> Big picture a bum costs society basically nothing as long as he's not actively making trouble That's because you think of society in purely monetary terms. S

> Big picture a bum costs society basically nothing as long as he's not actively making trouble That's because you think of society in purely monetary terms. Socially, a bum that needs not be a bum, but chooses to be one, reduces social cohesion, makes people distrustful of necessary welfare programs, and unnecessarily inflates the homeless numbers.