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San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

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Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#31
post #3

It's way past time that we start dealing with homelessness as the national problem it is rather than leaving it to cities who are ill-equipped to deal with it. Cities like San Diego only have homelessness problems because they have weather that's amenable to living outdoors. The vast majority of their homeless population was born elsewhere. It's unconscionable that we leave the job of providing services for these peo…

The same is said of San Francisco, but it's just not accurate: "The majority - 71 percent in the last count - became homeless while living in San Francisco." http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Questions-about-San-Franc... Despite being one of the richest places in the world, California does a terrible job at providing affordable housing and accessible mental health care for its residents. This lack of provision is a…

That question doesn't capture the full picture. A high school dropout who arrived in SF w/$250 dollars and lived in a SRO for a year could qualify as becoming homeless while living in SF. I'm looking for more recent numbers, but in the past the number of homeless in SF that had been there more than 5 years was ~33%. For a variety of reasons, SF attracts people living on the margin, and prone to fall into homelessness.

A couple numbers for context - only 65% of San Franciscans were even born in the US, and only 37% were born in California, so there is a huge flow of people into the city.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_San_Francisco

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#32
post #27
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true at all. These things are all provided. Welfare, public housing, food stamps, public education, Medicaid. That we still have a homeless problem indicates that the reason for long-term homelessness is something else.

>That we still have a homeless problem indicates that the reason for long-term homelessness is something else. I presumed it was common knowledge that the vast majority of homeless people have mental health issues. America seems to lack any public mental health services. I was disgusted by the number of disturbed homeless people roaming the streets of California when I visited in ways you never see in most of europe.…

The following is an excerpt from [0].

Around the same time, the Court ruled, in O’Connor v. Donaldson, that a Florida man named Kenneth Donaldson had been kept against his will in a state psychiatric hospital for nearly fifteen years. The ruling added momentum to a nationwide campaign to “deinstitutionalize” the mentally ill. Activists decried the existence of mental hospitals that were filled, as one account put it, with “naked humans herded like cattle.” During the next two decades, states across the country shut down such facilities, both to save money and to appease advocates pushing for reform. But instead of funding more humane modes of treatment—such as community mental-health centers that could help patients live independently—many states left the mentally ill to their own devices. Often, highly unstable people ended up on the streets, abusing drugs and committing crimes, which led them into the prison system.

[0] http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/05/02/the-torturing-o...

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#33
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare? Seems like we need to address all of these issues. Literally the only institutions that provide all of these things are jails, which many homeless attempt to get into.

"Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare?" I am open minded about UBI, etc. However, it has occurred to me recently that we already have a decent experimental result with regard to: "Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare" Poor white people in the rural United States have all of those things. Even the poorest of them have basic food, housing and e…

I don't think you know what you're talking about.

Most places that offer food or financial assistance do so in a manner that is detrimental to those receiving it, specifically due to sentiments like yours. Those in power with similar political mindsets as you purposely neuter the usefulness of these programs, making them difficult to obtain and then taking them away for arbitrary reasons at the most inconvenient of times, setting back those relying on them, probably while they're trying to become financially stabilized.

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#34

This is why I fought my doctor and my insurance plan for the HepA/HepB vaccines. Doctor did not think it was needed as I was not a medical professional. Insurance company was being cheap. I had to point out that they were both on the CDC recommended vaccination list for all adults. The moment there is a safe enough HepC vaccine out, I will be getting it. I'd rather have AIDS over HC. Nasty disease with nasty drugs.

FYI there is a cure for HepC nowadays that actually works, if it did not cost >10k we could probably get rid of HepC for good.

