7 Things No One Tells You About Being Homeless - Cracked.com

[tkmorris]

28. I think you'd find that...

Most homeless people would be thrilled to live in such a fashion. They would not view such a stripped down existence as "undignified"; they know indignities far far worse than that.

The problem is that such an existence is actually illegal, almost everywhere in the United States. For starters, every square inch of real estate is owned by someone and if that someone isn't you you can be absolutely CERTAIN you are not welcome to pitch a tent there (and often you can get into trouble even if you do own it.) The same goes for farming it, or even basic gathering or hunting. There are some public lands which can be hunted, though that requires using only the appropriate and approved tools for doing so, and a pocketful of licenses and permits with a fee paid for each.

If you are fortunate enough to "own" a piece of land, you are still regulated to death about what you can do there. To what extent depends on your state and local laws but rest assured, you are not free to do what you like no matter where you are. Here in South Florida for example you can forget about a tent for example, or any sort of DIY construction. Any sort of permanent residence (and since nomadic existence is also forbidden that's the only choice you have) has to meet a telephone book size list of regulations and you WILL pay for someone to come check every step of the way to make sure you complied.

What you suggest is not possible on a large scale, nor even a moderate one, as long as we have these laws forbidding it.