't we take the collective ingenuity that it would take to build a privacy invading system like this and bend it towards helping these people rather than tracking them? By helping them, there'd be fewer to track!
-- Truth goes out the door when rumor comes innuendo. -- Groucho Marx
Think of all the money we'll save in mental institutions letting these guys we THOUGHT were nuts back out...
And once this is in place, you're next.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
That's pretty tasteless. Most homeless people never aimed to be homeless, but they can't, realistically, get out of that condition, again. Try it sometime - give away your cash, credit cards, house, car, computer, phone, alarm clock... and see if you can get a steady job that pays you more than it costs to eat and replace your clothes as they wear out. It's not funny - it's tragic.
Web Design & Software Development
"Entities that provide services would collect their names, Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, race, gender, health status (including HIV, pregnancy, and domestic violence), veteran status, and income information."
This sounds way too invasive. It concerns me because once things like this are manditory for homeless people (it sounds like this system is moving that direction), then it will slowly be introduced to the masses.
Start with the outcasts of society as to make a quiet entrance. Then work your way up.
I don't like it.
He quickly ran off... I was still in shock and not sure if I should chase him down, let alone know what to do with him once caught, but now I can track him down and do the same to his shopping cart.
Sweet revenge!
The Dept. of Housing and Urban Development is proposing a massive system of tracking for homeless people and others
They're not going to let this go away. This is just ANOTHER back-door version of TIA. We're going to see it introduced, again and again, under various disguises until they get it implemented. You can expect to see tracking systems suggested for the homeless, pedophiles, drug dealers, spouse abusers, bail-jumpers, tax evaders, etc etc and so on and so on, (each one being some particular organizations "most wanted") until it's actually implemented. And like stone soup, once it's in place, it will be "upgraded" to include everything that anybody ever wanted.
To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
right, as opposed to all the alternative countries that you know of that give away housing? name one! btw, it's us taxpayers that flip the bill for homeless programs, so, I think it's a small price to pay for valuble research that could be gained from this.
Why don't we just ear-tag the homeless with RFID's and track their migration like an endangered species?
That's what I was going to suggest. They could start a tag-and-release program; let the public hunt down and "register" the homeless. Sort of like an alternative to deer hunting season.
This is one of the few forms of government monitoring I'd actually be in favor of.
A large percentage of homeless people are, in fact, mentally ill. Having the government aware of their whereabouts is the least of their problems. And having some historical data available on them could be an aid to helping them; how effectively could you respond to someone off the street if you have no data or contextual indicators on their state or condition? I think the argument can also be made that if someone wants to avail themselves of free support, making note of information on them can be considered part of the bargain. Once their situation improves, the tracking stops, if the source of the data are the shelters and care centers. Dealing with mental illness is profoundly difficult even with the best information available.
(And I do have some very-near-aquaintance, personal experience with this, so factor that into my comment as you like...)
~ Whence do you come, slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?
There are a significant portion of the hard-core homeless that will simply stay off-grid, that's why they're homeless in the first place, they decline to participate.
Dead right. And despite the fact we call it paranoia, slashdot paranoia is absolutely nothing compared to real paranoia. I have a paranoid schizophrenic aunt, and for the implication of every program like this, there's a very real chance she'd risk starvation before going to social services agencies.
Libertarianism is rich wolves and poor sheep playing gambler's ruin for dinner.
One of the benefits of a system like this will be that the government agencies that give money or care to the homeless will not have to worry about people coming in under five different names to collect their benefits. I'm a developer for the city of SF and worked on the Care Not Cash system after it was voted in. One of the highlights was creating a fingerprinting system to stop homeless people from abusing the system like this. Privacy advocates went nuts, but the bottom line was to stop the abuse. It saves money and gives money to the people who need it in the long run.
You're exactly right, and I think it's worth taking a long, hard look at just *why* our government feels a need to keep tabs on where its citizens are.
The "standard" line of reasoning basically says they want your current address because they need to be able to bill you for their services (income tax).
If, however, you're unemployed and don't have a physical address, you're by definition not a taxable citizen. Therefore, any "tracking" the govt. wants to do to these folks is for their own information-gathering purposes - and doesn't seem necessary to me at all.
As you pointed out, there's also the (very likely) ulterior motive of trying to skew the statistics in their favor, while saving money on paying for care for folks insisting on remaining anonymous.
As for the unemployment rate statistics, they're not really useful as anything more than a relative indicator of economic health. Consider this, though. Even those who turned to the "black or grey market" to scrape out a living are aiding the economy. They're providing goods or services (however questionably legal), and collecting money in exchange for those goods/services. Therefore, they cause others to spend some of their cash, which gives them incentive to keep working to earn more money to replace what was spent. The biggest thing that kills the economy is stagnation. The folks who have money are afraid to spend it, so the folks who don't have it find it very hard to get it.
