A
Anonymous member 148
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If Bezos would just give me what's mine I could be out fishing instead of at work!
Prowlers
- Thread starter Dloy
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This is exactly why it is cheaper to stop it from happening in the first place, rather than policing it or trying to fix broken people. I'm not saying those people should be abandoned, but it is definitely expensive and often futile.
Don't get me started on Seattle's homelessness "solutions"; they've achieved nothing but being enablers.
I could (personally) do a 10% greater marginal tax rate, as long as I felt the politicians were going to use it effectively... Fixing the political system is a debate for another day.
Here's an out of the box solution (not at all sure this is a good solution). What if we just gave junkies/tweakers drugs? "Here you go, knock yourself out!" It would probably be cheaper for society and addicts wouldn't have to steal to get their fix.
I'm @jaredoconnor as to the gross wealth inequality in our country. It's not about the upper middle class vs. the poor. It's about the zottarich vs everyone. The ten wealthiest men in the world own more than the bottom 40% of the world's population. A change is gonna come, and it won't be pretty.
This makes me happy:
I'm @jaredoconnor as to the gross wealth inequality in our country. It's not about the upper middle class vs. the poor. It's about the zottarich vs everyone. The ten wealthiest men in the world own more than the bottom 40% of the world's population. A change is gonna come, and it won't be pretty.
This makes me happy:
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dflett68
Steelhead
i don't know if that's a good solution or not. the self-righteous-personal-responsibility-thumper in me revolts against the idea. but the pragmatist/analyst in me sees clearly that while we can't eliminate these phenomena, we have created an environment where they are nurtured and fed and we could alter that environment and make a lot of difference. my life experience tells me that a solution would need to be rooted in more than one principle - probably in some that would seem paradoxical to each other on the surface - say, personal responsibility/accountability AND compassion/recovery +really investing in our educational system as if we valued it, rather than either/or. these things - crime and also our deeply held but often shallowly considered value systems - are super emotional, and that keeps us from seeing straight and it also keeps us from working together.
one thing i can't understand in all of this discussion: how do us middle-classers so often not see through the inherent klepto-nature of the feudal system we have so rapidly capitulated to in america? if you don't see some degree of systematized theft in the way our corrupt governments and industry leaders work together to ensure the widening income inequality of our society - and how un-first-world that is....then you are probably very comfortable and insulated from those realities and/or not imagining how they will play out to impact your kids and grandkids.
I’ve been thinking about this. There are government and private sector; both secular and religious affiliated, programs available providing food, shelter, mental health and addiction counseling, academic education, job counseling and placement, financial assistance, subsidized housing... with some more desirable programs possibly being contingent on commitment at lower levels. But individuals who need the help need to choose; to commit to and fully embrace the outcomes that can be achieved through the programs.
My dear Mom (I miss her); the youngest of 12 kids, her father died in a logging accident when she was an infant. She grew up during the Great Depression and was supported solely by my Grandmother, who refused government assistance. My Mom served in Civil Defense, put herself through business school, married my Dad; an Army non-commissioned officer who unknowingly was in a prolonged manic upcycle, was mistreated by the Army and later became disabled. She cared for her disabled husband and raised three boys, refusing government assistance (except from the VA), while working full time. We were poor. All 3 of us boys chose military service to break out of poverty and to become self-reliant and accountable to moral and societal (moral + ethical) standards. Only 2 of us succeeded; one fell into drugs - alcohol, and dependence. Mom rose through the ranks to retire as the Admin Assistant for the President of Boeing’s Space Division and continued to care for Dad for the rest of her life.
Wealth has always, and will always be here. Sadly, even children of abundance often learn “entitlement” and “dependence” rather than self-accountability to moral and societal standards and self-reliance. Be honest and note think about what’s changed in the US and the World over the years from my Mom’s generation; a generation who went through the Great Depression and a world war, and the values they held; again self-reliance, accountability, along with service to the nation. Yes, note the good, and bad changes.
From my life’s experience the government’s main failings have been not being committed to providing proper care for the mentally ill, and not discouraging alcohol-drug abuse like they have for example, tobacco. Overall government is enabling and encouraging dependence (which brings power), rather than using support, incentives, and enforcement to promote (again) self-reliance and accountability for adherence to societal standards.
A
Anonymous member 148
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If the company can swing it, good for them, you pay more to keep good employees. I got these amateurs at Dicks drive in beat.
I'm forced to pay my employees 14.00/hr right now, goes up to 14.75 in July. Some nights my employees make over $100 in card tips and another $50 in cash tips in 4 hours. 56+50+100= 206/4 = $51.50, I got high school kids making $51.50/hr plus my huge payroll tax burden on top of that. Match that Dicks!
Dustin Chromers
Life of the Party
Remove the habitat and the wildlife dies. That or get the WDFW to manage them.
