Lonsdale denounces “the Marxist idea that American capitalism causes homelessness, and that only far-left activism can fix it.”
But… American-style capitalism DOES contribute to homelessness. It’s not the only contributor, but it definitely is a component.
And I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone but the far right claim that anyone thinks far-left activism can fix homelessness.
What fixes homelessness is providing homes to everyone who needs one, along with a support network that allows people to actually live in their home with the freedoms afforded to advantaged people. How that’s accomplished is up to the community.
Homelessness is evidence of a failure or lack in our social safety net. Providing housing is a necessary part of rehabilitation, but we also need to work on fixing what got them homeless in the first place.
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Money… also known as… capital?
You’re saying that it’s not capitalism at fault, it’s people who are bad at capitalism who are at fault.
If you house those people, they’re no longer homeless. Problem solved. Other problems (like lack of consequences for bad life decisions) will still exist, but not homelessness.
In my experience, drug and alcohol abuse is compounded by capitalism and by homelessness. The biggest contributor to homelessness though is neural atypicalness - people who don’t think in ways that directly benefit the society they live in. Often this expresses itself through coping systems that lead to addiction.
The other thing of course is that if society doesn’t like someone, they’ll likely end up unhoused in that society.
But then you’re saying people don’t have any personal responsibility for their actions.
No, they’re saying that we should, as the wealthiest society in history, look out for desperate people.
Does WIC mean people don’t have personal responsibility? Does Medicaid? Does any other social program we’ve implemented?
Raising the floor means the society is healthier for everyone.
I’m not talking about people who need a temporary leg up. I’m talking about able bodied people who just don’t feel like contributing to society. Everyone should just give them free money so they can sit home and play video games all day? (For example)
Who said anything about giving people free money so that they can sit home and play video games all day?
Why are you acting like that’s in any way comparable to sheltering unhoused people?
Let’s focus on one thing at a time; I’m not going to chase down every irrelevant diversion you throw out.
Because more and more, people (at least in America) are feeling entitled to get free stuff without contributing to society.
It’s been such a turnaround in attitude. Back in the WWII era, people went all out to support their community and the country. People would help their neighbors when needed. People wouldn’t want to go on welfare unless they had to. Then they worked hard to get off it.
Nowadays it seems that people encourage each other to get government money and don’t want to do anything for themselves. They’ll have children they don’t care about just to get more money from the government. It’s ridiculous.
If I had shitheads like you telling me why I was homeless, I would also be a heroin addict since it’s not like I had anything else to do anyway.
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Can you name a county where the federal minimum wage can pay for a 1 bedroom apartment?
How about state minimum wage?
Did you know that in some cases it is literally cheaper to just give homeless people houses?
Why do Americans consider houses to be their primary asset which must appreciate in value?
What do these questions have in common? Capitalism (particularly of the American variety)
Some light reading for the curious: USA overview
Helsinki Homelessness Solution (the Guardian)
$7.25 x 2080 (number of working hours in a year) / 12 = $1,256 A 1 bedroom can be rented for as little as $500-$600 in my city, even less if you have roommates. (Example: $800 for a 2 bedroom means it’s only $400/person and each person gets their own bedroom) Maybe the minimum wage should be increased since it hasn’t since 2009? You keep talking about just giving people a house. Have you given your house to a homeless person? Let them have it for free? Then you could walk away and buy another house to give away to another homeless person.
Lol