" It's easy to talk about homeless people in online forums"
;)
I dunno, sounds kind of like making fun of someone in prison
This guy openly states that he thinks this is a good idea. How is this a troll?
Wait, I have the answer. It is against the party line here on Slashdot. Anyone who thinks tracking anything is obviously trolling.
New moderator rules:
There will be no difference of opinion here on Slashdot. To become a moderator, you must become deeply familiar with the doctorine that Slashdot pushes. You must post pro-Slashdot-ideology to a number of stories. You're posts will be reviewed by those who have been deemed trustworthy. Once you have proven yourself acceptable, you will be given moderator access. At that point, you should mod down those with different opinions, and mod up those who push our agenda. If you are caught in violation, moderator access will be permanently removed.
Yep, mod me troll, I am prepared. However, I am sick of this and am taking an open stand.
-- Fighting mediocrity one bad post at a time.
I tried helping a homeless Vietnam Vet named Ben. He wanted to see his family, whom he has not seen in 8 years. We were unable to track down his family. Ben was addicted to alcohol, and was missing a leg, from diabetes, a few years after the war.
His family was looking for him too, a lady called the shelter looking for her father. Unfortunately, we came to the shelter about a day later, and she never called back.
Such a tracking system would probably have reunited Ben with his family.
What would one use as bait, a coupla 40's or pure-grain?
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
So, we can't track criminals, because of Constitutional rights, but homeless people are way too dangerous to let loose. I'd rather have some guy sleeping in a box in my yard than know my next door neighbor is a sex offender, but that's just me.
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Lousy rotten karmic retribution.
old people don't need companionship. They need to be isolated and studied so it can be determined what nutrients they have that might be extracted for our personal use.
I guess the same goes for homeless.
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
I fully support a person's right to privacy and their desire to not participate in society, however, getting government handouts and not participating in society are mutually exclusive.
Why not track their benefits? The gov't and private agencies track all of my benefits: SS benefits, income tax, disability insurance, health care status. By tracking the "benefits" the homeless recieve, the gov't will be able to provide better care and make better plans and budgets thereby saving the taxpayer money.
If they really want to live "off the grid" and not participate in society, screw 'em. They shouldn't get any gov't supplied and organized benefits from my taxes.
I've chosen to participate in society and will not support an individual who wants to live outside society, they're on their own.
As to the Secret Service getting the info at their own discretion, I'm against that.
Harry
So are they going to put tags on their ears and/or homing transmitters on thier backs?
I can see the "scientists" now with big antenae looking for signals of wild homeless people.
I mean, if the govn't is that concerned with homeless people, maybe instead of tracking them they could give them some skills training, food, and a place to stay.
> ...that's why they're homeless in the first place, they decline to participate. Now, these people won't be able to stay anonymous
> and get fed or get medical care from the government.
I think the question is being looked at wrong. These "benefits" are not free. Rather, they are at the expense of others. So what you describe here are people who willingly put themselves on the street and demand a right to other people's labour. Rather than asking if they should be anonymous in their ability to be a willing freeloader of the system as described above, perhaps the question should be if they have a right to actively seek a lifestyle at the expense of others rather than taking the difficult moral high-ground of taking responsibility for their own lives.
"The State is that great fiction by which everyone lives at the expense of everyone else." -Frederic Bastiat.
In the past the Libertarian Party has had somethign called "operation homeless" (at least, that's what I recall) that asked homeless people the questions from the world's smallest political quiz.
They were overwhelmingly libertarian. The party marketed this by saying that the homeless know that the government is holding them back.
I believe (and I happen to be an employee of the party in some capacity, so keep that in mind) that this was the wrong conclusion. The real reason is that the homeless don't like to be entangled, don't like to make agreements, and really just want to be left alone with no responsibility, no registration, no contractural obligations.) There is so much financial help that one can get in the form of welfare, food stamps, et cetera...and they choose not to do it, sometimes it is pride, but often it's this amazing resistance to being registered (and i should also think dependent on one entity.)
Being homeless is the ultimate form of freedom (though the quality of life leave much to be desired.) I dunno if homeless in other countries are like this, but this often appears to be the case here. Nothing better than making your living "anonymously."
First we have RFID tags on food because we are afraid Saddam might steal our bananas. Now this?!
/.'ers caffeine addictions!
Why don't we just throw tracking collars on them while we're at it and see how they progress through nature "undisturbed"...
