These viral photos of boarded-up boutiques in San Francisco's upscale Union Square district this week are a bleak encapsulation of the city's approach to crime.
And yet the 14 people they announced were arrested were all immediately released without bail. Wonder what deterrence affect that will have? None, to answer my own question.
Socialism is a failed ideology. The pushes to deny women access to private spaces and fair playing fields by denying innate and immutable biology are misogynistic. Re-segregating society is tribalistic. Sexualizing young children and encouraging child genital mutilation is evil and destructive. These things are all very harmful and insanely regressive. The biggest issue with the “progressive” movement is they don’t understand the definition of progress. They embrace embarrassingly old, bad, awful policies with predictable bad outcomes. Today’s progressives are just a bunch of whinny, dumb, gullible losers.
The problem with the current state of western capitalism is monopolies. That, and endowments and foundations free of tax burdens allowing outsized wealth accumulation that isn’t available in any other form. Those problems are rather easy to fix through anti-trust laws, corporate board reform, tax unspent endowments, and limit private charitable foundations to some period of time. While I live my libertarian friends, their theory of getting rid of all regulations and law enforcement simply leads to corporate communism via monopoly. Same bad outcome as the far left. As humans we organize ourselves into societies to function, and that means some government, even if that government functions best when limited and power dispersed at various independent levels.
The problems with socialism aren’t so easy to fix as they would require the obliteration of innate human nature. People will put their children, and themselves, first. Often the most successful at that voluntarily help others or create businesses to help others achieve the same goals. Free market capitalism is the most successful economic structure ever known to mankind. Hopefully something better will come along in the future, but we won’t get there by turning back the clock to the most destructive and failed policies from the past as today’s “progressives” seem intent on attempting.
There is no situation so dire people can't live in a bubble about it until the bitter end. Article in the paper this week about a new diamond store in Hayes Valley. Sure why not open up a new diamond store a few steps from the Tenderloin and a short distance from several jewelry store lootings. I'm sure they have no inkling of what's in store.
How many of these quoted "residents" bemoaning the destruction of San Francisco voted for the leftwing, dysfunctional, borderline-crazy Democrats who have brought the city to this state? I'm guessing most of them or all of them. I'm sorry, no sympathy from me for your abject stupidity. Leftwing socialists have been destroying everything they get put in charge of for over a century. If you don't know about it by now, you are willfully ignorant and deserve no sympathy.
"In the midst of our civilization, down in our slums and labor-ghettos, we had bred a race of barbarians, of savages; and now, in the time of our calamity, they turn upon us like the wild beasts they were and destroy us. And they destroy themselves as well." -- The Scarlet Plague by Jack London 1912
I will go and see Union Square for myself and report back. It was pretty packed two weeks ago, it is empty now that's a shame.
Wage theft by employers is just as bad as shoplifting, at least on a dollar basis, according to some estimates. For some reason (I bet you can guess why!) this is almost never reported by the corporate media.
How do rampant smash and grabs reduce “wage theft”? 🙄 Seems like the residents of San Fran prefer both because they keep voting for policies that dramatically increase wealth inequality, cover up wage theft, and promote outright property theft (even violently).
I wonder if they consider maybe all those “backwards” people in “fly over” country with a better quality of life, a sense of purpose in life, affordable housing for all, in tack families, functioning schools, less crime, and far less inequality might be on to something?
By the way, violent crime in San Francisco has been on a 50 year decline and this year is no exception.
It is true that taxpayers all over the country keep voting for policies that exacerbate wealth inequality. Both Democrats and Republicans do this. What do you think all those tax cuts for the rich are. In most wealthy areas, they make it hard to build new housing, which favors incumbents.
I grew up in flyover country and now live in San Francisco. The quality of life here is much much better, at least if you like good food, good weather, a wealth of outdoor activities of varying types (hiking, skiing, fishing, hiking, sailing, golfing, etc though not hunting), high paying jobs with great career opportunities, well educated neighbors, cultural pursuits (theater, live music, fine arts, lectures), great schools, a diverse population and many other things.
Crime is less, people are more homogeneous (if that is your thing), and the cost of housing is much less in most of the country. So are wages.
People who rate these things, which are mostly members of the educated elite, rate San Francisco as a desirable place to live with a high quality of life. But most of my family, who are more working class, have either fled California or moved to less expensive parts of the state, like Riverside, or the High Desert.
Keep telling yourself that. I’m a CPA with a masters married to an FA in the top 10% of FA’s at one of the 3 largest brokerage houses in the world. We are 1% where we live. We’d be top 2% in SF.