SilverFly
Legend
Some would argue the solution is "redistribution of wealth". I would argue "redistribution of incentive".
The playing field used to be level enough that folks starting out with essentially nothing - other than mediocre capabilities, and a modest degree of determination - could expect to become self-reliant, productive members of society. That expectation of "making it" is fading rapidly. I'm sure there's a word for it, but there's a financial threshold at which life transitions from mere survival to building independence and wealth.
I have no idea how to level the playing field to lower the "making it" threshold within range of most mortals, but it's clear to me that economically/demographically, we're headed towards a feudal society. The only significant difference from the middle ages being the entitlements that came with birthright and pedigree, have been replaced by portfolio balance. Gated communities are the new moats. Lawyers the new guard towers. Insanely expensive real estate prices, rent, and healthcare are the new shackles keeping the masses at bay.
Not excusing those choosing a criminal path. They need to be held accountable, or this shit keeps happening and gets worse. Even so, I can understand why some would give up. We have 5 young adult age children between us who are working their asses off just trying to survive. The last one at home is only 19 and she's already in manager training at her job. So apparently, we successfully instilled some degree of self-reliance and work ethic. Unfortunately, only one has so far managed to buy his own home and he's 31 with no kids.
I don't what the answer is, or back a particular political sports team. But I think it's safe to say the polarization that's ripping the country apart is NOT the answer. Fixing the rift is step #1, but that would require painful introspection, and compromise (gasp) on both sides. Not likely to happen when hubris, greed and pride have become the de-facto religions being worshipped.
One thing that comes to mind though, is remembering my Dad hating the game Monopoly because it was "too much like real life". Feels like were in the end game now. 200 bucks from passing GO, doesn't get you another lap when hotels are loaded from Pacific Avenue to Boardwalk.
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Your mother sounds like an exceptional person. If everyone was like her, there wouldn't be any problems. That leaves you with two options; accept the problems and live with the consequences or pay to solve them and enjoy a better living environment. I'm yet to hear of any solutions that don't require money. Even the mission of instilling stronger values in children requires money; how do you reach kids growing up in ghettos? The money has to come from somewhere and it won't come from the poor.
I don't want to trivialize your mothers achievements, because it sounds like you could probably write a book about her. However, it's also important to recognize that she probably benefited from the strongest middle class that America has ever had.
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charles sullivan
Life of the Party
I don't think that the idea of individual accountability and changing wealth inequality are in any way mutually exclusive.
Did you miss my first paragraph?
As to money, even during times of middle class abundance, proper care and treatment mental illness (and addiction) has received the short shrift of the billions received by the medical community.
Flymph
Life of the Party
Theft rate by country, around the world | TheGlobalEconomy.com
The average for 2016 based on 74 countries was 783 thefts per 100,000 people. The highest value was in Denmark: 3949 thefts per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Senegal: 1 thefts per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2003 to 2016. Below is a chart for all countries...
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No doubt Seattle has done a poor job dealing with homelessness, but I think that is true for most cities, big and small.
Continuing to throw money at it isn’t improving things. In fact, I personally think is making things worse.
As far as wealth goes, there is certainly a gap but being poor or less well off doesn’t mean you need to be a thief. That comes from someone who’s father lived in a tent for portions of his younger life.
SF
Continuing to throw money at it isn’t improving things. In fact, I personally think is making things worse.
As far as wealth goes, there is certainly a gap but being poor or less well off doesn’t mean you need to be a thief. That comes from someone who’s father lived in a tent for portions of his younger life.
SF
I didn't miss it. I'm guessing one of us interpreted the other, differently from how was intended. It's not clear to me which one though.
I agree fully, in regards to mental health services.
Just to be clear, if this was in reference to my posts, individual accountability is supposed to be a given. Being poor doesn't obviate the law. My point is more that holding a position based entirely upon personal accountability is to deny reality.
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JayB
Steelhead
Interesting discussion. I suppose it's telling that my first response to the OP's video was "WHAT! A police department that has the funding, staffing, determination, and leadership necessary to respond pro-actively to property crimes that erode quality of life and erode social trust?????!!!!! What the hell! Did somebody invent a time machine that magically took Coal Creek Park back to 1997!?"
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Flymph
Life of the Party
Theft? You mean like taking away my clean water, unpolluted air, ozone layer of protection, ability to see as many starts at night, wet lands, glaciers, salmon, steelhead, untimely extinctions, free flowing streams, old growth Forrests, and many species of wild life that once flourished? This is going to take a lot of backhoes!
dflett68
Steelhead
ah you're wrong there - that's a much much smaller demographic to deal with...
FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
When the chip is mandatorily implanted, a carbon tax is sure to follow, for every breath ya take.
Dr. Magill
Life of the Party
You’ll be okay
I read all of your stuff and I’m fine
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