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~500k homeless in the country. [0] Average monthly rent in the US:~ $1000 [1] Bezos net worth: $213 billion [2] Average return on investment for DJIA for th

by freen 5y ago

~500k homeless in the country. [0] Average monthly rent in the US:~ $1000 [1] Bezos net worth: $213 billion [2] Average return on investment for DJIA for the past ten years: 10.6% [3] Paying rent for all homeless folks is $6 billion a year. Bezos, if he makes average returns, makes $21.3 Billion a year. He can afford it. And still e one the richest people in the world. How do you live with that? 0: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_S... 1: https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/average-rent-by-state https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/average-ren... 2: https://wealthypeeps.com/jeff-bezoss-net-worth/ https://wealthypeeps.com/jeff-bezoss-net-worth/ 3: https://www.5yearcharts.com/last-10-years-return-of-dow-jones-average-djia/ https://www.5yearcharts.com/last-10-years-return-of-dow-jone...

ZephyrBlu 5y ago
If Bezos can afford it, the government can afford it. So why don't they do it?
- Sebguer 5y ago
  Mainly because our government is entirely captive to people like Bezos.
  - effingwewt 5y ago
    Very true. Or, you know, if rich people and corps actually paid taxes. So disgusting the people that defend the rich/super-rich (here its not rich- 'I only make 150k+ stock/yr, so I'm not rich!'). Min wage is what 15k/year, but yea 10x that isn't rich. Reminds me of back in the 'everyone make a startup' days where CEOs got away with murder and some people on HN would just hand-wave it all away, because they wanted to be that CEO one day. That's kinda gone now and its s/CEO/Rich asshole.
- freen 5y ago
  Ask the GOP. Sane countries house their people. It ends of saving huge amounts of money. Single unhoused person with chronic illness can cost a city in excess of a million dollars a year. Some people can’t countenance the “wrong” folks getting help they don’t “deserve”. Or that somehow help will discourage entrepreneurship. If that truly was the case they’d tax inheritances, but it’s not. The cruelty is the point.
  - freen 5y ago
    Nyc does do it: housing is a right in NYC. You need a place to sleep, we give you one. It’s not great, because again, GOP, but it’s better than sleeping rough.
  - freen 5y ago
    The terrible truth is that so much of industry relies on the precariousness of its employees: Walmart is the largest beneficiary of food stamps in the country.
edgyquant 5y ago
You completely ignored my main point. Physical housing is not the issue when it comes to the homelessness crisis. The fact that homelessness, in a majority of people, is a symptom of underlying psychological issues. Namely addiction and/or mental illness. Bezos would be better off donating that money to help understand and combat mental illness than giving every homeless person a house. You can treat me like I’m so heartless, evil, person if you want but my point is there’s a hell of a lot more nuance than “there’s no houses.”

by freen 5y ago

ZephyrBlu 5y ago

If Bezos can afford it, the government can afford it. So why don't they do it?

Sebguer 5y ago
Mainly because our government is entirely captive to people like Bezos.
- effingwewt 5y ago
  Very true. Or, you know, if rich people and corps actually paid taxes. So disgusting the people that defend the rich/super-rich (here its not rich- 'I only make 150k+ stock/yr, so I'm not rich!'). Min wage is what 15k/year, but yea 10x that isn't rich. Reminds me of back in the 'everyone make a startup' days where CEOs got away with murder and some people on HN would just hand-wave it all away, because they wanted to be that CEO one day. That's kinda gone now and its s/CEO/Rich asshole.
freen 5y ago
Ask the GOP. Sane countries house their people. It ends of saving huge amounts of money. Single unhoused person with chronic illness can cost a city in excess of a million dollars a year. Some people can’t countenance the “wrong” folks getting help they don’t “deserve”. Or that somehow help will discourage entrepreneurship. If that truly was the case they’d tax inheritances, but it’s not. The cruelty is the point.
- freen 5y ago
  Nyc does do it: housing is a right in NYC. You need a place to sleep, we give you one. It’s not great, because again, GOP, but it’s better than sleeping rough.
- freen 5y ago
  The terrible truth is that so much of industry relies on the precariousness of its employees: Walmart is the largest beneficiary of food stamps in the country.

edgyquant 5y ago

You completely ignored my main point. Physical housing is not the issue when it comes to the homelessness crisis. The fact that homelessness, in a majority of people, is a symptom of underlying psychological issues. Namely addiction and/or mental illness. Bezos would be better off donating that money to help understand and combat mental illness than giving every homeless person a house. You can treat me like I’m so heartless, evil, person if you want but my point is there’s a hell of a lot more nuance than “there’s no houses.”