161–170 of 206 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Median vs. mean likely makes a very large difference here.
I don't disagree, but my response was directed to someone who was commenting on the average American. Didn't seem reasonable to interpret them differently just to build a more convincing answer.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which fraction of people did it get past temporary hurdles? Which fraction of people did it give time to work on their problems? Which fraction of people did it help find stability? Which fraction of people did it help on mental illness / outlook / comfort / whatever? Which fraction of people did it move within recommended nutrition baseline? How difficult is it to come up with more interesting measures than "improve…
"Those who got the stipend were less likely to be unsheltered after six months and able to meet more of their basic needs than a control group that got no money, and half as likely as the control group to have an episode of being unsheltered."
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Weird, I do. I live within a minute's walk of three separate encampments of homeless people, most of whom seem reasonably sane when I talk to them, and if they have drug problems they certainly aren't more apparent than those of my coworkers on average
Is there a feature that lets you disable replies to your comment? I find it hilarious that the person arguing that their egregiously dehumanizing stereotypes of the homeless are simply objective reality rather than biased and that I must be lying has done so if so
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a hilariously naive and silly take because SF did exactly this and continues to do so. Spoiler alert, they have massively exacerbated their homeless problems and very few are being reintegrated back into society.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. SF absolutely does already give out monthly grants. It hasn’t seemed to move the needle in reducing homelessness, but maybe it make things less dire for those who get it? I guess the question is what’s the goal of the money…
Likely due to the description of the parent comment as "hilariously naive" and "silly". The tone violates HN guidelines.
It's also a more nuanced and complicated issue worth diving into:
https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/11/ask-the-standard-does-san-...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you state the location of one of these encampments? If it is within a short distance of San Francisco, I will have someone visit it in the new year and provide someone there with $500 (picked randomly as the kth person met, k generated by random.org) if they meet this criterion of being reasonably sane. I'm waiting for a direct action org organized by a friend to receive 501c3 status, so it'll have to be after th…
Just to be clear: You would like me to give you relatively precise geographic information about where I live in a thread full of people who are spouting angry dehumanizing language for the vague promise of giving a random person money based on an ill-conceived lottery system that also permits a single subjective judgment by you to disqualify them from receiving it?
My solution is to pay them to pick up trash. Those that do are housed for free.
That'd work great until someone realizes there's all these bins of precollected trash all over the place. Perverse incentives.
As someone who is nearing 2,000 days of two stints of homelessness since 2017, I can offer feedback that such an amount would help to alleviate basic survival pressures. But, money will not solve any root cause issues. I've been unhoused and out of work for so long that any recovery back to a normal life has become exceedingly unlikely. I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke, nor do I do illicit drugs nor prescriptions…
What factors led to you specifically being homeless?
Just guessing but probably there is a reason why he mentioned that.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
When Nayib Bukele ignored the "experts" and locked up nearly 2% of El Salvador's population, not only did the homicide rate fall off a cliff—economic growth also increased. (Bukele also worked hard to woo foreign investors, without which this would not have been possible; but those investors only felt confident in investing due to the decrease in crime.)
> In effectively all societies, the vast majority of serious crimes are committed by a tiny sliver of the population who offend again and again. I agree hence removing that 2% of murderers caused the homicide rate to drop dramatically and not just by 2%. The fact that we are even talking about homicide though is a complete detraction from the original post that is showing how giving people money helps them improve th…
To be clear, I'm not arguing against this claim.
> Are you not understanding that the majority of crime that exists in a society is petty crime that doesn’t cause any serious physical harm to others or society at large?
What do you mean by "petty crime?" If it's something like driving 75mph on a 65mph highway, then yes that shouldn't generally merit a harsh legal response. But petty theft, shoplifting, minor vandalism, small-scale drug dealing, school bullying etc make life miserable for people who can't afford to live far away from it. The first-order effects are bad enough, but the countless second-order effects (reduced economic investment, lower consumer spending, having to live in fear every day, can't take the bus to work, etc) are absolutely devastating. And yes, even in the poorest communities, where people are the most desperate, the vast majority still follow the law and don't resort to victimizing others.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there a feature that lets you disable replies to your comment? I find it hilarious that the person arguing that their egregiously dehumanizing stereotypes of the homeless are simply objective reality rather than biased and that I must be lying has done so if so
It would be really, really harmful to allow people to make posts and disable replies. Insulation from disagreement is a mindkiller and will destroy the health of a community.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't disagree, but my response was directed to someone who was commenting on the average American. Didn't seem reasonable to interpret them differently just to build a more convincing answer.
"The average American" could easily be interpreted as the median.