Visited Portland, please explain the sacred homeless people and crazy bicyclists to me (Union: low income, employment)

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

Do they take credit/debit cards? Bitcoin? I'm SOL (heh) if they need real coins. Haven't carried those in years.

I don't know but I am guessing coins.

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

Because the wealthy in Portland, Seattle, and other cities, want the churches to do it. They want charities to shelter the homeless, churches to pay for their rehab, and Liberal middle income wage earners to build ADU's in their backyards for long term housing of the homeless. Am I about right on that? Employment? I'm about as Liberal as they come, and I would not hire for any purpose whatsoever the majority of homeless I encounter. Not everyone is employable. When we can get off that "by the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread" hogwash we may actually get somewhere. The status quo of expecting only the goodhearted to do all the social good that is needed, works about as well as you see it does.... not. My way would work.

My mom worked in social services in SF, now retired, but the homeless and mentally ill living in the streets was significant in the 70's and recently programs have been shut down and SF, though wealthy, has more mentally ill not being cared for. My mom and her friends predicted this and looks like Portland is following suit with the same problem. The problem is complex but as a society it's dangerous for all of us to live this way. The DJ in Old Town died after being in a coma. Portland streets are getting more dangerous.

[thequeen1]

OP, it's out of control

[ccjarider]

Originally Posted by surf7

i have no idea what your trying to say? How is enforcing laws and trying to keep tax paying citizens happy by cleaning up the city "not enough socialism?"

I was not commenting on your thoughts. I agree with you.
Portland needs more folks like you. Please move here and help change the nutty culture.


I was commenting on some crazy guy who loves Bernie Sanders or something.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

The homeess aren't going anywhere anytime soon. As long as some of us resist the Liberal efforts to decrease Income and Wealth concentration in less than 1% of any population, there will be homeless. If Trimet was free, more people would use it. What would that cost? ~$200M/yr. Half of that to match the revenue lost from fare collection, and the other half to increase capacity to cope with the increase in ridership that would result in a free Trimet system. $200M/yr is a lot less than the amount that is given in tax breaks and other incentives to the big financial players in Portland's economy.

Instead of being stuck in traffic jams morning and night, you could actually have a reasonable commute time. What's not to like? Bike lanes are 3' wide. Two of them still do not equal one car lane. But... if you'd rather all those cyclists drove cars instead... who am I. I have my doubts as to the truth of the o.p. I actually live here and have some perspective, and it does not jibe with what we are hearing.

Poor Charlie Hales. He destroyed a major city in just one term as mayor. I doubt it! And I doubt that Wheeler will restore Portland to its former glories in less than 10 terms. In other words, he cannot. It takes too many 2017 dollars to do even the smallest thing. NYC runs on 100 year old infrastructure, and even to clean the windows of the Empire State Building would cost more money and take more years than it took to build it! So it doesn't happen. NYC's entire subway system was built in 20 years and it took nearly that long and 10 Billion dollars to add two miles of track to the East Side corridor. Think they'll try that again? Think there will be a bridge to Vancouver?

France just completed some amazing bridge with all kinds of sophisticated sensing and traffic management systems and it cost 10's of millions. Even with Billions budgeted, OR/WA cannot even get past design studies that have already cost more than that French bridge cost. But isn't that they way some of you want it? You don't want the 1% to have any accountability. When they charge $100K just to put cameras on the existing span to study usage patterns, you shrug. You invest in the company hoping to make some money if they make it big. Why complain when nothing gets done?

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

Because the wealthy in Portland, Seattle, and other cities, want the churches to do it. They want charities to shelter the homeless, churches to pay for their rehab, and Liberal middle income wage earners to build ADU's in their backyards for long term housing of the homeless. Am I about right on that? Employment? I'm about as Liberal as they come, and I would not hire for any purpose whatsoever the majority of homeless I encounter. Not everyone is employable. When we can get off that "by the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread" hogwash we may actually get somewhere. The status quo of expecting only the goodhearted to do all the social good that is needed, works about as well as you see it does.... not. My way would work.

Your way is a pipe dream.


After decades of slaving away to better my life, to bring myself and my family out of the dirt, to kill myself working to ensure that my children are taken care off, to better myself to educate myself and have a job that paid me enough where I am not a burden to my fellow man, I have absolutely no concern that I am not bending over backwards to help out the lowlifes that are ruining the city of Portland.

I've done my part. I took care of my own. That is what was expected of me and I held up my end.
It gave me gray hair. It aged me beyond my years.
But it gave me a good perspective on what's perceived as the "haves and have-nots".

I don't owe anybody on this earth a g-darn thing.

