lol wokies don’t get it @basso @Os Trigonum the homeless in California are DIGGING CAVES @Salvy you can post all your woke excuses but these people have gone Fred Flintstone
I am not here to say the Republicans and Democrats are 50%/50% to blame. IMO I don't think that either party is seriously addressing the issue and the root causes because of lobbying and financial support and influence from industries and people that make a lot of money off the topic. There are a number of "helps" that could be passed or pushed and they largely are not even part of the discourse. If you are asking me which party is better on the issue of protecting the homeless and providing affordable housing, it is Democrats - but it should be, as that is part of a voting bloc they pursue - but I will also counter that by saying that for a party that wants to attract voters, they do a really poor job. This reality is that some of this shouldn't even be political but it is.
The homeless are real people - they are not The Flintstones or monsters.... in fact most of them don't have a criminal record, and many of them actually have a job. I don't really like "wokies", but they have done nothing to harm the homeless.... the reason there are so many homeless is because the government has failed them, the wealthy are unchecked and society views people as disposable. The fact that there are a lot of homeless people that have jobs, and just rent a hotel once or twice a week to clean and sleep---- in the wealthiest country of the world should horrify people. No one that has a job and works and doesn't break the law should be homeless - that is a failing of the government and those in the power of influence.
There are less people that CHOOSE to be homeless than you seem to believe. I work with the homeless a lot and have for years. There are lots of homeless people that have phones though, and some of them even have a mailbox as well. The reasons they lack homes in most cases is because they cannot afford them. Some of it is mental illness as well, but we have worked VERY hard the last decade or so to get medication to the homeless, and most of them have access to their mental health medications. There are also some that are drug addicts, especially those that have been homeless for a long time. There is a misconception that homeless people that are drug addicts because homeless because of their addiction. In most cases someone is homeless for awhile, and then they because addicted to drugs once they are homeless. Being homeless is extremely stressful, there is a lot of physical assaults, sexual assaults, theft and in some cases murder - which leads to increased drug usage. You interact with people everyday that you do not realize are homeless - whether it is an employee at a gas station or Walmart, of someone that takes your order at McDonalds. Also - a lot people live in their cars, almost every major parking lot in big cities in the USA have one or more people that are living in their cars. They learn to be discreet about it.
California is by far the worst for the homeless situation. Their programs do not solve any of the root problems. They build tiny homes that the homeless people don’t even want to live in due to curfews and restrictions on drug use. @AroundTheWorld
With all due respect, I would still challenge that a bit. It's like saying that both parents need to make it work in a marriage for the kids when the man is abusive, and sleeps with other women all the time while the Mom maybe smokes cigarettes and doesn't always make their kids finish their math homework in time. The Democratic party.... not perfect by a long stretch, but folks that frame arguments like people often do, put them in a situation to be miracle workers in an impossible situation. I know that anyone who believes in Democracy wants the Democrats to get their act together, but at some point we do need to provide better context that they are in an impossible situation with a non-existent Republican party that has been highjacked by a cult leader and billionaires that grift off of his lies. This is not a reasonable partner in governing. On your point about the Democratic Party attracting more voters.... I hear this all the time. Especially with critical progressives. It's easy to say "they need to do better on messaging" etc. but it's not easy to actually provide examples of ways they could actually get mass messaging out there in this day and age with a corporate monopolized media structure, and the fact that the messages that progressives want them to get out (EX: solving homelessness, expanding healthcare, saving social security, etc.) are not cultural & social issues that go viral on our modern platforms for mass communication. I'm not being critical of your criticism necessarily, but i do want better context around the criticism or else we fall into traps which does create alot of the groundwork that's already been laid to lead people to believe that turning to a strongman is the only card left to play. I personally still think there's time to turn this ship around, but that time is fading fast, and yes.... we are asking Democrats to be perfect in an impossible situation. I get that, but we do owe them at least some context when making these arguments.
Man, thanks for all of this information. Each of your posts have been great and really do highlight the problem that people face. I work in education and see the side of homelessness that you talk about. One of the worst experiences I had last year was when one of these students ran into my room crying because they were leaving right then. We had helped to create a stable environment for this kid and their life was upended on them unexpectedly. I found out later that it was for the better but I still can not shake the feeling I had when they ran into my room crying. Helplessness is an agonizing emotion to watch let alone experience. Those that mock have no idea and show their ignorance in the process. Side note I will never take @tinman seriously again. Here you are contributing a lot of great information and all they can do is keep posting the same info over and over all the while laughing at the misfortune of others. All of this for the idea that their political ideology is somehow winning, STUPID. Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity.
I learned a long time ago he finds amusement in the pain or misfortunes of others, so I put him on ignore.
