Way to Go California

boggsman1 · Joined: 24 Jun 2002 Posts: 9137 Location: at a computer

Can we stick to Techno's obsession with how bad a place my beloved California is? And not let ISO hijack the thread with his faux concern of my Jewish brothers and sisters ?

mac · Posted: Sun May 05, 2024 12:25 pm Post subject:

Objecting to the death of 35,000 non-combatants is anti-semitic? Only in the addled minds of fascist christian nationalists and their right wing stooges. Ignoring the deaths of tens of thousands of children because they are Palestinian and too poor to flee? That is bigotry.

mac · Posted: Sun May 05, 2024 12:25 pm Post subject:

Objecting to the death of 35,000 non-combatants is anti-semitic? Only in the addled minds of fascist christian nationalists and their right wing stooges. Ignoring the deaths of tens of thousands of children because they are Palestinian and too poor to flee? That is bigotry.

MikeLaRonde · Joined: 11 Jun 2001 Posts: 772

Jim, just think, if you were honest about your identities, you could delete your own duplicate post, and no one would bat an eye. Laughing

I'd love to seriously comment on this subject, eventually, assuming if I'm reasonably confident that the R.E.S.T.R.I.C.T. act (NOT the same as that BS which just passed) won't pass, because that BS would be/have been retroactive, right?
And that could be a dicey situation, especially when you have anonymous x-hole moderators randomly locking threads without explanation.

Of course, I could instead just make jokes and photo-shocks. But wait, there are pro comedians and artists out there, so let's hear from them first!

J.P. Sears
https://choiceclips.whatfinger.com/2024/05/06/why-the-best-protestors-wear-masks-awaken-with-jp/

Ben Garrison
https://grrrgraphics.com/if-college-protest-signs-told-the-truth/

Note: I do not necessarily agree with these clowns. Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed in them both Shocked

Still-Waters · Joined: 21 Nov 2023 Posts: 154

techno900 · Joined: 28 Mar 2001 Posts: 4182

A waste of $20 billion?

From the LA Times:

mac · Posted: Wed May 08, 2024 12:27 pm Post subject:

Techno poses a credible source! I agree with his concern! I'll wait for him to actually propose some sensible response, but I imagine he will soon join the other trolls.

Homelessness is a terrible problem with multiple causes. Local governments are at the point of the spear, and generally don't have the tools, staffing, or expertise to address it. I've worked with City Managers of both Berkeley and Oakland on their approach, and what it would mean to the human health and water quality problems I was dealing with. Both developed some approaches (port-a-potties, trash collection, some social services) but they were mostly just temporary coping mechanisms. Neither city devoted much of their resources to establishing sanctioned camping areas, affordable housing targeting the homeless population. Most of the temporary housing of the homeless during the pandemic came from state fundings that placed them in hotels and motels that were vacant. But there needed to be screening so you didn't place a drug addled psychotic in a room where he would set a fire. Meanwhile, "frequent flyers", psychotics who would overdose and then get sent to an ER room in an ambulance, cost millions that couldn't then be spent on solutions.

The successes local governments had in getting people off the streets were small in terms of the problem, and nearly every local government failed to develop metrics that tracked what happened to people, how successful efforts to get them off the street were, and so forth. Mostly just whack-a-mole. Those two cities are resource starved and not well suited culturally to keep track of their efforts and determine what is working and what is not. That is a valid criticism, and well placed coming from the state, which provided most of the money. It has to change.

As far as root causes, the trolls will ignore the aspects of the real estate industry’s control of the political system--and wealthy families control of the drug making system--that contributed to this problem. Conversions of rental unit to air B and B's took about 1000 units off the market in Berkeley. Single room occupancy hotels in Oakland and San Francisco, which had housed our alkies for decades, were redeveloped and sold as condos. The tech business bid up the cost of housing immensely--as did the University of California's admission of about 10,000 more students, focusing on out of state and out of country students who were richer and could pay more rent. Then there was the control of the industry over Congress and Trump, which made it attractive to launder money by buying US real estate in cities (Trump's business model). The lack of enforcement for money laundering and tax systems made it possible to hold units vacant speculatively rather than lower rents. Finally, the marketing of opiates by the rich folks like the Sackler--who made addiction easier and then backed their money out when the piper came calling.

I'll wait for constructive ideas about what to do with these contributing factors.

techno900 · Joined: 28 Mar 2001 Posts: 4182

Now my tax dollars are going to be flushed down the California toilet.

boggsman1 · Joined: 24 Jun 2002 Posts: 9137 Location: at a computer

No worries Techno...The NASDAQ is at an all-time high today. What does that mean to you? well, 50% of the market cap of NASDAQ is located right here in the Golden State. And the MASSIVE Federal taxes they pay will support many expenditures around the country. In fact , for every $1.60 in FED taxes CA residents like ME pay, CA gets $1.00 in return. So, I would like to request .60c from you Techno, assuming NC is a revenue neutral state. Please Venmo me when you get the chance.