IMO, this marks a dangerous turning point in our civil society relationship. A homeless man

[CK_John]

setting another on fire in his suv for not contributing.

This could be the tripping point toward a mad max society.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Tipping point? Hardly.

The homeless man is almost certainly mentally ill. We need to do more for the homeless and the mentally ill but I doubt this incident will change anything.

[CK_John]

2. I hope you're right but it gives me a very bad feeling.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

5. If adequate nutrition were provided, fewer would be mentally ill.

At a minimum, the brain needs adequate vitamins and minerals in order to function properly.

The homeless, of course, also need shelter and adequate peace of mind. Some seem to be wandering the streets with observable PTSD.

[libodem]

3. Brave new world, already

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

4. Hardly, this is just another flavor of the week psychopath

who should have been permanently committed or incarcerated decades ago.

Until society comes to terms with reinstitutionalization, the general public is just collateral damage.

[Brigid]

6. Nearly 20 years ago,

an institution called Central State Hospital closed after years of problems, mostly caused by skimpy funding. At one time, it was considered one of the finest mental institutions in the country, but no more. Indy wasn't much known for homelessness, but soon new faces began to appear on the streets, many clearly mentally ill. It didn't take much brainpower to figure out where they came from. One by one, they disappeared. I wonder how many people even bothered to wonder what happened to them. The paper bluntly said that no one knows. Maybe few were worried because no incidents like this one occurred. I saw one being arrested one day, but never found out what it was about.