Seattle is Dying

OldDude · Mar 28, 2019

7 minutes ago, Jedrnurse said:
Yeah, I think it's appropriate to have a standard for use of public facilities that doesn't scare off taxpayers from using them...

Amen!

Daisy4RN · Mar 28, 2019

Yes people in liberal states do vote in those politicians. Maybe thinking that they dont mind helping the homeless with their tax dollars. Problem is the bureaucrats are not using the money they collect wisely, either wasting it on stupid projects like the bullet train or putting it into their own pockets. And while i agree that their are mentally ill people out there we also have those who are young healthy choosing to live this lifestyle but also those who are very violent. Either way the politicians throw crumbs at it and then continue on with their agenda and the problem continues to get worse.

guest974915 · Mar 28, 2019

5 hours ago, TheAngryMan said:
Has less to do with government leadership and more to do with the population that elects them.
Los Angeles for example had the opportunity to pass rent control...yet "liberal" Angelinos voted no. Hipsters open up expensive coffee shops in historical low income neighbor hoods and drives up the rent for former residents...forcing them onto the streets or further out Into to the boonies.
People complain about the homeless problem, but are unwilling to pay more in taxes or take in less revenue to accommodate low income housing.
Study after study shows that a "housing first" approach, works to get people back on thier feet, yet thier fellow citizens are unwilling to help out. Pennywise, pound foolish.

I disagree that a tax levee is needed considering that the US spends more on defense that all of the other NATO countries combined. The net effect from all of the US's previous foreign occupations, (Iran, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria.....) has been death, destruction, and the creation of political instability in these already very volitile countries-all to the tune of trillions of taxpayers' dollars. Just think if those monies could have been spent on the domestic front; improving infrastructure, drug/alcohol treatment program, jobs housing.... All very sad!

Emergent, RN · Mar 28, 2019

Now the state of Washington is proposing a 40 cent "carbon" tax on our already over-taxed gasoline. I'm sure the expense accounts of the legislators will go up to cover them. It will mainly make life less affordable for working people.

I feel like these lawmakers live in a bubble.

guest974915 · Mar 28, 2019

1 hour ago, Emergent said:
Probably none. I do think that more conservative folks feel that big government liberalism is making life more unaffordable for the middle class.
One thing is, the liberal policies of catering and putting up with public loitering in Seattle is disgusting. They allow the homeless to take over all the benches at Pioneer square and nap on the grass at Pike market. The city has become unlivable for families.

I'm not politically savvy enough to really know what political party is responsible but I agree with Emergent, that this situation is now at an absolute tipping point and what about loitering and public vagrancy? I have a friend that was walking during the day in one of the nicer Seattle neighborhoods when a naked woman emerged from an alley, squatted, and defecated on the sidewalk in front of her and everyone else-nice! In California, on public greenways and parks, the homeless are always encamped and make little attempts to hide their alcohol and meth use-all very nice for a family out trying to enjoy some fresh air and exercise.

brownbook · Mar 28, 2019

1 hour ago, Jedrnurse said:
Use of generic labels in policy discussion, e.g. liberal, conservative, progressive, etc. can lead to sloppy "stereotype-think" as well as polarization that often ends in fighting instead of action on a given problem.
That being said, since some comments on this thread have attributed the Seattle problem to liberal and/or progressive thinking, I have to ask this question-
What proposals do conservatives have to help with mental health services and affordable housing, as these two things greatly contribute to the situation...?

Thank you, I was trying to think of some response along these lines....let's label each other, that is one solution that has united people and solved many local and nation wide problems. I'm a 3rd generation Californian and proud progressive liberal so I guess this is all my fault.?

OldDude · Mar 28, 2019

22 minutes ago, brownbook said:
Thank you, I was trying to think of some response along these lines....let's label each other, that is one solution that has united people and solved many local and nation wide problems. I'm a 3rd generation Californian and proud progressive liberal so I guess this is all my fault.?

So you're the one!!!

I hear ya, name calling and rigid adherence to "the party" regardless of what issue you're dealing with has always produced a mutually beneficial result for everyone. ?

Emergent, RN · Mar 28, 2019

For what it's worth, I despise Democrats and Republicans equally. ??

Daisy4RN · Mar 28, 2019

4 minutes ago, Emergent said:
For what it's worth, I despise Democrats and Republicans equally. ??

Same here, seems all politicians are only working for themselves/political power, not us the people. I have been both Dem/Rep and now Independent.

TriciaJ, RN · Mar 28, 2019

Labels are a good thing to be careful of. A lot of damage has been done under the guise of "compassion". Just like the deinstitutionalization we talked about earlier, that was supposed to be motivated by compassion. The fact is, providing proper mental health services costs money.

Affordable housing is a nice idea, but someone has to provide it. And no matter who's providing your housing, usually there are some rules to follow to live there. And if your state is known for big welfare cheques, then you attract low-functioning individuals from other states. And if you tax the **** out of your middle class to support all that, they move away. By the way, any time anyone is taxed for any reason, the people running things get their cut first. So the poor-with-a-capital-p provide a handy excuse for tax-and-skim. And if you speak out, then you're just not compassionate enough.

Follow the money. Someone is profiting from the poor and homeless or else there would be fewer of them.

brownbook · Mar 28, 2019

22 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:
Labels are a good thing to be careful of. A lot of damage has been done under the guise of "compassion". Just like the deinstitutionalization we talked about earlier, that was supposed to be motivated by compassion. The fact is, providing proper mental health services costs money.
Affordable housing is a nice idea, but someone has to provide it. And no matter who's providing your housing, usually there are some rules to follow to live there. And if your state is known for big welfare cheques, then you attract low-functioning individuals from other states. And if you tax the **** out of your middle class to support all that, they move away. By the way, any time anyone is taxed for any reason, the people running things get their cut first. So the poor-with-a-capital-p provide a handy excuse for tax-and-skim. And if you speak out, then you're just not compassionate enough.
Follow the money. Someone is profiting from the poor and homeless or else there would be fewer of them.

Your a little cynical ?. All I can think of is agencies that try to provide services for the homeless somehow profiting? It's like the myth that scientists/doctors know the cure for cancer but they don't want it known because treating cancer is a big profitible industry. I don't buy either one.

Hematocrit13 · Mar 28, 2019

42 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:
Affordable housing is a nice idea, but someone has to provide it.

Or, we have to work together (pay attention) not to lose it. We're only "providing" it after we've lost it. Yes indeed, follow the money. You got that one right!