Mental illness, Homelessness, and our Security

You might ask: Why are so may people with Mental Illness out on the streets or homeless? President Reagan has most of the responsibility why so many people with mental illness are homeless. At least one third of those living on the streets and half of our jailed population suffer from mental illness, and should be in institutions specifically designed to help these individuals. During his presidency in 1980 (a sad time), Regan stopped funding federal community mental health centers, thus removing services for those people who suffered with mental illness. While he was the governor of California, he had done something just as cruel and he released over half of the mental hospital patients in the state. He even passed legislation wiping out a requirement for involuntary hospitalization for those with mental illness. As so often is the case, as the president goes, so goes the country. As a result, states followed suite, and started to open the gates of mental institutions throughout the country. Ironically, in 1981, President Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr., who had mental illness. Is there a connection with so many of the shooters out and about hurting and killing so many innocent people and President Reagan? I think so!