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#35
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare?" I am open minded about UBI, etc. However, it has occurred to me recently that we already have a decent experimental result with regard to: "Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare" Poor white people in the rural United States have all of those things. Even the poorest of them have basic food, housing and e…

I don't think you know what you're talking about. Most places that offer food or financial assistance do so in a manner that is detrimental to those receiving it, specifically due to sentiments like yours. Those in power with similar political mindsets as you purposely neuter the usefulness of these programs, making them difficult to obtain and then taking them away for arbitrary reasons at the most inconvenient of t…

" ... specifically due to sentiments like yours. Those in power with similar political mindsets as you purposely neuter the usefulness of these programs"

The only sentiment I expressed was that I am open-minded about UBI. You have no idea what my political mindset is nor do you have any idea what my background is.

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#36
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare? Seems like we need to address all of these issues. Literally the only institutions that provide all of these things are jails, which many homeless attempt to get into.

"Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare?" I am open minded about UBI, etc. However, it has occurred to me recently that we already have a decent experimental result with regard to: "Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare" Poor white people in the rural United States have all of those things. Even the poorest of them have basic food, housing and e…

I think you need to provide some sources for the statement that poor people have "basic food, housing, and education." Education, sure, in the form of public k-12 schooling (which is not always great, but certainly qualifies as 'basic'). But, food and housing? Let's forget about "white" for a second: tell me, where does an able-bodied, poor person get basic, safe housing, and food that's at least somewhat healthy to survive on? Are you talking about section 8 and food stamps? Because if that's what you're talking about, that's not really what I would consider fulfilling the role of "basic housing and food."

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#37
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that good or bad? Listen, I support single payer systems, but how do they figure out how much to pay in each region? Same question for UBI. I have come to believe that UBI and all other safety nets have to come with immigration requirements. Not just everyone is going to be accepted to live among rich billionaires without concern for running out of money. And so on in every neighborhood. Thus, UBI needs for each a…

I have enough faith in the American people that we would never permit the end of freedom of movement. For one thing, it would take a Constitutional amendment to legalize internal border controls. For another, geographical mobility has been core to American identity since the earliest days of the country. You're talking about locking the Okies in the Dust Bowl. Locking the autoworkers in Detroit even after the auto in…

Whoa whoa, who's talking about ending freedom of movement? To be clear we are talking about being eligible to receive free money from whichever local area agrees to issue it to you.

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#38
There's a Hepatitis A vaccine and it's readily available, yet trying to get a doctor to give you one requires a lot of conning and manipulation. Why is this? They say this is a disease only found in other countries, so if you tell your doctor you travel a lot, they'll finally give in and give it to you. How about giving the vaccine as a default? Clearly, San Diego is not in another country. This should be a standard vaccine encouraged and administered to anyone and everyone who wants it. This is certainly not a healthcare system that works well or at all.

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#39
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basic income, basic housing, basic food, basic education, basic healthcare? Seems like we need to address all of these issues. Literally the only institutions that provide all of these things are jails, which many homeless attempt to get into.

Not true at all. These things are all provided. Welfare, public housing, food stamps, public education, Medicaid. That we still have a homeless problem indicates that the reason for long-term homelessness is something else.

That's ... a fantasy. Do you understand the limits of welfare? Do you know the waiting lists on typical public housing? Have you seen how much the SNAP program has been cut? Have you seen the limits of medicaid? Are you aware of how underfunded our school systems are in general and how poorly educated students can be even if they've been given a diploma?

Every single program you've listed has a coverage that is only a fraction of what it needs to be to actually keep people housed, fed, educated, and alive.

Edit: Here are some interviews that explain what poverty is really like in the US today: http://www.wnyc.org/series/busted-americas-poverty-myths

Re: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak

#40
post #3

It's way past time that we start dealing with homelessness as the national problem it is rather than leaving it to cities who are ill-equipped to deal with it. Cities like San Diego only have homelessness problems because they have weather that's amenable to living outdoors. The vast majority of their homeless population was born elsewhere. It's unconscionable that we leave the job of providing services for these peo…

Taboo question: What is an acceptable homeless population? What is your reference point? Obviously, poverty will always exist in some form, but how much can we realistically improve it?
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