The sad part is that I'm sure that this kind of thing will be paid for through tax payers' dollars... If we have money to blow, why not blow it on something more useful.... Like supporting
Business \Busi"ness\, n.;
A scam in which all people involved perceive as beneficial...
And to this, the homeless shall reply "screw that. I'll steal my food. I really don't have anything else to lose. I've lost my house. My family. My dignity. If I'm having to go to a shelter, it's not much more to dig through a dumpster or steal it from someone". And thus the once proud worker turns to a life of crime.
Just one scenario that comes to mind.
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts...for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang
Yes, but we need to make it faster. I propose to tatoo a barcode on everyones forehead. Hey, at least facial recognition software will be easier... :-)
Yes we do need to track them.
Fine, but now I want to track you.
Why? Because you fit in some economic group I don't really like. I think all of you need armbands too.
We're tired of getting all those fake, inflated numbers of how many there are. Knowing how many homeless are really out there is a vital statistic.
Here's an idea -
Go take a walk in the city tonight. It won't kill you. There are lots of homeless. All you need to know is that there are a bunch of people starving in your backyard.
If you really care about the numbers, I bet the census bureau could help you come up with something.
The bullshit about this has gone on too long. Let's have some real numbers.
Oh all right. In 2000 it was 280,527 people according to the census bureau, I'll let you search for it yourself if you don't belive me.
Actually, most of the data they want to track on homeless people would be similar to data already available to the Secret Service/CIA/FBI/any PI worth his/her salt in regards to other citizens that have homes. The exception would be the health information.
I see major problems with collecting and distributing health data on these homeless-to-be-tracked unless they sign some kind of proper consent form. Otherwise you're probably violating some kind of doctor/patient priveledge or somethin or other.
My father in law is homeless and it is his choice. He has family that would take him in, but he is unwilling to:
a) get a job
b) pay taxes
c) stop smoking pot
d) stay sober
Programs are not a solution for someone who does not want to be helped. He can't wait until he can start collecting SS checks that can help him sustain his "lifestyle." According to the SSA, he's scheduled to collect more benefits during the first year of eligibility than he has paid in taxes during his entire lifetime!
Free medical and mental help won't help someone who doesn't want to change.
Respectfully,
Anomaly
But Herr Heisenberg, how does the electron know when I'm looking?
Year ago I was homeless for a period of time, due to the fact that I was a teenager, my parents were dead and life is harsh. I fought my way back into society against it's better wishes.
I actually managed to put my first year of college on credit. Then they figured out I was a bum without a job. Later I paid it back, got scholarships and managed to finish. It wasn't easy, but all this sob story has a point and it ain't for sympathy.
I was hanging out in a particular location on a regular basis. I'm walking along and a payphone rings. Being bored and curious, I answer it. It was a bill collector! They had tracked me down to a payphone I frequently passed. Now tell me the government needs a new system, just give the homeless a credit card good for a nice sized bad debt. The bill collectors will track them for the government, no new system needed.
I used to wonder what was so holy about a silent night, now I have a child.
... or forearm.
Oh wait. That's been done.
Tuus crepidae innexilis sunt.
When even government tracking systems can't afford a place to live.
paintball
Well, speaking of Bill Gates, will this database be SQL Server or oracle? MySQL? This being the US Government, it'll probably be SQL Server, web-enabled and ready to hack!
Ummm... below the jerkin of civil liberties, presumably.
All's true that is mistrusted
the reaction from /.ers. If this were a new plan to track "normal people" then the mass of posters would be up in arms and screaming to kill it before it even gets past the brainstorming phase. As it is, it merely refers to lessor humans, those disgusting, lazy, dirty homeless creature sub-humans who are where they are because they either chose to be there or otherwise deserve their lot. You can make equally strong suggestions as to the benefit of tracking "normal people" as you can for the homeless. It is just somehow more acceptable if you are a defenseless loser homeless person rather than a superior "normal".
I was shocked at the number of posts that either say its cool or not much of a big deal. Obviously, it is because the target of such tracking is less than human and less deserving of privacy and the right to anonymity.
In Bushworld, they struggle to keep church and state separate in Iraq as they increasingly merge the two in America.
Excellent post.
Alot of homeless people are paranoid. Track them and feed their paranoia even more. Take away their ability to get aid without being tracked, and what are the alternatives? Theft, robbery, drug dealing, fraud, and other types of property crime.
So then where do they go? Jail.
I wager that the true cost of this program, both social and financial, far outweigh any benefits. As a tax payer, I protest this as an abuse of my money.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
And, yes, I know the story indicates it would be a restricted government database, but I have to wonder if someone on Madison Avenue is already working on a privately held equivilent.