To be clear - I don't mind you challenging me on this or any other issues, as that is how I learn and sometimes change my opinion. As for the Democratic Party and the homelessness problem and the lack of affordable housing - I will ask it this way. Show me a Bill with the support of the majority of Democratic congressmen or Senators that raises the taxes for those that own more than one and leases out their other homes. Show me a bill that increases the penalties for owning ten homes and being a landlord renting out the other nine properties? Show me legislation in the form of a bill that has widespread support of the Democrats in the Senate and House that has the objective of ending people owning multiple homes for the purpose of renting them out? I am only aware of one bill, that did not have a lot of support - that would make it illegal for companies to go and buy out homes in large numbers and then lease them out. What has the Democratic Party done in places like San Francisco that pass local rules that severely limit the building of 1 and 2 bedroom homes? In general - the worst offenders and impediments for building small houses, and duplexs has come from Democrats. The higher up you going in the Democratic Party and the worst it has gotten. Are the Republicans better? No, they are worse in many cases - but in some cases they are indirectly better, for example building smaller houses.... they are better by accident (they favor less restrictions). The reality is that neither party is really beneficial or doing a competent job addressing the housing and homeless situation in the United States. This is a solvable issue and it is an issue that impacts a very large group of people but neither party is all that concerned about it. I supported the election of Joe Biden in 2020 because he had the best chance of beating Donald Trump, and I will support him again in 2024 because the alternative is Trump - and my issue isn't so much Joe Biden, but the direction of the Democratic Party, which seems to have forgotten that it is the party that fought for those that were working class, those that were blue collar and those that did not have a lot. Instead it is becoming the party of the elite, and it is going to bite them in the ass.
Brother, I have not been in a McDonalds, Walmart or gas station in a decade. I interact with them when they sleep across the street or I'm on the Heights trail. One of them said they liked my Jordan 12 French Blues - I like that one! She's a neighborhood regular.
Stop letting people buy multiple homes without SEVERE tax penalties. Stop letting corporations and investment groups buy large numbers of homes and renting them out. Stop supporting and allowing local groups limit the building of one and two bedroom homes. Have the federal government support strongly - home ownership and make it harder to sell your home so that people stop hopping home to home. Do that and you will cut the amount of homelessness a great deal. Keep supporting mobile units that get medicine to the homeless and provide basic hygiene needs like socks, tampons, etc. Provide showers and basic structures so that those that are homeless have a basic roof or structure over them. These are not homes, but simply structures where 3 out of 4 sides have something to stop the wind, but the 4th side is visible. Have the police drive by these structures. Have drug "jail", areas that will incarcerate those busted for drug use multiple times for a short period of time to get them off of drugs. Provide alternative sources of medication to heroin and fentanyl, such as methadone. These are all things that can be done. Instead a lot of conservatives like to point to homelessness being a business, and criticizing the Democrats when the Republicans bring ZERO to the table. Offer real solutions
I would separate the mentally ill, disabled and drug addicts and move them to another area far from the center of town to get help based on their situations. What’s left are people who are ‘down on their luck’ , they can work but they can’t find work. Those people get central housing at a discounted rate temporarily. After they are able to make a wage and afford normal rent they can leave. but that’s not how the world works
All great solutions, yet politicians would rather point the fingers at the other party in their quest for power than actually do more to fix the problems. They step over a homeless person on their way to Starbucks and don't blink an eye. They cater to those who fund their pockets. Plain and Simple. No action, all talk, and finger pointing solves nothing. As long as there is a demand, there will always be suppliers willing to provide drugs. We don't fund enough support for the millions of Americans hooked on drugs. Why? It's an epidemic escalating rapidly. The drug pushers only make money by selling to those who want or need drugs. Not everyone has a rich movie star daddy to ship them off to a $10,000 luxury rehab clinic over and over for support. Drug addiction is a horrible thing, and people get hooked for many different reasons. A big wall won't cure their addiction. They will still be hooked, and there will always be suppliers. Spend the money on those with the illness. It's the same for mental illness. It makes no sense to blame mass shootings on mental illness, or blame homelessness on mental illness, then oppose free healthcare for the mentally ill. It's just terrible that two parties can't come together and do what's needed because they either want to see the other party fail, don't care, or are too ignorant to understand what works. They have homes for winter, homes for summer, homes abroad, and homes they rent for profit, yet no sympathy for those who can't even afford a small home for their family. Nobody grows up thinking they will be homeless one day, living in their car, or on the streets, even when working. Nobody dreams of getting evicted because they can't afford the increases in rent, and haven't had a raise in 2 years. It was not their American dream to be in such dire straights that their biggest concern was feeling safe in the night, finding food, sleeping with a roof over their head, or selling themselves for their next fix. Nobody grows up wanting to get hooked on drugs, being uninsured for healthcare and sick, or mentally breaking down after a traumatic event in their life. Can't our politicians see they need help, and it's all types of people who are homeless? It's teenagers escaping abuse, getting kicked out of their homes for being gay, working adults, families, people who can't find a job to pay rent, mentally ill, and so on. If you can't get a job paying enough to afford a place to live, or you are mentally ill, physically ill, or hooked on drugs and can't afford healthcare, then what can you do if the government doesn't help you? It's just so heartbreaking to me that the powers that be running this country simply don't or won't do more.
@basso @Salvy @RB713 @edwardc @Space Ghost @pgabriel yikes Or they can just take the homeless money and buy dope cars and trips to Vegas !!!
@Os Trigonum @basso @Salvy @Rocketeer https://apnews.com/article/los-ange...transparency-45a5aa98fc0d4ff88a08b8ad43b530a6 Los Angeles moves to take control of homelessness agency, citing audits that found reckless spending
