Re: Trump's latest lunacy

On 3/24/2025 5:46 PM, Klaus Kragelund wrote:

Most of the peope I saw that was sleeping on the street was black people, many with obvious mental problems

To be fair, in Georgia, you will likely find more blacks than, for example,
mexicans.  Both tend to occupy the lower socioeconomic rungs so are
more likely to be "homeless".
There is no real solution to this, other than incarceration (which is a
REALLY expensive way to "house" people).
What typically happens is "enforcement" will move "squatters" (for want
of a better term) from one area... which just means they will have to
move to ANOTHER area.
Until "enforcement" moves them from THAT area.
Each "enforcement action" invariably discovers some number who are in
violation of OTHER laws (most often possessing drug paraphenalia) so
those folks are temporarily removed from this situation -- at an even HIGHER
cost than simply incarcerating them (as they now must be tried, etc.)
There is a homeless population that "migrates" from southern arizona
to northern arizona with the changing of the seasons; it is brutal to
be unhoused in southern arizona in the summer months -- but much more
tolerable at the higher elevations to the north.  Similarly, too
cold to remain in those elevations as winter comes so the shift back to
the southern part of the state.
If you don't have "ties" to a neighborhood, the day or two it may take
to hitch-hike the ~100 mile trip (perhaps a week on foot?) is a small
coast to pay for a season.

One family a collegaue of mine talked to, the husband had a tripple bypass.They had to sell everything they had to pay hospital bills. They were staying at a hotel, with no plan for what to do when the money runs out.

Health care in the US is horribly inconsistent.
The first rule is: if you have no insurance, you will be charged
"uninsured" rates -- which are often *multiples* higher than the
insured rates!
Getting insurance means setting aside a significant portion of your
wages to pay for it -- even if your employer subsidizes your
coverage (which leaves you with the choice(s) THEY made).
And, if you are unhealthy/high risk, your premiums will reflect that
(gee, isn't that "fair"?).
[A colleague was paying $25K/year for his family back in 1990.  He
considered that outrageous.  OTOH, he knew he would need his heart
valves replaced, again, in another few years.  And, never hesitated
to ask for the BEST care for his family (e.g., plastic surgeon to
treat a cut on kid's face "so they won't have a visible scar")]
Many try to save money by opting for HMO's -- where the provider
controls your access to care bureaucratically instead of based on
the recommendations of YOUR doctor.  This often results in delayed
care, extra conflict and an overall dissatisfaction with the whole
system.  "Surprise!  Your doctor is no longer contracted with OUR
system... find a new one!"
Of course, as most folks are passive participants when it comes to
their health care (i.e., ignoring the obvious practices that they
could take on to improve their own health), and, as the field is
full of jargon that leaves folks in the dark (unless you are very
proactive seeking explanations AND have providers who are patient
and not intimidated by your assertiveness).
None of this is consolation to folks who are just stuck with
"bad genes", etc.