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Old 05-09-2018, 11:11 AM   #1
davew
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new Seattle homeless tax

Seattle wants to start charging a tax for large employers (over $20 million per year) amounting to $500 per employee to help pay for the homeless.

Amazon surprisingly is stopping planned expansion until tax ruling is decided (their share would only amount to around $20 million / yr ).
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Old 05-09-2018, 11:17 AM   #2
tucker6
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The whole idea that taxpayers should foot the bill to build housing for the homeless completely misses the mark. Spend your money on drug and alcohol prevention programs; mental health programs; jobs training. The unfortunate fact is that even if you did all that, a significant amount of homeless would still wish to remain homeless. Those that do decide to live in housing will destroy it in due time.
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Old 05-09-2018, 01:26 PM   #3
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The whole idea that taxpayers should foot the bill to build housing for the homeless completely misses the mark. Spend your money on drug and alcohol prevention programs; mental health programs; jobs training. The unfortunate fact is that even if you did all that, a significant amount of homeless would still wish to remain homeless. Those that do decide to live in housing will destroy it in due time.
Unless something has changed in the decades that have passed since I worked on the outskirts of Skid Row that is where 99% of the homeless come from, mental illness or extreme substance abuse. If rents get too high healthy employed people either move to a lower rent district or get more roommates. They don't decide to drink Thunderbird 24-7 and sleep in the streets. Some politicians are so out of touch with reality it boggles the mind and that goes for both parties.

Last edited by Inner Dirt; 05-09-2018 at 01:27 PM.
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Old 05-09-2018, 02:05 PM   #4
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The whole idea that taxpayers should foot the bill to build housing for the homeless completely misses the mark. Spend your money on drug and alcohol prevention programs; mental health programs; jobs training. The unfortunate fact is that even if you did all that, a significant amount of homeless would still wish to remain homeless. Those that do decide to live in housing will destroy it in due time.
Wasted money. 90% of the homeless choose to be homeless.

The other 10% are temp homeless due to unfortunate luck or circumstances and will accept appropriate help up and out.

Some governments actually encourage em. When I lived in SoCal in 2003 I noticed small fires burning and lanterns inside the huge foliage planted inside the entrance ramps to the 405 from Santa Monica. My wife ran a restaurant not far from there. The freeway workers came in one day for a retirement party. My wife asked them about the lanterns at night. She was informed that 25-30 people lived in a homeless camp behind the foliage. The city installed the foliage to cover up the camp and they agreed to let the squatters camp as long as they stayed out of sight.
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Old 05-09-2018, 02:53 PM   #5
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Wasted money. 90% of the homeless choose to be homeless.

...
If you choose to be homeless when other, better options are available, are you really that far removed from mental illness?
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Old 05-09-2018, 03:49 PM   #6
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How about we just construct a wall and put the homeless behind it.
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Old 05-09-2018, 03:54 PM   #7
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no cure for stupid
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Old 05-09-2018, 03:57 PM   #8
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Wasted money. 90% of the homeless choose to be homeless.

The other 10% are temp homeless due to unfortunate luck or circumstances and will accept appropriate help up and out.

Some governments actually encourage em. When I lived in SoCal in 2003 I noticed small fires burning and lanterns inside the huge foliage planted inside the entrance ramps to the 405 from Santa Monica. My wife ran a restaurant not far from there. The freeway workers came in one day for a retirement party. My wife asked them about the lanterns at night. She was informed that 25-30 people lived in a homeless camp behind the foliage. The city installed the foliage to cover up the camp and they agreed to let the squatters camp as long as they stayed out of sight.
Many years ago, I went to a men's Christian retreat with a fellow who was running the local Gospel Mission. His position was, surprisingly to me, the same as yours.

His quote to me was that 95% of everyone on the street is either had serious mental illness or significant drug/alcohol addiction. He also said that most were unskilled and unprepared to support themselves, above minimum wage. In addition, he said that many, when given a job, rarely last long because they wind up missing work because of arrest or hospitalization (from overdose or fighting). This included women.

At the time, I thought, "Boy, is this guy in the wrong line of work," but that didn't make him wrong. (He was in the wrong line of work, BTW. Just recently was released from prison. Again.)


