Herman: Some homeless people do choose the lifestyle

There was a simple story from Q13 about a homeless, local man who was sleeping in a dumpster and was accidentally dumped into a waste management truck. The man was not crushed and he’s going to be OK.

I’ve always been fascinated with the street lifestyle. And it is a lifestyle for some; don’t tell me it’s not. I know because I’ve hung out with some of them. Friends of mine have been homeless.

RELATED: More than 11K counted as homeless in King County

And there is a form of freedom within homelessness. You can wake up whenever you want. You don’t have a boss and you don’t have to have any responsibilities. You don’t thrive, but you can stay alive, especially in a place like Seattle.

It reminds me of when I was young. A friend and I used to hang out behind a McDonalds eating the food being thrown away from the kitchen. We were with some homeless people and ate the tossed out burgers along with them.

People are people, and even the homeless have different desires.

By my estimate, 65 percent of the people want the street lifestyle. They may choose that lifestyle, but do they also get to choose to have us support them? And do you want to subsidize their decision to live below their human capacity, because that is an act of cruelty.

As always, please listen to the full audio clip for complete context.