Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless • Hacker News Board

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#231

Post by fosk » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:36 PM UTC

ageitgey wrote: post #222

dmode wrote: post #101

Finally someone realizes that there is a problem. There is no justification in the biggest economy of the world to have this much poverty and homelessness. I am amazed every time I travel to Europe, how few homeless people there are, despite their economic growth lagging the US. And it is inherently a solvable problem with adequate resources. We have $1 trillion for the military. Surely, we can spare a few billions a…

Agreed 100%. I live in California which has the same massive homelessness issues as Seattle. I also travel to Europe frequently and have noticed the same stark contrast where they seem to do much better at this. To try to understand why homelessness feels so much worse an California than in Europe, I did some very basic research (which I also posted on a similar thread once before). The numbers are shocking: San Fran…

There is no political will to fix homelessness in San Francisco and it’s actually a big business and money maker for certain people. It’s just a way to funnel tax payers money to those groups. As usual, follow the money.

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#232

Post by fixermark » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:36 PM UTC

asdkhadsj wrote: post #179

capdeck wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looks like this was cheaper than upping the salaries of warehouse workers to get them off food stamps and provide healthcare. For Bezos this is just another calculation, nothing more.

It is really frustrating when a man makes that much and does so little. Like, I don't think/know if it should be law. I'm not talking about being Robinhood with our taxes or whatever. I don't know any of that. All I know is it's frustrating . Look at all the good Gates is working towards. There's just so much room for people with that much wealth to strive for. Honestly.. I think what's most frustrating is I can't ev…

FWIW, it used to be law.

Tax rate on the top-1% of earners in the US was much, much, MUCH higher until the recent four or so decades.

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#233

Post by marricks » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:37 PM UTC

It’s pretty telling that his company went all out against increased taxes in Seattle to help the homeless only to then start this initiative once being attacked by Bernie.

This shouldn’t be praised as companies doing good, it’s them shirking their taxes and having enough money to start a 2 billion dollar PR campaign.

Same shit with Amazon helping start a new Insurance plan, they want to demonstrate they have an alternative solution to Medicare for all.

Heck, look at the fall out from the Facebook / Cambridge Anlytica scandal, no new regulation, just a brief verbal flogging and FB assuring they will change.

This is all a sign of the times, corporations can’t be regulated and only when threatened, or in a deep scandal, will they briefly self regulate to show how they don’t need it.

Conservatives already hate the government and liberals buy up this PR, we seem pretty screwed. Goodbye democracy hello corporatocracy.

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#234

Post by zapita » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:37 PM UTC

ithilglin909 wrote: post #225

CydeWeys wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not seeing all the other homeless people though who were displaced by high housing prices and who aren't spending all their time drugged out in highly visible urban areas. There are many homeless people living out of cars or shelters, or in tents. Many of them even still have jobs, they just can't afford housing. See: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ucla-anderson-forecast...

I'm not against programs to help people who can't afford normal housing. However, that's not the specific, hugely obvious problem in Seattle.

Maybe there’s more than one problem worth addressing in Seattle?

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#235

Post by throwawaymanbot » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:37 PM UTC

Why not pay the employees?

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#236

Post by fixermark » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:37 PM UTC

slantedview wrote: post #230

Is he going to start by paying his warehouse workers a living wage?

Does he have authority to? Immediately yes, but he only owns 17% or so of the company. If he doubles / triples the wage in absence of market pressure to do so to keep competent staff in the warehouses, how long does he get to do it before the stockholders gang up and replace him?

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#237

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:37 PM UTC

ithilglin909 wrote: post #166

ithilglin909 wrote: post #158

This isn’t popular, but I’d challenge anyone who thinks homelessness in Seattle isn’t primarily an addiction and mental illness problem to go spend a few afternoons in areas with significant homeless populations (3rd Ave in Pioneer Square is a great place, if you need a suggestion). It’s not that affordable housing isn’t a problem in Seattle. I know people who couldn’t live on their own in Seattle anymore due to rent…

Before you downvote me, please, go hang out in Pioneer Square in the middle of the day.

[deleted]

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#238

Post by ecnahc515 » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:38 PM UTC

fjsolwmv wrote: post #209

softawre wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. See also, on reddit: /r/almosthomeless /r/homeless even subs like /r/povertyfinance contain some people that live in their car at times.

Living in a car is homeless.

I don't think they disagree. I think the person your replying to is writing it that way because the parent commenter are using that as anecdotal evidence for saying all the homeless they see have mental issues, without necessarily understanding a lot of homeless aren't necessarily people with mental issues living on street corners with the rest, as they imply.

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#239

Post by Obi_Juan_Kenobi » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:38 PM UTC

ithilglin909 wrote: post #158

This isn’t popular, but I’d challenge anyone who thinks homelessness in Seattle isn’t primarily an addiction and mental illness problem to go spend a few afternoons in areas with significant homeless populations (3rd Ave in Pioneer Square is a great place, if you need a suggestion). It’s not that affordable housing isn’t a problem in Seattle. I know people who couldn’t live on their own in Seattle anymore due to rent…

Watch your causality.

You know what helps mental illness and addiction? Stability.

The kind of stability you get from knowing where you'll sleep each night, knowing that you'll be safe, not simply trying to survive each day.

It is a complicated problem. There are no magic bullets, no panaceas, but it's ludicrous to think that housing per se isn't a major aspect of this issue. The threat of homelessness introduces anxiety that exacerbates mental problems and leads toward drug abuse. The reality of it is no better. Don't confuse causes and symptoms; the many aspects of homelessness are tightly linked and teasing out causality is no easy task.

We can't expect everyone to have the presence of mind, at a dark and low point in their lives, to uproot their entire lives and find new housing and a new job in a completely new area. Many don't have any kind of support network to make that work, or know of the services or resources that could make that happen, if they even exist.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Re: Amazon's Bezos Launches $2B Fund to Help the Homeless

#240

Post by zouhair » Thu, Sep 13, 2018, 5:38 PM UTC

GW150914 wrote: post #215

zouhair wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the charity of Kings. The French king gave a lot to charity with one hand and created a lot more misery with the other. This is just the return of the times of charity.

That's the charity of Kings. The French king gave a lot to charity with one hand and created a lot more misery with the other. This is just the return of the times of charity. You’d think people would remember how that worked out for the French royalty, but I guess it’s always “going to be different this time.”

It's a matter of perspective. You can see a thing from afar and know what it is, but when you are in it, it is extremely hard to give it a name.