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From Rueters News 4/11: Today Reuters reported that due to the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the dramatic rise in foreclosures of owner-occupied housing, America now has a record number of vacant homes across the country – for the first quarter of this year. In discussing the rise in the share of vacant homes, the Reuters article, by Joanne Morrison, casually dropped a bomb: “the total number of vacant U.S. properties hit 18.6 million, which was a record,” quoting a U.S. Census Bureau official.
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From Rueters News 4/11: Today Reuters reported that due to the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the dramatic rise in foreclosures of owner-occupied housing, America now has a record number of vacant homes across the country – for the first quarter of this year. In discussing the rise in the share of vacant homes, the Reuters article, by Joanne Morrison, casually dropped a bomb: “the total number of vacant U.S. properties hit 18.6 million, which was a record,” quoting a U.S. Census Bureau official.
18.6 MILLION vacant homes! Now, that’s alotta vacancies. Incredible. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty there are 3.5 million homeless people in this country. So, roughly, that’s 5 1/3 empty homes for every homeless person. This system sure is working, isn’t it?
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What are the main issues behind homelessness? Answer: poverty and mental illness. So the question is really asking, should poverty and mental illness be crimes? Have we all lost our minds?
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I only think about homelessness where I live. In my neighborhood there are homeless people living under the bridge structures of the San Gabriel River. We know they are there. We separate out our aluminum cans, so that they don't have to dig through our blue recycling bins to get the cans they need to take to recycling to get money to eat on. Each of our homeless are alcoholics who refuse help from our local shelters. Why? Because the shelters and churches want them to sober up and do a little work around the shelter or church. A few homeless men said that they do not want to stop drinking, nor do they want to have to do any work. I have asked that a few pull some weeds in my yard for good wages. They refused to work, so I refused to pay them for work not even started.
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I only think about homelessness where I live. In my neighborhood there are homeless people living under the bridge structures of the San Gabriel River. We know they are there. We separate out our aluminum cans, so that they don't have to dig through our blue recycling bins to get the cans they need to take to recycling to get money to eat on. Each of our homeless are alcoholics who refuse help from our local shelters. Why? Because the shelters and churches want them to sober up and do a little work around the shelter or church. A few homeless men said that they do not want to stop drinking, nor do they want to have to do any work. I have asked that a few pull some weeds in my yard for good wages. They refused to work, so I refused to pay them for work not even started.
They have been very law respecting and do not want to get arrested. I am all for leaving them to the life they are choosing to live. They are adults and they know what they are doing.
As for criminalizing them for their choice of a life of freedom? No. As long as they obey city laws and they don't break into houses, I am not in favor of arresting them.
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Well if we criminalize homelessness - the homeless would eventually end up in prison through the inability to pay the ticket....then they wouldn't be homeless and our taxes would be even higher?
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Well if we criminalize homelessness - the homeless would eventually end up in prison through the inability to pay the ticket....then they wouldn't be homeless and our taxes would be even higher?
Once again some members of the human race have proven that they are complete idiots
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People are homeless because they want a free ride. Some panhandlers make more than me a year. I once bought this guy a wedding cake. He threw it away and fished in the garbage for beer. To those that complain that they are homeless because of a mental illness, Van Gogh had a mental illness, and he turned out okay.
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People are homeless because they want a free ride. Some panhandlers make more than me a year. I once bought this guy a wedding cake. He threw it away and fished in the garbage for beer. To those that complain that they are homeless because of a mental illness, Van Gogh had a mental illness, and he turned out okay.
I'm kidding... this turns my stomach. We fail as a society to care for our own and then attack our own when things go south.
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RIGHT! And then fine them as if they had the money to pay for rent, food, or anything else.
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