Supporting "Bum" culture

Quote: Wizard

Exactly. Claims adjuster from 1990-1992.

Then you retired with full gov't benefits? Cool.

Quote: Evenbob

Then you retired with full gov't benefits? Cool.

It's more complicated than that. Its based, in part, on years of service so somebody who served only two would get hardly anything.

I think year long weather conditions has much to do with keeping even the crazy well. Why live in a place where you'll freeze part of the year, when there are places where you can stay outside all year.

The courts in British Columbia have given the the "homeless" the right to have tent cities in parks. Now we have tent cities in the suburbs as well. The do gooders think the problem is a lack of affordable housing. Most of the occupants of the tent cities won't move into any kind of permanent housing unless it is free and they have the right to do their drugs in the new digs.

People living near a tent city or a permanent housing shelter are scared because a lot of residents can be aggressive. Needles and condoms all over the street near them.

The solution has to be some kind of tougher stance since the more they get right now the more they want.

Other juristictions provide one way bus tickets to get them out of their own area to the nice warm west coast.

Quote: kenarman

The courts in British Columbia have given the the "homeless" the right to have tent cities in parks. Now we have tent cities in the suburbs as well. The do gooders think the problem is a lack of affordable housing. Most of the occupants of the tent cities won't move into any kind of permanent housing unless it is free and they have the right to do their drugs in the new digs.

People living near a tent city or a permanent housing shelter are scared because a lot of residents can be aggressive. Needles and condoms all over the street near them.

The solution has to be some kind of tougher stance since the more they get right now the more they want.

Other juristictions provide one way bus tickets to get them out of their own area to the nice warm west coast.

Yeah, see the cluster-f that is the tent city in downtown Victoria. It's a mess, considering there is plenty of shelter places available... in this case a lot of it it's NOT about being homeless and needing help.

Quote: TheCesspit

. in this case a lot of it it's NOT about being homeless and needing help.

In most cases it's not. It's a lifestyle choice.
Not work, get high all day, be with your
buddies, break the law as much as you can.
For every truly destitute homeless desperate
person, there are at least 10 who are there
on purpose. No matter what FrG believes
in his cotton candy rose colored glasses
view of homeless people.

Quote: Evenbob

In most cases it's not. It's a lifestyle choice.
Not work, get high all day, be with your
buddies, break the law as much as you can.
For every truly destitute homeless desperate
person, there are at least 10 who are there
on purpose. No matter what FrG believes
in his cotton candy rose colored glasses
view of homeless people.

I think your ratio is wrong, given my experience. There's definitely some of the former, and then there's people who wanted to do that, but then addiction and the realities of getting high and not working crash in on them and their sleeping rough, and in many ways stuck as there's a bunch of mental health problems that come with the territory. For some getting out of the hole is hard. Many never do, and they die.

As for the folks as the tent city here, there's a lot who want hand outs and free land and no laws etc, and it's a much higher percentage of the 'screw the world' types you mention. They want an alternative life style... which is fine, but don't want to do the responsibilities that come with it.

In my uneducated opinion, I think that about 4 out of 5 people on the streets live that way by choice. The other one is probably truly too disabled to even properly apply for benefits or know how to get help. Of the people accosting the public for change, I think 19 out of 20 do it because they prefer it to working -- and those who give are enabling that lifestyle.

Quote: Wizard

In my uneducated opinion, I think that about 4 out of 5 people on the streets live that way by choice. The other one is probably truly too disabled to even properly apply for benefits or know how to get help. Of the people accosting the public for change, I think 19 out of 20 do it because they prefer it to working -- and those who give are enabling that lifestyle.

Something else we agree on 100%. All
you have to do is get to know these
people, be around them for a period of
time, and you'll see most of them are hustlers.
Some are mentally ill, some are truly
desperate, but the vast majority are not.

Quote: Wizard

Just came back from Seattle several hours ago. Spent a lot of time in various spots downtown. There were a LOT of bums. Lots of tent encampments in busy areas. Not like Vegas where they at least have the decency to pitch tent cities in places tourists don't go or are likely to even see. I'll say a couple of going things about Seattle bums:

1. About 90% don't hassle people but just walk about like they own the city.
2. A small percentage are street entertainers, which I respect much more than panhandlers.

Did you see any selling Real Change?