Quote:
Originally Posted by Table 5
I think you do need to show some sort of public punishment. It may not help deter the homeless or the mentally ill, but it will at least warn others (ie. bored/angsty teenagers) that there are consequences, and demonstrates to your citizens that it is not acceptable to deface public property.
I think it's important to show that the little stuff matters (even if in this case, it's not small). Graffiti, littering, dog crap...it all adds up. Let it go and it erodes civic pride and encourages even worse behaviour. Let's not turn into San Francisco.
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Yes, but with a guy like this there are so few punishments that do anything. At most you just piss everyone off because how do you punish a guy with a net worth of $0 in a way that satisfies all of us who are footing the $750,000 bill? I agree he needs to be punished, as do all delinquents. So, sure, fine him the max (knowing he can't pay) and then put him in jail, I guess, for non-payment. Really, though, it's whack-a-mole. Another bum will pop up doing something else costly and ridiculous tomorrow. We need to be getting these guys off the streets. We can disagree with how that's done, but the problem is drugged out, mentally ill people living on river banks with nothing to do except cause problems.