5 ms·

This should be the only post in the thread. I've been "homeles" as both a child and an adult and it's impossible for a "normal" person to stay homeless. The on

This should be the only post in the thread. I've been "homeles" as both a child and an adult and it's impossible for a "normal" person to stay homeless. The only people who stay homeless do so because of mental illness, typically brought on by drug abuse. If you want to solve homelessness it has nothing to do with affordable/free housing and everything to do with healthcare and restorative justice.

eanzenberg 7y ago
And, also, drug enforcement.
- wang_li 7y ago
  Seattle has more or less given up on drug enforcement. This policy has increased the number of visible drug users on the street.
  - eanzenberg 7y ago
    And on the number of people who become homeless. Unless leftists are willing to take their heads out of the sand then the problem will never end or be solved. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's in their best interests not to solve it..
    - jschwartzi 7y ago
      I would wager that you run into a ton of people in your daily life who use drugs on a regular basis. You just don’t see them as drug users because they otherwise keep their lives together and are productive members of society. Frankly our war on drugs has done nothing but disenfranchise and harm people who would otherwise be law-abiding citizens.
      - eanzenberg 7y ago
        Just because there are functioning members that are drug addicts doesn't mean we shouldn't toss the bathtub out with the bathwater. To me, enforcement should be on particular types of drugs and geared towards young people who's brain is still developing (doesn't stop till 25).
        jschwartzi 7y ago
        I'm fine with regulating drug use. What I object to very strenuously is that the government should regulate my experiences in life and that I should be jailed for trying something new. Every argument against drugs boils down to anecdotes plus an argument lumping the many functional drug users in with the guy OD'ing on the corner. In fact the guy OD'ing on the corner is not the tip of the iceberg. Drugs don't frequently destroy lives, but the cops do so regularly when enforcing those laws. They take houses, cars, money, and time away from people. They take your children and brand you for the rest of your life as a criminal. Someone who is 21 has an entire life ahead of them. Are you really advocating that that kid be prosecuted, jailed, and branded simply because they chose an intoxicant that you don't approve of?
        eanzenberg 7y ago
        >> What I object to very strenuously is that the government should regulate my experiences in life and that I should be jailed for trying something new. I'd agree with this if you also took care of all your healthcare personally. If the gov't is coming in and providing healthcare and services to the downtrodden, which it does especially for the homeless, then they should also work to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place. And since there's a link between hard drug use and future homelessness, enforcement of hard drug use becomes part of the gov't charter. You shouldn't expect gov't services AND the freedom to destroy your life to then depend on gov't services.
- chaostheory 7y ago
  We’ve lost the Drug War. That experiment was already done decades ago. Enforcement doesn’t work. IMO we need to focus more on medical facilities. It’s a mental health issue
  - eanzenberg 7y ago
    Enforcement works. Drug use went down from 1990 - 2007. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787412/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787412/
    - blaser-waffle 7y ago
      Did you even read the study you cited? From the "Conclusions" section: > "With few exceptions and despite increasing investments in enforcement-based supply reduction efforts aimed at disrupting global drug supply, illegal drug prices have generally decreased while drug purity has generally increased since 1990. These findings suggest that expanding efforts at controlling the global illegal drug market through law enforcement are failing."

eanzenberg 7y ago

And, also, drug enforcement.

wang_li 7y ago
Seattle has more or less given up on drug enforcement. This policy has increased the number of visible drug users on the street.
- eanzenberg 7y ago
  And on the number of people who become homeless. Unless leftists are willing to take their heads out of the sand then the problem will never end or be solved. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's in their best interests not to solve it..
  - jschwartzi 7y ago
    I would wager that you run into a ton of people in your daily life who use drugs on a regular basis. You just don’t see them as drug users because they otherwise keep their lives together and are productive members of society. Frankly our war on drugs has done nothing but disenfranchise and harm people who would otherwise be law-abiding citizens.
    - eanzenberg 7y ago
      Just because there are functioning members that are drug addicts doesn't mean we shouldn't toss the bathtub out with the bathwater. To me, enforcement should be on particular types of drugs and geared towards young people who's brain is still developing (doesn't stop till 25).
      - jschwartzi 7y ago
        I'm fine with regulating drug use. What I object to very strenuously is that the government should regulate my experiences in life and that I should be jailed for trying something new. Every argument against drugs boils down to anecdotes plus an argument lumping the many functional drug users in with the guy OD'ing on the corner. In fact the guy OD'ing on the corner is not the tip of the iceberg. Drugs don't frequently destroy lives, but the cops do so regularly when enforcing those laws. They take houses, cars, money, and time away from people. They take your children and brand you for the rest of your life as a criminal. Someone who is 21 has an entire life ahead of them. Are you really advocating that that kid be prosecuted, jailed, and branded simply because they chose an intoxicant that you don't approve of?
        eanzenberg 7y ago
        >> What I object to very strenuously is that the government should regulate my experiences in life and that I should be jailed for trying something new. I'd agree with this if you also took care of all your healthcare personally. If the gov't is coming in and providing healthcare and services to the downtrodden, which it does especially for the homeless, then they should also work to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place. And since there's a link between hard drug use and future homelessness, enforcement of hard drug use becomes part of the gov't charter. You shouldn't expect gov't services AND the freedom to destroy your life to then depend on gov't services.
chaostheory 7y ago
We’ve lost the Drug War. That experiment was already done decades ago. Enforcement doesn’t work. IMO we need to focus more on medical facilities. It’s a mental health issue
- eanzenberg 7y ago
  Enforcement works. Drug use went down from 1990 - 2007. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787412/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787412/
  - blaser-waffle 7y ago
    Did you even read the study you cited? From the "Conclusions" section: > "With few exceptions and despite increasing investments in enforcement-based supply reduction efforts aimed at disrupting global drug supply, illegal drug prices have generally decreased while drug purity has generally increased since 1990. These findings suggest that expanding efforts at controlling the global illegal drug market through law enforcement are failing."