Personal Economics Lesson

I drove northward on Hwy 41 this morning. I observed state inmates collecting the litter on the side of the road, and I was reminded of something a homeless man once told me about his economy in the 1990s.
 
He was collecting cans as he walked the same stretch of road I drove today, and I offered him lunch at a local Shoneys. We talked a while, and once I reached a level of comfort, I asked him what the most difficult situation was in his life.
 
His response, nearly verbatim, "The new littering fines for throwing trash along the roadside. I count on the soda cans to buy the things I need. I'm afraid the fines might cause people to keep their trash in their cars until they get home."
 
Today, I counted 27 bags of garbage I'm a 1-mile stretch of road! People have not been detered from littering, but now I wonder if the State Prison System might be imposing on this man's income.
 
 
iPhoned
 From R. Murry

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