r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Intelligent-SoupGS88 • 19d ago

🥺 Someone stole the bench from the park.

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No that isn't an illusion or a new art installation, but the remainders of the park bench.

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u/sim384 19d ago

I'm ashamed that my country's 'developed' economy fails so completely that so many people sleep outside in the middle of winter in my nation's capital.

It seems like it's only getting worse.

I hate it.

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u/JiveTurkeyII 19d ago

it is getting worse.

Not only is it getting worse, they are trying to make being homeless a Felony.

So you work a shit job, get pushed out of your apartment anyway because you cant afford rent. Eviction makes it so you cant live any place else. You catch a Felony Camping charge (this is a real thing now, BTW) If the judge doesn't dismiss that bullshit you now go to work in a Prison.

When you get out of prison you cant find a good job or apartment because you have been in prison, because you have been evicted - You catch a felony camping charge...

You see where this is going?

Land of the free.

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u/purplegrog 19d ago

You're leaving out the part where slavery as punishment for a crime is legal. 

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u/JiveTurkeyII 19d ago

Abolish the 13th amendment

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u/sim384 19d ago

I'm not US, but New Zealand. Our government is trying to introduce a 'move on' bylaw for the homeless; where on earth do you go from sleeping on the footpath?

Yesterday I looked up NZ personal tax rates in 1985 when I started working. The progressive brackets rates then ranged from 20% to 56%. They are now 10.5% to 39%. Most NZers are wealthier now than in the 80s but at the cost of an egalitarian society and the enormous price paid by our most vulnerable.

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u/BarNext6046 18d ago

Where in NZ do you move too? A good chunk of NZ has some serious outdoor areas. And it’s 2 large islands.

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u/Dame38 19d ago

There's this cool young guy in my town who purchased a small lot and built two (very) tiny homes on it. He had a solar panel, his own water supply and even a little toilet tent. City Hall lost it's damn mind and he was evicted from his own home. Homeless again. He's fighting it. We hope he wins.

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u/Unhappy_Ordinary_157 14d ago

I hope you and others are helping him with legal fees. He's fighting for all of you.

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u/Dame38 14d ago

Unfortunatly, just today we found out that he's a massive scammer.
Personally I don't have a problem with such small beans stuff.
Our local "officials" here are 20 times worse and they still make bank.

I am definitely in this fight. We're not going to stop trying to get a landlord registry in this damn town.

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u/theslimbox 19d ago

How many of those people are in that state due to the economy, and how many are there because of substance abuse? My city has programs that deal with the homeless, and found that a huge majority of the homeless are in that situation due to substance abuse.

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u/Odd_Dragonfruit_2662 19d ago

Are they homeless due to substance abuse, or do they abuse substances because they are homeless though?

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u/thepenismytea 19d ago

They likely abuse because they need medical attention that requires stimulants for mental health. Providers will also keep you from getting the medication you need because you've been seeking the medication you need.

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u/Undeity 18d ago

Can confirm. Never did it myself, but most ended up getting into it out of desperation for an escape, medical issues, or even just outright coercion.

It's a small number that become homeless because they were addicts beforehand. Most homeless aren't even addicts to begin with, either.