Fix Me Free

Our government has come up with ways to help most people in this difficult pandemic time, but when I tune in to the news, read it online or watch it, I see an increasing hoard of those in unfortunate situations insisting the government fix their problems. Free. When one is desperate, of course, they will do anything to find relief. But the money that the "government" holds is our tax money, It comes from you and I. And big business as well, but big business, even as the fattest source, cushy tax breaks and all, let's not forget that it has costs, too. Think about it. If you started your own business with your accumulated dollars, you might need for your new business, a rental facility, machinery and electronics, employees who have  protections and, of course, business advertising. The list goes on.  Business founding has realties. The employees working in big business, and all of those associated in the supply and demand venues for it, are taxed, too, and that lump of  money is sent on to government over and above what the business itself is taxed. There is no money tree behind the parliament buildings pumping out cash fruit. Funding comes directly and indirectly from our own pockets as we the homeowners, consumers and users of  the social services that we need to live the good lives most of  us appreciate, is all there is. This morning I heard a mother of advanced age whose adult child has severe mental and substance abuse issues. The poor woman, aged over seventy,  has her potentially dangerous, person in the home, and wants her offspring to be taken care of in hospitals, for example,  on entry, given longer term assistance than a couple of days. She sees a withdrawal time period of ten or more days. She is aware of how impossible this is  at present.  She sounded to be a person of sound standing in her community who speaks out because  she is in a desperate situation. She appeared, in her talk, to have a firm grip on reality but at a loss as to what to do about a grown child being thrust upon her when her age  makes it impossible and even dangerous. She cannot keep the adult in her home and the street is where the person will likely end up. It's not a rare tale. Our streets are full of  this kind of "homeless" individual who should properly be called "placeless". It is too easy to say oh-just-another-drug-addict with mental issues when we hear this kind of tale so often.  These citizens are ill and need help and sadly they have nowhere else to go but the street where they are at the "mercy" of  street mavens who take full  advantage of them. So what to do? Aye, there's the rub, as the bard would say. There used to be huge institutions in which sufferers of this serious combined kind of problem were sent. They employed those trained specifically to meet the needs of their resident patients. The patients themselves, overall, were treated kindly and saw such places, often in beautiful surroundings, as safe homes. Unfortunately, some of  the old institutions were found abusive and that being horrendous, were closed and the residents sent out onto the streets or to their families. The thinking was that the world should take care of its own. But can we? There was what was considered adequate funding provided, but money  is too easily taken from those who most need it by others who see an opportunity to gain from a dependent victim. Treatment visits are never enough. If such live-in institutional facilities were available now, with the right safety procedures and practices in place, those needing temporary or permanent treatment would be safe and cared for by professionals rather than using police, busy hospitals, street tent "pals" and exhausted relatives. Once abhorred as places not to be sent to, the old but renewed styles of institutions might be thought of as something seriously to reinstate.