Just an idle thought (or as George Carlin said, "These are the thoughts that kept me out of the good schools")
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
Not too seem cruel but why would we spend money on tracking the homeless if they are off the grid and non-taxpayers. I know of several private organizations that help the homeless and I see no reason to spend any taxpayer funds on such a worthless endeavor.
On a comical note do they need to reverify the inventory of bumsicles up North ever winter. Joking of course.
As you probably guessed I am a Republican.
Whether or not creating a tracking system for the homeless is a good or bad idea (I think it's a bad one) or infringes on privacy rights or not (I think it does), it is one more step in creating a 'homeless infrastructure.' I think words like 'underclass' are too loaded with emotional and politcal undertones to be used effectively, but I do feel that, in the attempt to provide services to the homeless WITHOUT going the next step to spend the resources to get the homeless off the streets, we have created a system where many people can function for a long LONG time on the street.
I say this as a comment, without really having a solution. One interesting solution was reported on NPR recently, regarding an apartment building for the 'chronically drunk'....the idea was to give people a home, without the requiring that they stop drinking as a prerequisite. (PLEASE NOTE: I am not suggesting all homeless are drunks)....I would have thought this was a bad idea, but the results were somewhat surprising...yes, many are still drinking, but they are alive, safe, and off the streets, and a surprising number stopped drinking after DECADES of abuse....
Tracking homeless? probably a bad idea, but if one were to actually use resources to give the homeless viable places they could call home, you would gain the added benefit of knowing where they are...
end of my $0.02
Obviously you are a very insensitive ignorant jerk. IF you knew anything, you would realize that a good majority of the homeless are mentally ill in one way or another. IF you were intelligent you would know that such people often have a hard time abiding by social norms.
Also, IF you had any feelings of value, you would pity these people because most of the time they don't know what they are doing. Just because they don't always behave appropriately adn just because they don't have a place to sleep at night DOES NOT entitle the government to take away basic rights of citizenship.
On the note of mental illness, many homeless people are very paranoid and suffer from schizophrenia, which causes them to yell on the street as you so indelicately put it. This paranoia of being tracked would also prevent them from getting the help they need at shelters and from free medical care. So, the won't be able to get off the streets. If you would take the time to educate yourself about the homeless you might have known that.
"If you want to be educated go to an NA meeting or volunteer at a soup kitchen."
Already did.
I tried helping a homeless person. He did stay with me too. I fed him and cleaned him up a few times and tried to get him into the VA.
I tried to get him in all of the programs in the city, but nobody would take him. They said he already went there and would leave when his girlfriend, who is addicted to crack, came to get him. The system gave up on him. The social worker told me to stop taking care of him.
I'm still upset by this whole situation and I was in way over my head.
Ben, the homeless man, was afraid to die and wanted to see his family. I could not force Ben to make the right choices. It took alot of energy to try to help and convince him. Ultimately, he didn't make the right choices. He continued to drink and did not stick with any program.
I couldn't force Ben to help himself. Ben needs to make that decision. I could only open the door, not make him walk through it.
I just feel like there is very little return with alot of the homeless. If we invested more in helping people willing to help themselves (like the poverty in foreign countries), we can get a better humanitarian return.
I really don't know what to do about people who don't make the right choices. We can't really help them if they don't put forth the effort to help themselves. It's sad.
Oh, perhaps you were joking....
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
...feed the homeless to the hungry!
"There are people who do not love their fellow human being, and I _hate_ people like that!" - Tom Lehrer
In 1984, the government of Oceania did not care much about the Proles, and would have ignored the homeless as just more Proles. They only tracked party members. The neocons are worse than Big Brother. They want to track everybody! How are they going to track the homeless who frequently won't know their Social Security Number, if the even have one. Will they embed them with RFID chips?
Will they use bar code tattoos? Scary stuff!
The Uncoveror: It's the real news.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was signed into law on August 21, 1996. This law includes important new protections for millions of working Americans and their families who have preexisting medical conditions or might suffer discrimination in health coverage based on a factor that relates to an individual's health. HIPAA's provisions amend Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) as well as the Internal Revenue Code and the Public Health Service Act and place requirements on employer-sponsored group health plans, insurance companies and health maintenance organizations (HMOs). HIPAA includes changes that:
limit exclusions for preexisting conditions;
prohibit discrimination against employees and dependents based on their health status;
guarantee renewability and availability of health coverage to certain employers and individuals; and
protect many workers who lose health coverage by providing better access to individual health insurance coverage.
Here are some useful links:
HHS - Office for Civil Rights - HIPAA
What is HIPAA?
