Buenos Aires seems safer and nicer than Los Angeles, what happened to the United States?

[QuilmesSlo]

Without wading into the causes of the current situation in LA on account of the above partisan commentary, I think it's going to be exceedingly difficult to fix. I don't think Los Angelenos, on balance, have the stomach for what will be required to re-establish order.

 

[Ries]

Its not partisan, its fact, that the Democrats run California much better, financially.
But the problem with homelessness is directly traceable to several things-
1- low wages versus cost of living
2- extremely high real estate prices, not just in California, but nationally.
3- extremely high health care prices
4- the 40 year campaign to eliminate defined benefit retirement plans, and post retirement health insurance by employers.

All of those mean that, 50 years ago, a typical blue collar worker who was, say, a machinist or a school janitor or a nurse, would have lived in a $30,000 home and had both social security and company pension, and company paid health care.

Current estimates are that you need to earn $135k a year, per person, if you rent, and over $150k a year, if you own a home, to live as what people consider a typical lower middle class american.

Today, a typical blue collar worker cannot afford a million dollar home (thats the AVERAGE price of a home in Los Angeles today) or the current rents, even working two jobs. Without Obamacare subsidies, health insurance for a 50 year old waiter or housecleaner in California are in the $1500 a month range.
Fifteen dollars an hour, in LA, allows you to share a 1 bedroom apartment with three other people, and take a bus two hours each way to work.

While a big percentage of the 75,000 plus people homeless in LA are indeed suffering from various mental health and substance abuse problems, an amazing 30% of the homeless there HAVE JOBS. But still can only afford to live in their cars, or a tent. Many have disabilities, or get social security. But you cant come close to living in an apartment in LA on SS.

there needs to be a huge program to build subsidized housing, to extend mental health, veterans, and substance abuse help to the homeless, and to pay the ones who are employed enough to live.
But the voters of LA, especially the ones whose once $30,000 homes are now worth $1.4 million, actually believe that THEY earned what they have, and the homeless are criminals and cheaters.

 

[QuilmesSlo]

Its not partisan, its fact, that the Democrats run California much better, financially.
But the problem with homelessness is directly traceable to several things-
1- low wages versus cost of living
2- extremely high real estate prices, not just in California, but nationally.
3- extremely high health care prices
4- the 40 year campaign to eliminate defined benefit retirement plans, and post retirement health insurance by employers.

All of those mean that, 50 years ago, a typical blue collar worker who was, say, a machinist or a school janitor or a nurse, would have lived in a $30,000 home and had both social security and company pension, and company paid health care.

Current estimates are that you need to earn $135k a year, per person, if you rent, and over $150k a year, if you own a home, to live as what people consider a typical lower middle class american.

Today, a typical blue collar worker cannot afford a million dollar home (thats the AVERAGE price of a home in Los Angeles today) or the current rents, even working two jobs. Without Obamacare subsidies, health insurance for a 50 year old waiter or housecleaner in California are in the $1500 a month range.
Fifteen dollars an hour, in LA, allows you to share a 1 bedroom apartment with three other people, and take a bus two hours each way to work.

While a big percentage of the 75,000 plus people homeless in LA are indeed suffering from various mental health and substance abuse problems, an amazing 30% of the homeless there HAVE JOBS. But still can only afford to live in their cars, or a tent. Many have disabilities, or get social security. But you cant come close to living in an apartment in LA on SS.

there needs to be a huge program to build subsidized housing, to extend mental health, veterans, and substance abuse help to the homeless, and to pay the ones who are employed enough to live.
But the voters of LA, especially the ones whose once $30,000 homes are now worth $1.4 million, actually believe that THEY earned what they have, and the homeless are criminals and cheaters.

Mmost cities don't have the social services you want and don't have so much homelessness either.

 

[Wade K.]

California is the fifth biggest economy in the world. Democrats there are currently running a 75 billion dollar surplus versus the previous republican deficit. Having lived in LA for ten years of my life, owning property and a business there at one time, I blame entitled boomers of my generation. They enjoyed enormous capital gains, voted in low taxes, and refuse to reform much of anything. My generation’s kids are screwed, the homeless are scewed, and the retirees are the richest of any such cohort anywhere at any time.

A quick Google search shows a projected budget surplus of $31 Billion estimated for 2022. What that tells me is that the state has very high taxes and explains why so many businesses are leaving. It's those businesses that built the 5th largest economy in the world, not the government. And if enough leave you'll see those surpluses dry up. Then you'll have a broke economy but hey, the weather's great!

 

[Alby]

Fiscal has had a massive week. A few days ago he was in Buenos Aires worried about too few Venezuelans in Starbucks. Then he went across to Montevideo with his dog. Now he's in LA wondering about the homeless. What a life.

 

[jeff1234]

So to, recap...the original question was ....."Los Angeles, what happened to the United States?"....."Homeless encampments everywhere, crazy homeless people naked or half-naked hopped up on drugs running around with sticks and poles threatening you, lots of snatch and grab robberies, or home invasions where they follow you home.... Terrible traffic. Trash everywhere".

The cause is either:
Gun toting repukkklicans, The Democrats who are currently running a $31 or $75billion surplus, Ronald Reagan (but not Donald Trump), entitled baby boomers who voted for low taxes (???) in California, and refused to reform anything, retirees, low wages (??) in California, high real estate prices, high heath care, eliminating defined benefits and/or weak stomached Angelenos.

You learn something new everyday. Next time I see a mentally ill person sleeping on the sidewalk with a needle sticking in his arm I'll have a much better understanding.

 

[on the brink]

it all started with Reagan.

Truer words were never spoken.

 

[Greg S]

Truer words were never spoken.

There's no Reagan without Carter at the national level. Or Pat Brown at the state level. Just as there would be little chance of President DeDantis without Biden. The USA, like Argentina, gets the government it deserves.

 

[ventanilla]

Mmost cities don't have the social services you want and don't have so much homelessness either.

Most cities where? Practically every big European city has far more social services than any US city.

 

[cuando_volverá]

Nope, sorry. Gun toting repukkklicans.

In Los Angeles? In San Francisco? In Portland?