I pay my exhorbitant taxes (and please don't give me a friggin lecture about the high taxes you had to pay wherever you came from, THANK YOU) like any good citizen should, I vote my conscience, and I am very sorry that the leaders we have elected can't get their heads out of their arses and address the real problems of this town and this state.

Yes, you are a human just like I am.

SORRY, BUT I FOUGHT LIKE HELLL FOR EVERYTHING SINGLE THING I HAVE GOT, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I AM GOING TO GIVE SOME SELF-ENTITLED LOSER ANYTHING THAT HE OR SHE HASN'T EARNED.

Just because you exist doesn't mean a friggin thing to me.
YOU are not my problem.

And, I am 100 percent sure that when it really gets down to it, you feel exactly the same way about me.

That's tough, it's nasty, I'm sure that you are getting all upset about my words, but that is real life amigo.
DEAL.

[CAjerseychick]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

After decades of slaving away to better my life, to bring myself and my family out of the dirt, to kill myself working to ensure that my children are taken care off, to better myself to educate myself and have a job that paid me enough where I am not a burden to my fellow man, I have absolutely no concern that I am not bending over backwards to help out the lowlifes that are ruining the city of Portland.

I've done my part. I took care of my own. That is what was expected of me and I held up my end.
It gave me gray hair. It aged me beyond my years.
But it gave me a good perspective on what's perceived as the "haves and have-nots".

I don't owe anybody on this earth a g-darn thing.

I pay my exhorbitant taxes (and please don't give me a friggin lecture about the high taxes you had to pay wherever you came from, THANK YOU) like any good citizen should, I vote my conscience, and I am very sorry that the leaders we have elected can't get their heads out of their arses and address the real problems of this town and this state.

Yes, you are a human just like I am.

SORRY, BUT I FOUGHT LIKE HELLL FOR EVERYTHING SINGLE THING I HAVE GOT, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I AM GOING TO GIVE SOME SELF-ENTITLED LOSER ANYTHING THAT HE OR SHE HASN'T EARNED.

Just because you exist doesn't mean a friggin thing to me.
YOU are not my problem.

And, I am sure that when it really gets down to it, you feel exactly the same way about me.

No I DONT> If I saw you laying there, I would put out a hand to help you up.
And I don't feel like I am the only person.
Give it a rest about your suffering-
its all relative-

I live with someone who was left to die/ starve to death in an orphanage at 5, he ate pine needles to survive. And someone came and rescued him. He is grateful and hasn't stopped a day in his life to help out other people.
I try to do the same.

I am grateful.

Sorry you are such a curmudgeon.

[Metlakatla]

^ Well, except you didn't seem so willing to offer the guy with one foot on the homeless banana peel who kept leaving his shorts in front of the toilet and leaving your kitchen in disarray a permanent home.

[CAjerseychick]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

^ Well, except you didn't seem so willing to offer the guy with one foot on the homeless banana peel who kept leaving his shorts in front of the toilet and leaving your kitchen in disarray a permanent home.

His kids live in minnesota and he needs to be closer to them.
(and he went to his sisters house, remember? He has well off family, which he needs to utilize.)

My partner does say though, he doesnt get it, how the typical American would prefer to donate to a charity than help out a friend... though.

But this is my house - my disabled father is coming in 2 weeks and my mother will probably eventually move in with us as well (she is 81)-

I can help out, but my PARENTS get help first.

Helping out the homeless by providing facilities doesnt necessitate giving up your home to them.

[CAjerseychick]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

^ Well, except you didn't seem so willing to offer the guy with one foot on the homeless banana peel who kept leaving his shorts in front of the toilet and leaving your kitchen in disarray a permanent home.

And what have you done lately?

I bandaged the bleeding stumps of a homeless guy 2 days ago.
Donated to that mail carrier food drive on saturday...

etc.. etc..
I am not perfect, but I try.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by CAjerseychick

And what have you done lately?

I bandaged the bleeding stumps of a homeless guy 2 days ago.
Donated to that mail carrier food drive on saturday...

etc.. etc..
I am not perfect, but I try.

For your JOB.

As far as the food drive, Portland homeless aren't going hungry AT ALL. Most people throw a few cans of whatever in a bag and feel all warm and cozy about themselves, but it's no big deal. Try volunteering at a food bank and watch the cans of creamed corn and French cut green beans be received with scorn...

Let's see...what have I done lately -- today I put a tenant's rent check in the bank. I waited a couple of weeks because she asked me to do her that favor -- it's also WAY below market value (like about 1/4 of what it should be); she'd be on the street otherwise. I haven't raised her rent for over 10 years. Give her free rent every Dec. for the holidays. I also make sure others on the property keep an eye on her since she's a senior lady who doesn't get around very well. Oh, and I give her quite a bit of fresh seafood.

And?