I’ve talked with quite a few homeless people and a lot of them came from out of state. They came to Oregon because of all the benefits they get there. Different drugs legalized and making a small living doing nothing. Sad, but true.
There is a major distinction between poor choices vs a psychiatric diagnosis. If someone has a psychiatric condition, when it flares/gets worse/don't take their meds, they lack the insight to understand the implications of their decision, and the spiral begins until they get treatment. Psychiatric disease is NOT a "mind over matter" type of deal.The age old question.. Do people do drugs and become crazy or are they crazy and do drugs as a means to self medicate?
I've known plenty of people in my 53 years on this planet to come to a conclusion that people have mental issues and chose alcohol or drugs as a means to cope with their issues more so than a perfectly happy and functional human being just decides to go off the rails in to deep alcoholism or drug dependancy for the sake of it.
Is it really about legalized drugs or is it about the “non profits” that are taxpayer funded but privately run to “help” the homeless and drug addicted?It's all about legalized drugs. Every druggy in the nation can live here for free. Gangs own the street. You have a da that won't prosecut. A liberal mayor it's a frigging mess. We always had some homeless but now with the drugs it's out of hand.
Sorry, but the job market is NOT a factor in the destruction of Portland. I work in staffing here and have a very strong read on our job market. There has always been a healthy amount of blue-collar jobs available (construction labor, service industry, manufacturing labor, etc...). We actually do have a strong manufacturing presence in Portland, both large and small company. Heck you probably buy Portland products more than you think (Benchmade, Kershaw knives, Leatherman, Warne Scope Mounts, CRKT just to name a couple).This is a really complicated situation we've arrived at.
tl;dr: there's not enough trades people, not enough fathers, and too much support for doing nothing. But that's what gets the votes.
I think we are seeing the effects of outsourced manufacturing and a couple generations of entitlement colliding with the opiate/drug/mental health epidemic. There's nothing more destructive than young men with nothing to do, so they either turn to unchanneled violence, drugs, or both in some form. I've been in the shoes of someone with no trade and no job. It's a desolate feeling without a support structure, and many lack that; just look at fatherless household numbers. Many have no role model, nobody that they saw as a provider other than the state.
So I'll jump on my well-worn soapbox.
Bring back domestic manufacturing. Break the college pipeline and reserve it for people who want to go for a reason. Send kids to work a year before they sign up to invest in a degree with less return than a 10-year car loan. Many degrees exist only to perpetuate the university system as a business model. Conversely, in ten years there will not be enough electricians, just to name an example. Growing up, trade school was for dummies, college for smart kids. Wrong. I work with industrial electricians and process control guys who know power structure, instrumentation, and PLCs as well as any electrical engineer. The difference is, they will get their hands dirty (for an electrical [joke]).
Alas, all of the above is sustained because it gets the votes and keeps those in power, in power.
I have to visit Portland for the first time for work in a week or two. I am scared to stay in a hotel (well not physically scared as I'm always armed but just hate seeing sh*t hole cities overrun by bums).
Any recommendations on which part of town to stay in? Have some customers I am taking to dinner.
Grew up and lived between OC and Sherwood for the first 32 years of my life before giving up and getting out 2 years ago. It really is sad what's been allowed to happen to what used to be a very enjoyable and beautiful place to live.I've rewritten this post about 4 times now. Guess I'll keep it short.
Lived here in the Portland area (Tigard) since 2005. Watched the city go to hell and it's very sad knowing what it used to be like and what it is now. It 100% boils down to the liberal leadership of the city, county, and state.
Thank you Mayor Wheeler and Governor Brown!! You have destroyed a wonderful city. It's criminal what they've done with their policies/agenda and should be held accountable.