Next we decided to turn our attention (and resources) to "taking a family off the street" once a year. We found some people involved with the homeless community to screen potential people for us.

The cost was about $12,000 per family and we had limited resources, so we needed to choose carefully.

The idea never got off the ground because in almost 6 months the screeners could not find a single family that were without addiction and abuse issues.

I am not holding myself up as an expert by any means, but it appears that many people on the street were aimed in that direction way back in high school and possibly sooner.

I'd look to the education system to turn the trend.


Just my opinion and limited experience.

Dave
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Old 05-09-2018, 04:17 PM   #9
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no cure for stupid
I've been on PA a while. I couldn't agree more.
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Old 05-09-2018, 05:05 PM   #10
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Stand down, boys, obviously, the democrats know more about the homeless than we do.

After all, THEY created most of them.

My suggestion to the homeless is to just find a nice house and move in.

Open borders - open doors.

From the looks of Seattle City Hall, they could house quite a few.

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Old 05-09-2018, 06:17 PM   #11
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Dave, try this.

A few nights ago a guy walked into our business in a dirty t shirt, barefoot and looking pretty rough. He asked to speak to a manager. I had already spotted him getting out of a car out front. He was dropped off by another younger guy.

He started telling me a story about how him and his wife are starving to death and they were in a hotel a few miles away. He wanted us to feed him and his wife, son in law and daughter. I asked him to go outside with me. I walked up on the car he had come in and asked the driver, the son in law, what their story was

He started talking and I immediately noticed the smell of alcohol, and of course the 12 pack of beer laying in the floor of the backseat. It was cold and wrapped in a plastic bag full of ice.

I asked who paid for the beer and the first guy suddenly came to life and told me to f-off and re entered the car and as they drove away I could see a couple meth-crack style pipes laying in the floor with the beer. You see, they were choosing what to spend their money on. And live in a crappy hotel. It’s the same scenario with 90% of the homeless. They make a choice.

Btw, for the record I hire several people a year that are referred to me by the State and county who are trying to get back on their feet from some terrible event in their life. I have about a 70% success rate with these folks. It can be very rewarding when they go out and get an apartment, a car etc. most are very appreciative. That other 30% almost always chooses drugs or alcohol over the straight life.

I write letters to apartment managers and banks almost every month. Many start out living in hotels and riding the bus, bike or just plain walking to work.

Then their are others that come in and steal from me or other employees..........that’s another post.........
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Old 05-14-2018, 11:47 PM   #12
davew
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they lowered the rate - $275/ employee / yr and pas it unanimously

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/s...001026157.html


in a related goofball council ruling, they voted 9-0 in Feb 2017 to pull its account from Wells Fargo, saying they want a bank that reflects their values. Finding NO OTHER BANK that wanted their business, they have decided to return to Wells Fargo...

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/m/e79a...-to-wells.html
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Old 06-13-2018, 04:36 PM   #13
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the city council repealed their tax under pressure.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.9b512426493c
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Old 06-13-2018, 04:59 PM   #14
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in a related goofball council ruling, they voted 9-0 in Feb 2017 to pull its account from Wells Fargo, saying they want a bank that reflects their values. Finding NO OTHER BANK that wanted their business, they have decided to return to Wells Fargo...
I doubt that there is a bank in the country that reflects their values. They will need to deal with (gasp) capitalists.
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Old 06-14-2018, 12:20 AM   #15
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If you choose to be homeless when other, better options are available, are you really that far removed from mental illness?
Good point, JHS. I see the crack zombies that have absolutely no chance of ever fitting in anywhere...so why are we fooling ourselves? No one WANTS to live like that...but what's the alternative? There is none....if you aren't mentally capable of living in this society.

I attended my daughters' graduation from Cal St East Bay...up in the hills above Oakland--it was good to see so many Latinos graduating. Because you're Mexican...you don't have to push a broom---good to see them joining the corporate world.

I was sorry to see so few blacks onstage getting degrees....believe it or not--white people want to see you succeed. This University is in your own backyard...one of the best in California. I would have expected you to dominate the proceedings--not be some fringe element. There were more blacks parking cars....than getting degrees.
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