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Actually helping people who have become homeless is like two steps away from what it should be, of course. One step in the right directly would be more homeles
by WesternWind 3y ago
Actually helping people who have become homeless is like two steps away from what it should be, of course. One step in the right directly would be more homelessness prevention (there's some, but not nearly enough). Two steps would be systemic changes so housing was more easily affordable.
That said, I had dinner tonight with a formerly unhoused person here in SF, who is now living her life successfully because of that help, has an apartment, is paying bills, etc.
So while you think it fails to achieve anything of note, I think the problem would be a heck of a lot worse without it.
- nielsbot 3y agoI also think people be overly concerned with the “moochers”. that said we should still dedicate resources to make sure programs are applied fairly and not taken advantage of.
- rocqua 3y agoI love basic income for this. It prevents needing to solve any kind of missuse since everyone is supposed to get it.
- largbae 3y agoA noble dream solution, but even in this case there will be folks who try to collect the UBI of others in addition to their own.
- chefandy 3y agoNot all, but many of these concerns are drummed up by people that want to add every conceivable resistance to wealth redistribution possible, and the rubes that believe their fabricated justification. Drug testing for food and housing assistance is a great example. A fraction of the amount of money spent gets “saved” and the rare addict thrown off will probably cost the system more money as a homeless addict. Ultimately, it comes down to contempt for people who have less, and wanting to see them humiliated.
- ponow 3y agoYes, wealth redistribution is genteel theft and should be thwarted at every turn.
- AllegedAlec 3y agoPlease stop hitting that straw man. My hay fever's starting to play up.
- sha2468 3y agoAn effective test for determining if reading an opinion is a waste of your time is: watch for language that assigns an explanation to the behavior of others. Basically: they don’t describe what happened. They describe how other people are less good. “These concerns are drummed up by people who what to add every conceivable resistance to wealth redistribution possible” Not the language of an open hearted soul. I’m going to default to “unconvincing argument” as the infinitely more plausible explanation.
- chefandy 3y ago> watch for language that assigns an explanation to the behavior of others. K > Not the language of an open hearted soul. Found some.
- HumblyTossed 3y agoAmazing the number of people on HN who dislike any measure of helping those less fortunate.
- anamax 3y agoAmazing the number of people on HN take any criticism of some program as dislike for helping those less fortunate.
- whythre 3y agoIf what you consider evil is standing in the way of Marxist utopia, well bud, I think you have your moral heuristic exactly, murderously wrong.
- mistrial9 3y agoactually the moochers wear business clothing.. the actual homeless are often damaged and addicted people who are stuck in hell loops
- gopher_space 3y agoThe majority of homeless people are at work or in school during the daytime. The people you see on the street are the tip of an enormous iceberg.
- WesternWind 3y agoYeah there's some silly shit that I'm sick of states paying for. Mandatory drug testing almost always costs more then it saves.