Here, we have 2 homes, free time, safety, friends from all walks of life that can afford the same places to eat and the same activities for their kids as ours. Our home is 4,200 square feet on 1/2 acre in an all brick custom neighborhood in the city. Our commute to work 5-8 minutes. It cost 1 x our annual salary and will be paid off before either of us turn 45.
Our children both had stamps in their passport by the age of 1, we see smiling faces not wearing face diapers daily, we can afford private school (and help fund others), country clubs that aren’t out of reach. True community (where homeless people actually get housed and drug addicts treatment). We don’t at once brag about the stuff only the rich can access making it a great place to live then virtue signal we care about “inequality.” We actually care about our neighbors. We like being around friends people regardless of their financial means.
I was a whitewater guide during undergrad and lived in the woods for a total of a year. I’m as comfortable up a holler in WV or under a lean to in the Caribbean as I am Orchestra center at a broadway show. The weather is too dull for me in CA and while there are beautiful places, despite what we make, we couldn’t afford to enjoy them there while we can travel the world (even during super scary covid) because we live here.
We spent 2 months in CA in 2019 (before it went completely to hell). While people in SoCal were nice, we saw lots of addiction, lots of poverty, lots of crime, lots of ego, lots and lots of pollution, and lots of stupidity.
You do you. I’d rather shoot myself than live in San Fran. I can’t imagine watching people 💩 on the street with zero help from anyone and then telling myself how enlightened my community is. You all can’t fix a problem, but you can waste money pretending to 😂🤣😂🤣😂
So you stay there and you vote however you want - you’d get laughed out of town here.
Hey, my husband and our kids have blood relatives still in Cuba. We can easily arrange a trip for you to see first hand what the end game of “progressives” actually looks like.
There's this little thing called supply and demand. When the supply is low and the demand is high, as it is for a place like San Francisco, the price is high.
I am glad you enjoy living where you live. It is great that we don't all want the same thing and that we can find what we like where we live.
I don't think less of anyone who prefers to live somewhere else. As I said, most of my family lives elsewhere. I grew up in a small town and think it was a great place to be a kid. I do know that coastal elites tend to look down on the rest of the country and I personally think that this is reprehensible. People are just as smart and probably even happier in other parts of the country. Happiness counts for a lot. Life isn't all about chasing the brass ring, though my wife doesn't agree.
A new study from human resources consulting firm Mercer has found that out of 230 metro areas studied, San Francisco has the highest quality of life for any American city.
A beautiful region filled with iconic landmarks, independently owned businesses and trendsetting residents, San Francisco has long followed the beat of its own drum. Morphed and molded by its communities, the California metro area has been the heart of the bohemian lifestyle, the epicenter of the LGBT rights movement and the launching point of the technology era. Today, San Francisco is a complete universe in and of itself: Each neighborhood exudes its own personality, from the historic streets of the Mission District to the grassy hills of the Presidio to the bustling piers along the Embarcadero.
The metro area's multifaceted personality draws a variety of people, from innovative entrepreneurs to students to retirees. But a housing crunch has made it difficult for the San Francisco metro area to accommodate its population, driving housing prices and rental rates sky high and significantly increasing the cost of living. Metro area communities like Oakland and Brisbane have absorbed some of the overflow, but the constant influx of new technology workers has kept the pressure on the real estate market.
San Franciscans are bound by a strong sense of pride in their region; despite the sky-high prices, many residents will tell you that they can't imagine living anywhere else.
I grew up in Wyoming and rural California, I am familiar with how people are in the rest of the country. I was also a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne and have lived in North Carolina and had the pleasure of interacting with people from all over the country there. We don't call the 82nd the "All American" division for nothing.
You have a bizarre view of what life in San Francisco is life. For people who actually live here, homelessness or waste of any kind, much less human waste, is unheard of. There are great parks, great views and a very high quality of life. At least in the nicer areas, which is 75% of The City.
I had unparalleled opportunity here. I came to UC Berkeley and now am wealthy. Probably wealthier than you, given what you brag about. I have been an early employee at three companies that have gone public. I can retire now at 56 but chose to continue to work. Heck, I could have retired at 50 if I wanted to, but I wanted to build up my children's inheritance. I bicycle to work (back when I went into the office) and is about 20 minutes a day. There is no way that I would prefer to live in a lily White area, you can have it.
