Faux Liberal vs Actually Liberal (difference, downtown, economy, building)
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Really? Why is is that West Coast cities have the highest homelessness levels in the country? There are 50,000 homeless in LA county alone in any given night and that number is dramatically rising. I'm sure they're just all living the American dream. And let's not even start with San Francisco and the Bay Area. It's frankly embarrassing how we deal with homelessness in the US compared to most European countries. Or rather, how we don't deal with it.
Weather?
I'd rather sleep under a palm tree - albeit smelly, unkempt, unwashed, and "unhomed" - than live under a huge fleabag infested parka in a Chicago winter.
I'd rather sleep under a palm tree - albeit smelly, unkempt, unwashed, and "unhomed" - than live under a huge fleabag infested parka in a Chicago winter.
Yeah, weather undoubtedly has a lot to do with it.
^^^Most public housing is rather niche. There is family housing, which requires a family unit, defined, in order to live in said building. There is senior housing, which has an age floor (on the private side, there is also Age-Qualified housing communities like Mission Viejo or Del Webb communities). There is LGBT senior housing (hard to imagine if you aren't a senior who's LGBTQ, but one of the most isolated groups of people are older members of the LGBTQ community, who have often been isolated from loved ones through a variety of causes none the least of which was rejection, lost much of their support network in the 80s due to HIV/AIDS, never had kids for obvious reasons, and have many other issues to deal with that don't affect all seniors equally...maybe they've never been able to get ahead in their careers due to their status as LGBTQ, thus in old age with no kids, no loved ones or isolation from loved ones who may have abandoned them long ago, and a diminished peer group through a disease that ravaged the community in the 80s and 90s, they are facing difficult financial times and emotional issues with older age, and forming a community through LGBTQ targeted housing is one way to help these people).
Rant over, but yes, public housing comes in many shapes, sizes, or forms. The most well run programs tend to target specific demographics, rather than a catch-all.
Well, you shouldn't have publicly-funded housing that explicitly discriminates based on sexual orientation. And anyway, how do people prove that they're an alphabet soup person? Do they provide a video of themselves performing certain sex acts or something? And isn't the "B" in that "Bi?" Who is bi, exactly? I was at a bachelor party recently, I saw two female strippers getting down with each other. Would they then qualify for this housing, whereas a woman who didn't do such things in her youth wouldn't?
I'd rather sleep under a palm tree - albeit smelly, unkempt, unwashed, and "unhomed" - than live under a huge fleabag infested parka in a Chicago winter.
I think it has more to do with the high cost of rent. It's very easy to become homeless on the West Coast; a studio apartment is $500-$600 even in a small West Coast city, and you're looking at multiples of that in the biggest cities. Even if you have the money, most places want you to make 3x the rent in income and if you don't, a roommate is the only option and that can often lead to abusive situations.
San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland are liberal cities.
Detroit is a city that Conservatives claim is liberal but its really not. It's solidly Democrat, but not liberal socially or even in a progressive thinking sense.
Austin is not really THAT liberal. Still has such a Texas influence on city politics, partially because their congressional districts are gerrymandered in a way that most of them are conservatives.
San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland are liberal cities.
Detroit is a city that Conservatives claim is liberal but its really not. It's solidly Democrat, but not liberal socially or even in a progressive thinking sense.
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I'm going to take a different perspective here. I actually think being "economically liberal", ie socialist, is more progressive than the la la social justice stuff that dominates the West Coast. I lived in Portland and I find a city that does not have rent control and has become so expensive that the middle class and poor are essentially banned from living there (unless they live on the street) is anything but liberal or progressive. The West Coast's anti-labor stance more than cancels out any social liberalism that might be less prevalent in Michigan.
Few cities have rent control all across the country. SF and NYC are the only two remaining major cities that do. Other West Coast cities, SF included, are trying to figure out new ways to combat out of control housing prices. Unfortunately whereas some East Coast cities like DC are development friendly, SF is not and one of the solutions being bandied about is a housing moratorium. So the west coast is actually very well represented, perhaps most so, with progressive housing regulation (not to mention tenant friendly laws in cities like San Francisco).
Can't speak for Portland, but Portland is still the most affordable city by far on the west coast and is very competitive with Minneapolis, Demver, and Austin. Not sure it needs to take drastic measures yet.
Anyway, I honestly think there are only a few truly liberal cities in the country: NYC, Boston, Philly, Seattle, LA, DC, Minneapolis, Portland, and a handful of smaller less important cities.
I agree with NYC, Boston, Seattle, DC and Portland.
Minneapolis liberals seem to be the kinds of liberals who are pretty silent about their views, wouldn't really attend gay pride parades or stuff like that.
Philadelphia liberals don't really count, they only vote Democra for economic reasons, not because they support women's rights or anything.
Los Angeles is tricky because there are a lot of conservative suburbs, and just a lot of rich people who tend to vote Republican.
I agree with NYC, Boston, Seattle, DC and Portland.
Minneapolis liberals seem to be the kinds of liberals who are pretty silent about their views, wouldn't really attend gay pride parades or stuff like that.
Philadelphia liberals don't really count, they only vote Democra for economic reasons, not because they support women's rights or anything.
Los Angeles is tricky because there are a lot of conservative suburbs, and just a lot of rich people who tend to vote Republican.
I would consider adding Denver or Austin.
You really think Denver and Austin are more progressive than Minneapolis? I'd describe them as more libertarian. I think MSP is quite possibly the most left wing metro in the US, they just don't "sell" themselves on it as much as those hipper cities do.
Philadelphia liberals don't really count, they only vote Democra for economic reasons, not because they support women's rights or anything.
You mean people in the city of Brotherly Love want to send women back to the kitchen and don't think they are equal? Or do you mean they're not as into the "rape culture" hysteria and being misandrist? Like I said before, I think economic issues are more important than "social justice" issues. There is no social justice if there are no labor rights and the poor have to bear the brunt of costs of things. You can't just dismiss the most important part of left wing politics as being irrelevant.
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