>It seems a terrible statement about my home country that my children will encounter homelessness and mental illness much more vividly in the wealthiest nation

>It seems a terrible statement about my home country that my children will encounter homelessness and mental illness much more vividly in the wealthiest nation in the world than they did in Thailand, where we previously lived. >During a trip back to Bangkok I spoke about this paradox with Nopphan Phromsri, the secretary general of the Human Settlement Foundation, an organization that assists the homeless there. >Greater Bangkok, a sprawling metropolis with more than 10 million people, has 1,300 homeless people, a survey this year found. * Thailand spends far less on subsidies for the poor. * The government intervention that does take place in Thailand to address homelessness is much more balanced in the authoritarianism it imposes on taxpayer vs tax recipient. Drug addicts can't receive welfare their entire life with zero accountability. Instead they are enrolled into compulsory treatment programs. Western culture considers compulsory treatment a human rights violation, but does not consider throwing someone in prison for refusing to hand over a share of the currency they receive in private trade, to pay for welfare, similarly a human rights violation. This irrational, ideology based approach to human rights is behind this imbalanced approach to drug abuse and welfare. * Thailand has far less effective enforcement of authoritarian economic prohibitions, like prohibitions on running an unlicensed business. This provides more space for the poor, who have more difficulty meeting licensing requirements, to participate in economically productive activity. That's why Thailand has bustling street markets and an informal economy (derogatorily referred to as a "shadow economy" in some circles) that provides stable sources of income for millions of people.