[bradleyjg]

We spend an enormous amount of money. Unfortunately most of it goes to well meaning, but ineffectual do-gooders rather than actually solving any problems.

Voters very much want a compassionate and effective solution. They just aren’t being offered one.

[mmooss]

Is there a location you are talking about?

> Unfortunately most of it goes to well meaning, but ineffectual do-gooders rather than actually solving any problems.

It sounds like the generic arguments of certain political parties, using terms like 'do-gooders' and calling them 'ineffectual', etc. Is there evidence behind it, in your locale?

The main issue I've seen is that public services are underfunded.

[rndmize]

https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/07/something-clearly-...

This says CA averages spending 42k per year per homeless person, going off the 2022-2021 state budget.

https://abc7news.com/sf-homeless-plan-housing-all-san-franci...

This says SF is looking to spend 70k per homeless person per year in the next few years (in addition to state spending?). I've seen other pieces that mention SF spending anywhere from 250 mil to over a billion per year on homelessness. I have multiple friends that make less than 70k per year, in CA, and somehow make do. Lack of money doesn't seem to be the issue here.

[bradleyjg]

The main issue I've seen is that public services are underfunded.

How do you explain Vancouver or Stockholm’s homeless populations? Those famously underfunded Swedish and Canadian welfare states?

Some people just can’t wait to spend other people’s money and aren’t too picky about whether or not it’ll accomplish anything.

[piva00]

To be honest, homelessness in Stockholm is really, really low. The very few homeless I see here are in a couple of spots in the city (mainly by Östermalmstorgs t-bana) are there by choice and go into shelters most nights.

I don't ever see homeless people in tents or anything similar.

[bradleyjg]

I was there a little under a decade and saw plenty of vagrants. Not comparable to sf or anything but they were there.

If you’ve cleared it all up since then, kudos. But I don’t think it’s because public services were underfunded back then.

[piva00]

What kind of vagrants? There used to be tons of roma people panhandling but they aren't homeless, and since the pandemic they're much less numerous (I'd guess I see less than a 1/5 of what I used to).

I really don't think you saw "plenty" of homeless on the streets here, not now and not a decade ago. Panhandlers, beggars, etc. do exist but they aren't homeless.

I do not trust your anecdotal experience, not saying the issue doesn't exist but it's not even close to a problem and orders of magnitude less than anything I've experienced traveling in the USA, around the Bay Area, Texas (Austin/Dallas), New York, Portland, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, and a few other places had a very acute and visible issue with homelessness that's incomparable with Stockholm.

So yes, public services being properly funded help a lot.

[mmooss]

Your evidence is some anecodtal experience from a decade ago? How do you know the causes of what you remember seeing?

[mmooss]

> Some people just can’t wait to spend other people’s money and aren’t too picky about whether or not it’ll accomplish anything

What value does that have? You must have something valuable to contribute.

[bradleyjg]

I suggest you peruse Matthew 7:5. I have nothing further to say to you.

[xcrunner529]

Are you literally citing a religious text for policy in a free country? Lmao.