Homelessness is a national problem, caused by a nation inattention to the issues of there not being enough affordable housing and letting all the mentally ill out of their mental institutions. Schizophrenia affects 1% of the population, no matter who they are. Bipolar disorder about 2%. So unless you have mental health facilities for 3% of your population (and I know you don't) you just ship them off to somewhere else. Either by literally buying them a bus ticket, or having the police beat them up, or just making it unaffordable for them. You pat yourself on the back for your "community" but it is at the cost of the most vulnerable members of society.
And when I was poor here, I had a high quality of life too. There is always some free or cheap event, whether it is street fair, free Shakespeare in the Park, live music, a impromptu concert, music venues where the price of admission was a beer or whatever.
You don't actually have to be wealthy to have a high quality of life at all, at least if you are a single person here. If you want to raise a family here you have to be poor enough to get subsidized housing or rich enough to afford a bigger house. Or either be crowded. I grew up with 8 siblings in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house, so I am used to having roommates. But I know most people have problems with it. My daughters sure did complain when they had to share a room!
I live in a small town in America's Heartland. It's delightful here. COVID largely passed us by. There has been no violence. We have people all across the political spectrum yet we respect each other and find a way to listen to each other (for the most part). Coastal elites mock towns like this, but I've lived in their cities and I've lived here and this is so much better. This is a real community compared to the vapid, empty, soulless places they hold out as examples of the future. I won't go back to visit now. Live there? Lol.
And yet the 14 people they announced were arrested were all immediately released without bail. Wonder what deterrence affect that will have? None, to answer my own question.
Socialism is a failed ideology. The pushes to deny women access to private spaces and fair playing fields by denying innate and immutable biology are misogynistic. Re-segregating society is tribalistic. Sexualizing young children and encouraging child genital mutilation is evil and destructive. These things are all very harmful and insanely regressive. The biggest issue with the “progressive” movement is they don’t understand the definition of progress. They embrace embarrassingly old, bad, awful policies with predictable bad outcomes. Today’s progressives are just a bunch of whinny, dumb, gullible losers.
The problem with the current state of western capitalism is monopolies. That, and endowments and foundations free of tax burdens allowing outsized wealth accumulation that isn’t available in any other form. Those problems are rather easy to fix through anti-trust laws, corporate board reform, tax unspent endowments, and limit private charitable foundations to some period of time. While I live my libertarian friends, their theory of getting rid of all regulations and law enforcement simply leads to corporate communism via monopoly. Same bad outcome as the far left. As humans we organize ourselves into societies to function, and that means some government, even if that government functions best when limited and power dispersed at various independent levels.
The problems with socialism aren’t so easy to fix as they would require the obliteration of innate human nature. People will put their children, and themselves, first. Often the most successful at that voluntarily help others or create businesses to help others achieve the same goals. Free market capitalism is the most successful economic structure ever known to mankind. Hopefully something better will come along in the future, but we won’t get there by turning back the clock to the most destructive and failed policies from the past as today’s “progressives” seem intent on attempting.
They got what they voted for. No sympathy from me. You own it, SF.
FJB & Newsome
Chesa, Marxist, son of Cathie Boudin, convicted Weatherman bomber.
Where's Dirty Harry when you need him?
when you appease everyone and throw all the law enforcement under the bus, what do you expect! Blind arrogance is continuing this lawless state!
““Property is theft” is one of the socialist movement’s most important slogans.”
- I guess we can just walk into Patrice Coulors multiple homes and stay forever.
There is no situation so dire people can't live in a bubble about it until the bitter end. Article in the paper this week about a new diamond store in Hayes Valley. Sure why not open up a new diamond store a few steps from the Tenderloin and a short distance from several jewelry store lootings. I'm sure they have no inkling of what's in store.
All the democrat ruled major population centers are headed this way. Aint it a glorious experience?
Is there any way to keep the San Franciscans in San Francisco? They should be forced to live in the muck they created.
Here is my photos I took today of Union Square. Look for yourself.
https://twitter.com/the_watcher/status/1467626869432336387?s=21
How many of these quoted "residents" bemoaning the destruction of San Francisco voted for the leftwing, dysfunctional, borderline-crazy Democrats who have brought the city to this state? I'm guessing most of them or all of them. I'm sorry, no sympathy from me for your abject stupidity. Leftwing socialists have been destroying everything they get put in charge of for over a century. If you don't know about it by now, you are willfully ignorant and deserve no sympathy.
San Francisco and the birthplace of the technology movement is doing just fine thank you.
That's right, keep sticking your head in the sand, and keep being the perfect example for why the city deserves nobody's sympathy.
"In the midst of our civilization, down in our slums and labor-ghettos, we had bred a race of barbarians, of savages; and now, in the time of our calamity, they turn upon us like the wild beasts they were and destroy us. And they destroy themselves as well." -- The Scarlet Plague by Jack London 1912
I will go and see Union Square for myself and report back. It was pretty packed two weeks ago, it is empty now that's a shame.
Wage theft by employers is just as bad as shoplifting, at least on a dollar basis, according to some estimates. For some reason (I bet you can guess why!) this is almost never reported by the corporate media.
https://www.davisvanguard.org/2021/07/analysis-raises-important-questions-about-corporate-wage-theft-v-shoplifting/
How do rampant smash and grabs reduce “wage theft”? 🙄 Seems like the residents of San Fran prefer both because they keep voting for policies that dramatically increase wealth inequality, cover up wage theft, and promote outright property theft (even violently).
I wonder if they consider maybe all those “backwards” people in “fly over” country with a better quality of life, a sense of purpose in life, affordable housing for all, in tack families, functioning schools, less crime, and far less inequality might be on to something?
By the way, violent crime in San Francisco has been on a 50 year decline and this year is no exception.
It is true that taxpayers all over the country keep voting for policies that exacerbate wealth inequality. Both Democrats and Republicans do this. What do you think all those tax cuts for the rich are. In most wealthy areas, they make it hard to build new housing, which favors incumbents.
I grew up in flyover country and now live in San Francisco. The quality of life here is much much better, at least if you like good food, good weather, a wealth of outdoor activities of varying types (hiking, skiing, fishing, hiking, sailing, golfing, etc though not hunting), high paying jobs with great career opportunities, well educated neighbors, cultural pursuits (theater, live music, fine arts, lectures), great schools, a diverse population and many other things.
Crime is less, people are more homogeneous (if that is your thing), and the cost of housing is much less in most of the country. So are wages.
People who rate these things, which are mostly members of the educated elite, rate San Francisco as a desirable place to live with a high quality of life. But most of my family, who are more working class, have either fled California or moved to less expensive parts of the state, like Riverside, or the High Desert.
Keep telling yourself that. I’m a CPA with a masters married to an FA in the top 10% of FA’s at one of the 3 largest brokerage houses in the world. We are 1% where we live. We’d be top 2% in SF.
Here, we have 2 homes, free time, safety, friends from all walks of life that can afford the same places to eat and the same activities for their kids as ours. Our home is 4,200 square feet on 1/2 acre in an all brick custom neighborhood in the city. Our commute to work 5-8 minutes. It cost 1 x our annual salary and will be paid off before either of us turn 45.
Our children both had stamps in their passport by the age of 1, we see smiling faces not wearing face diapers daily, we can afford private school (and help fund others), country clubs that aren’t out of reach. True community (where homeless people actually get housed and drug addicts treatment). We don’t at once brag about the stuff only the rich can access making it a great place to live then virtue signal we care about “inequality.” We actually care about our neighbors. We like being around friends people regardless of their financial means.
I was a whitewater guide during undergrad and lived in the woods for a total of a year. I’m as comfortable up a holler in WV or under a lean to in the Caribbean as I am Orchestra center at a broadway show. The weather is too dull for me in CA and while there are beautiful places, despite what we make, we couldn’t afford to enjoy them there while we can travel the world (even during super scary covid) because we live here.
We spent 2 months in CA in 2019 (before it went completely to hell). While people in SoCal were nice, we saw lots of addiction, lots of poverty, lots of crime, lots of ego, lots and lots of pollution, and lots of stupidity.
You do you. I’d rather shoot myself than live in San Fran. I can’t imagine watching people 💩 on the street with zero help from anyone and then telling myself how enlightened my community is. You all can’t fix a problem, but you can waste money pretending to 😂🤣😂🤣😂
So you stay there and you vote however you want - you’d get laughed out of town here.
Hey, my husband and our kids have blood relatives still in Cuba. We can easily arrange a trip for you to see first hand what the end game of “progressives” actually looks like.
There's this little thing called supply and demand. When the supply is low and the demand is high, as it is for a place like San Francisco, the price is high.
I am glad you enjoy living where you live. It is great that we don't all want the same thing and that we can find what we like where we live.
I don't think less of anyone who prefers to live somewhere else. As I said, most of my family lives elsewhere. I grew up in a small town and think it was a great place to be a kid. I do know that coastal elites tend to look down on the rest of the country and I personally think that this is reprehensible. People are just as smart and probably even happier in other parts of the country. Happiness counts for a lot. Life isn't all about chasing the brass ring, though my wife doesn't agree.
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2016/03/san-francisco-quality-of-life-ranking.html
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Time Out crowned San Francisco as the “world’s best” city to live in for 2021.
https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2016/03/san-francisco-quality-of-life-ranking.html
A new study from human resources consulting firm Mercer has found that out of 230 metro areas studied, San Francisco has the highest quality of life for any American city.
https://realestate.usnews.com/places/california/san-francisco
What’s it like to live in San Francisco, CA?
A beautiful region filled with iconic landmarks, independently owned businesses and trendsetting residents, San Francisco has long followed the beat of its own drum. Morphed and molded by its communities, the California metro area has been the heart of the bohemian lifestyle, the epicenter of the LGBT rights movement and the launching point of the technology era. Today, San Francisco is a complete universe in and of itself: Each neighborhood exudes its own personality, from the historic streets of the Mission District to the grassy hills of the Presidio to the bustling piers along the Embarcadero.
The metro area's multifaceted personality draws a variety of people, from innovative entrepreneurs to students to retirees. But a housing crunch has made it difficult for the San Francisco metro area to accommodate its population, driving housing prices and rental rates sky high and significantly increasing the cost of living. Metro area communities like Oakland and Brisbane have absorbed some of the overflow, but the constant influx of new technology workers has kept the pressure on the real estate market.
San Franciscans are bound by a strong sense of pride in their region; despite the sky-high prices, many residents will tell you that they can't imagine living anywhere else.
There is also social contagion and false floors created by regulation and restrictions on market growth.
Congrat on that C- you got in Econ 101. 😂
I grew up in Wyoming and rural California, I am familiar with how people are in the rest of the country. I was also a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne and have lived in North Carolina and had the pleasure of interacting with people from all over the country there. We don't call the 82nd the "All American" division for nothing.
You have a bizarre view of what life in San Francisco is life. For people who actually live here, homelessness or waste of any kind, much less human waste, is unheard of. There are great parks, great views and a very high quality of life. At least in the nicer areas, which is 75% of The City.
I had unparalleled opportunity here. I came to UC Berkeley and now am wealthy. Probably wealthier than you, given what you brag about. I have been an early employee at three companies that have gone public. I can retire now at 56 but chose to continue to work. Heck, I could have retired at 50 if I wanted to, but I wanted to build up my children's inheritance. I bicycle to work (back when I went into the office) and is about 20 minutes a day. There is no way that I would prefer to live in a lily White area, you can have it.
Homelessness is a national problem, caused by a nation inattention to the issues of there not being enough affordable housing and letting all the mentally ill out of their mental institutions. Schizophrenia affects 1% of the population, no matter who they are. Bipolar disorder about 2%. So unless you have mental health facilities for 3% of your population (and I know you don't) you just ship them off to somewhere else. Either by literally buying them a bus ticket, or having the police beat them up, or just making it unaffordable for them. You pat yourself on the back for your "community" but it is at the cost of the most vulnerable members of society.
And when I was poor here, I had a high quality of life too. There is always some free or cheap event, whether it is street fair, free Shakespeare in the Park, live music, a impromptu concert, music venues where the price of admission was a beer or whatever.
You don't actually have to be wealthy to have a high quality of life at all, at least if you are a single person here. If you want to raise a family here you have to be poor enough to get subsidized housing or rich enough to afford a bigger house. Or either be crowded. I grew up with 8 siblings in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house, so I am used to having roommates. But I know most people have problems with it. My daughters sure did complain when they had to share a room!
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣. I’m 39 and richer in love and life than you can imagine. My material wealth isn’t all that important to me (it clearly defines you. 😂😂😂).
I hear the same thing about Vancouver.
It is true that both kinds of theft are bad.
Then why do you vote for people who encourage both!
So two wrongs make a right?
No I am just engaging in whataboutism.
Seems like another problem the authorities should have dealt with as well
the solution is simple but it takes courage to do the right thing in the face of criticism
just remember the critics are idiots
I live in a small town in America's Heartland. It's delightful here. COVID largely passed us by. There has been no violence. We have people all across the political spectrum yet we respect each other and find a way to listen to each other (for the most part). Coastal elites mock towns like this, but I've lived in their cities and I've lived here and this is so much better. This is a real community compared to the vapid, empty, soulless places they hold out as examples of the future. I won't go back to visit now. Live there? Lol.