HIPAA.ORG
HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
The dissemination of medical information without the explicit permission of subject. I don't have a problem with tracking information about how social services are used; that's expected of any service to maintain reliability. However providing medical information to law enforcement violates even the most basic principles of the doctor/patient privilege.
I work with a non-profit organization that provides services for the homeless. We are currently deciding on which HMIS database system to implement for the entire state. And from what I know of the HMIS requirements I can tell you that this arcticle is wildly misrepresenting the facts, and coming to conclusions that just aren't there.
First of all, the HMIS database isn't meant to track the homeless at all. The government believes that the number people being reported is double the number of homeless that there actually are. So the reason for the databases existance is to get a more accurate count of the number of homeless and to track statistical information.
Each persons is given a unique identifier that is associated with their information. They are not tracked by SSN. Every 6 months (I believe thats the time frame) a report is sent to HUD that contains the statistical information. There is no way to identify a specific person by looking at this information. HUDs guidelines are very strict on the matters of the persons privacy.
Also, there is no central database. The state of Utah actually has 3 different sections that would be required to run their own databases. However, we have decided to run the system as a state.
A person can refuse to give the information or not allow it to be shared with HUD. They can't be denied services if they do so. The majority of these databases are also encrypted to help ensure privacy.
The suggestion that the Secret Service would have easy access to this information was an assumption on the part of the author of the arcticle. Even if they did have access to it, they wouldn't be able to track the information back to a specific person so it would be rather pointless.
This could be a great tool for those organizations dedicated to helping the homeless. It will help point out locations and programs that need the most money.
-- Remember, we're not happy until you're not happy. -- Local FAA Inspector --
I just said that some folks like to scam the system.
I have no problem with provision of treatment for people who want help, but I really believe that many folks take advantage of the system due to low accountability and the fallacy that substance abuse is entirely a medical problem.
e.g. It's not my fault.....I'm genetically predisposed to [alcoholism,cocaine,crack,other chemical] -
puhleeze - I have the apparent genetic tendency for alcoholism in my family. This is not an issue for me. I simply don't drink. Problem avoided.
But Herr Heisenberg, how does the electron know when I'm looking?
I take notice of your implied negative averment.
:) I like it all and as I travel I map all the wireless networks in PostrgreSQL database on my laptop. I choose to be homeless. But don't ask about girlfriends and wives... :)
a) Some people don't have a job per se, they have people work for them instead, such as by being a corporator or proprieter and taking a yearly draw from their organization's earnings, (including non-domestic defacto corporations run by hookers)
b) Taxation is only by consent, and there is no problem with paying no taxes when they are not receiving services that derive taxes. What part of Taxation without representation do you not understand?
c) Some people need to smoke pot for physical reasons, while some smoke it for neurological or emotional reasons. I am not anyone's master, I'm my own Master and at that I am a creditor. I do not dictate morality to other people and I do not adminster medical services to people WHEN THEY DON'T ASK FOR MY REGULATION OF SUCH.
d) Sadly, this is his choice.
The best thing you can do for your Father-in-Law is pray for his return to good health. Someone that feels the need to be drunk and smoke pot must have a serious medical condition. As for not having a job and not having to pay taxes, there is constitutional reason for such. And for being homeless, I probably met him because I also am homeless.
I registered on slashdot to respond to some comments on this forum. I am homeless and in my line of work I don't pay taxes because according to the laws established in this Republic there is not lawful authority that derives taxation of my life. For some background, I live in my car and do alot of travel because I work all over America in different parts of the year. Some parts of the year I will be punching cattle in Nebraska or Montana or Wisconsin, while other parts of the year (summer or winter) I'll be hunting or fishing or crabbing or writing code.
Looks like everybody's missing the point here. What is the major roadblock for government when they want to trample on somebody? Their legal rights. Do they like this? No.
So, what they do is start by eroding the rights of a group nobody cares about.
(We all know by now surely that the so-called logical fallacy of the "thin end of the wedge" isn't a fallacy at all, it's just a description of a well-worn strategy that always works when your enemy is sufficiently complacent.)
Already, if this becomes law, the homeless will have virtually no right to privacy. And if the state wants to track you, and they think it will be difficult to get permission, all they will have to do is make you homeless. Easily done.
Eventually, when the homeless have altogether become "non-persons" in the eyes of the law, the next small step will be to extend this category of non-persons to include the unemployed. And it's even easier to make somebody unemployed.
It's anybody's guess where it will go from there.
If they'd just speak 2 words without a y'all and stop trying to screw anything with horns we'd never believe they were from texas anyways...
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
The truth about HMIS: