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People Did It During COVID So How Come It Can’t Be Done Now

A weekend topic starting with the Washington Post. “The first share of $80 million that D.C. officials expect to reap from multistate opioid settlements has landed in District coffers, critical support for stemming an epidemic that claims more lives annually here than gun violence. Only West Virginia has a higher rate of fatal opioid overdoses than D.C. The Bowser administration’s strategy is rooted in a plan called Live.Long.DC. that launched in late 2018 with a goal to reduce opioid use and overdoses by 50 percent by 2020. Numbers have risen dramatically since then, prompting members of the D.C. Council and advocates to clamor for more action, even as they have applauded the administration’s embrace of harm reduction with the widespread distribution of the overdose antidote naloxone and fentanyl test strips, including in free vending machines.”

The Boston Globe. “Millions of dollars from settlements with the opioid industry are flowing to cities and towns throughout Massachusetts, leaving municipalities with a welcome challenge: how to spend it. Local officials are holding public meetings to solicit ideas and considering new investments in such solutions as mobile crisis response teams, transitional housing, and improved access to medications that treat addiction. The windfall offers hope that Massachusetts may finally be able to ease the toll of the overdose crisis, which last year killed more people in the state than ever before. Mayor Nicole LaChapelle of Easthampton called the planning process ‘luxurious’ because the money will keep flowing for 17 years. ‘When in municipal government do you actually get to plan for something that isn’t a basic government service so many years out?’ she said.”

“In the wake of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu sounding the alarm about deteriorating safety in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, various officials are calling for a change in strategy. Tania Del Rio, director of the team appointed by Wu to coordinate the city’s response to the various issues plaguing Mass. and Cass, said ‘More weapons have been found there in recent weeks by police and cleaning crews.’ Del Rio told the Globe that many of the people engaging in criminal activity at Mass. and Cass have housing, but travel to the area during the day. Along the same lines, Wu said that most of the people who gather there during the day have housing, whether temporary or permanent, but come to the area to engage in its open-air drug market.”

WPIX New York City. “In response to the growing migrant crisis, the City of New York is officially commandeering popular park recreation centers. At least two have been partially taken over both at Sunset Park and McCarran Park in Williamsburg. Officials are warning these may be the first not the last. ‘Everything is on the table right now,’ said Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom. ‘Since we’ve been looking at sites, I think we’ve looked at 3,000 sites, some are appropriate, some are not appropriate. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d be here a year later with 100,000 people and no end in sight.'”

CBS Colorado. “A homeless encampment in downtown Denver is now cleared up amid health concerns raised under Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration. Earlier this week, CBS News Colorado visited 22nd and Stout Streets where dead and living rats, trash and empty Narcan were piling up against the rocks there. ‘That was really bad. I used to spray every day, like bleach and stuff,’ said James Lee Lewis II.”

The Kitsap Sun in Washington. “Some of my neighbors live in tents. That doesn’t make them any less my neighbors. My husband and I live on Warren Avenue in Bremerton, and run a small business on Pacific Avenue. Between them, just a few blocks’ walk from either one, lies the tent village on MLK Way. Observing the encampment at close hand on a daily basis. We see human beings like ourselves, neighbors sitting together on scavenged armchairs enjoying the sun, or huddling together around a propane fire in winter. We donate products from our store to Food Not Bombs, one of the groups that provides supper twice a week to the village.”

“At the August 2 Bremerton city council meeting, one woman commented that camping in the city is ‘completely dystopian’ and should be banned. I don’t think she understands the meaning of ‘dystopian.’ If you look it up, you know the word refers to ‘a very bad or unfair society in which there is a lot of suffering, especially an imaginary society in the future, after something terrible has happened.’ In this dystopian present, something terrible has indeed happened: virtually every city in this country, perhaps in the world, has a large population of people who cannot afford housing.”

The Spokesman Review in Washington. “‘Burn Spokane Down’ graffiti showed up downtown prior to five human-caused fires, including four that were ‘purposefully set,’ igniting Thursday on the west side of the city, fire officials said at a news conference Friday. One message read, ‘Burn Spokane Down 8/3/23 — $900 million, We Not Housed, Burn Spokane.'”

The Los Angeles Times. “It was a ballot initiative born out of a lack of hope from advocates that Sacramento would ever fund the public mental health system. Proposition 63, passed by voters in 2004, created California’s ‘millionaires’ tax,’ a 1% income tax on the state’s wealthiest, sent directly into the county coffers to spend on their mental health systems. In almost 20 years, the tax has brought in an estimated $26 billion, more than double of what lawmakers ever thought possible. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who advocates agree has focused more on mental health than prior governors, says it’s time to ‘modernize’ how that money is spent — namely taking 30% of it, or about $1 billion a year, to spend only on housing for those with serious mental illnesses, substance use disorders or both.”

Newsweek on California. “Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was booed during a meeting on Thursday about housing the homeless in the city. Locals appeared furious following the announcement by Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who represents LA City Council District 5, of her new plan for an interim housing project on LA’s Westside. The number of homeless people in LA has more than doubled in the past decade. The proposal was met with anger from some locals after an existing facility that houses the homeless in North Hollywood had been criticized by residents. One told Fox11 News that ‘there’s always someone fighting, screaming, and yelling’ around the facility and that people were even stabbed and shot.”

KBSW in California. “A new homeless survey is shining a light on some positives and negatives regarding the homeless population in Santa Cruz County. Shannon Waldman is among the homeless, living in a tiny home on Coral Street at the Housing Matters facility. ‘People did it during COVID so how come it can’t be done now,’ Waldman said. ‘With all the money that’s been sent from the federal government I simply do not understand why we’re not all housed everybody who wants to be housed should be by now.’ One explanation is the COVID-19 money dried up so the focus turns back to building more permanent homeless housing.”

San Jose Spotlight in California. “When it comes to drug use and dealing, San Jose is no San Francisco—though some residents and leaders are projecting that it’s heading that way. Although there are some reported instances of public drug use, that is not nearly enough to inflate the problem to San Francisco levels, said Keith Humphreys, a psychiatry professor at Stanford University and former senior drug policy adviser for former President Barack Obama’s administration. ‘If somebody is intoxicated on the street and they don’t have a residence, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s any open air dealing. It could just be they don’t have anywhere else to go,’ Humphreys told San José Spotlight.”

“Lighthouse Ministries Pastor Ralph Olmos, who runs a food pantry for unhoused residents in San Jose, is a recovering methamphetamine addict who works closely with that population. He said using language like ‘open air drug markets’ and ‘increased enforcement’ is code for criminalizing more homeless residents who suffer from drug addiction. He said most people buy and sell drugs at encampments or from homes and that the process is very covert—always moving because encampments are often swept.”

“‘You could say it’s gotten worse because the cartels are a big part of what’s happening with the unhoused,’ Olmos said. ‘They’re taking advantage of that situation because they can move drugs easily through the creeks and encampments.'”

The Financial Post. “Canada’s new immigration minister said he is open to ‘having a conversation’ on concerns raised by some economists and groups on rising immigration targets amid a housing shortage, but said he still has no plans to lower them in the near future. Immigration Minister Marc Miller is expected to announce Canada’s annual immigration plan later this year, which provides details on the number and categories of newcomers the country will welcome in the next three years. As per the current plan, the country aims to invite 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.”

“‘Honestly, looking at the numbers and knowing what I know and the needs that exist in Canada, I don’t see a world in which we decrease it currently,’ Miller said. The minister said cutting down targets in any one category would mean making some ‘really difficult’ choices. ‘Do you want to reduce the number of skilled workers? Do you want to (turn) your back on people that are fleeing war? No,’ Miller said.”

The Canadian Press. “The Ethiopian Association in the Greater Toronto Area was not set up to provide shelter support, but the head of the organization said that when dozens of asylum seekers began showing up at its door seeking help, it had to adjust. Meserat Demeke said that between late May and mid-June, at least 200 Ethiopian migrants approached the organization’s office in Toronto’s east end, saying they needed help accessing food and somewhere to sleep. ‘I think we picked up about 40 people that day,’ Demeke told The Canadian Press, recalling the day of May 25, when the association began assisting unhoused Ethiopian migrants in Toronto.”

“The following day, as word spread that the association was helping refugee claimants find shelter, more people began turning up at its door. At the same press conference, Pastor Eddie Jjumba of Dominion Church International Toronto, said his congregation had sheltered as many as 250 people in a building across the street. ‘But it’s not a solution,’ Jjumba said. ‘It’s a band aid.'”

From Foreign Affairs. “As 2022 came to an end, hopes were rising that China’s economy—and, consequently, the global economy—was poised for a surge. After three years of stringent restrictions on movement, mandatory mass testing, and interminable lockdowns, the Chinese government had suddenly decided to abandon its ‘zero COVID’ policy. But by the end of the second quarter, the latest GDP data told a very different story: overall growth was weak and seemingly set on a downward trend. Wary foreign investors and cash-strapped local governments in China chose not to pick up on the initial momentum.”

“What has become clear is that the first quarter of 2020, which saw the onset of COVID, was a point of no return for Chinese economic behavior, which began shifting in 2015, when the state extended its control. Financial markets, and probably even the Chinese government itself, have overlooked the severity of these weaknesses, which will likely drag down growth for several years. The condition is systemic, and the only reliable cure—credibly assuring ordinary Chinese people and companies that there are limits on the government’s intrusion into economic life—cannot be delivered.”

“China’s development of economic long COVID should be recognized for what it is: the result of President Xi Jinping’s extreme response to the pandemic, which has spurred a dynamic that beset other authoritarian countries but that China previously avoided in the post–Mao Zedong era. The government’s response to the pandemic was another matter entirely. It made visible and tangible the CCP’s arbitrary power over everyone’s commercial activities, including those of the smallest players. With a few hours’ warning, a neighborhood or entire city could be shut down indefinitely, retail businesses closed with no recourse, residents trapped in housing blocks, their lives and livelihoods put on hold.”

“All major economies went through some version of a lockdown early in the pandemic, but none experienced anything nearly as abrupt, severe, and unrelenting as China’s anti-pandemic measures. Zero COVID was as unsparing as it was arbitrary in its local application, which appeared to follow only the whims of party officials.”

“What remains today is widespread fear not seen since the days of Mao—fear of losing one’s property or livelihood, whether temporarily or forever, without warning and without appeal. This is the story told by some expatriates, and it is in keeping with the economic data. Zero COVID was a response to extraordinary circumstances, and many Chinese believe Xi’s assertion that it saved more lives than the West’s approach would have. Yet the memories of how relentlessly local officials implemented the strategy remain fresh and undiluted.”

“Some say the CCP’s decision to abandon zero COVID in late 2022 following a wave of public protest indicated at least some basic, if belated, regard for popular opinion. Yet the same could not be said for ordinary Chinese people, at least in their economic lives. A month before the sudden end of zero COVID, senior party officials told the domestic public to expect a gradual rollback of pandemic restrictions; what followed a few weeks later was an abrupt and total reversal. The sudden U-turn only reinforced the sense among Chinese people that their jobs, businesses, and everyday routines remain at the mercy of the party and its whims.”

“Of course, many other factors were at play in the immense, complex Chinese economy throughout this period. Business failures and delinquent loans resulted from a real estate bubble that burst in August 2021, and remain a persistent drag on growth and continue to limit local government funding.”

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This Post Has 132 Comments

  1. I know this is too long, but this blog isn’t puddle watching. It’s becoming more clear globalist scum set this whole thing up to destabilize, demoralize and centralize power.

    ‘The windfall offers hope that Massachusetts may finally be able to ease the toll of the overdose crisis, which last year killed more people in the state than ever before. Mayor Nicole LaChapelle of Easthampton called the planning process ‘luxurious’ because the money will keep flowing for 17 years. ‘When in municipal government do you actually get to plan for something that isn’t a basic government service so many years out?’

    ‘something that isn’t a basic government service’

    1. “I know this is too long, but this blog isn’t puddle watching. It’s becoming more clear globalist scum set this whole thing up to destabilize, demoralize and centralize power.”

      – Their evil plan is working.

      – We have an drug crisis in the U.S. Drug deaths are dominated by opioids, with Fentanyl as the likely leading cause in the opioid category. The government is encouraging this by both open borders and lack of enforcement. These current policies are genocide of American people. Not essentially different than Nazi Germany; just at a slower rate. We’re talking about 100,000+ deaths per year now, and growing. Your tax dollars at work.

      – We have an illegal immigrant crisis in the U.S., with millions now residing in the U.S., and many more coming every day. The government is encouraging this by open borders. These people need food, shelter, benefits, since low education, low skills. They will then be dependent on the government, a growing part of the free sh*t army. Paid for by actual taxpayers. They’re here to replace what’s left of the independent, self supporting middle class, as per the plan. The illegals, unlike legal immigrants (think Ellis Island of days long ago) aren’t screened for criminals, disease, or pretty much anything at all. This only adds to the total death count in the U.S. Your tax dollars at work.

      – We have a budget crisis in the U.S., with government spending exceeding tax receipts and $Ts of debt. This is enabled by fiat currency ($) and the Fed creating $ ex nihilo (out of nothing, out of thin air). Fitch cuts U.S. credit rating to AA+ from AAA. Yellen the felon, and former Fed chair, but I repeat myself, calls the rating downgrade “arbitrary.” It’s well known that feckless government spending and associated $ printing (aka debt monetization) is highly inflationary. Inflation is growing much faster than real (inflation-adjusted) wages, which are negative, and have been for years now, but esp. since the 40 year high inflation post pandemic. Your tax dollars at work.

      – So, in summary, this is no longer government “by the people and for the people.” Congress no longer represents the electorate, and in fact, one may deduce that our current government actually hates the middle class. I won’t even mention the lack of election integrity. Change: From Constitutional Republic to Banana Republic.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_drug_overdose_death_rates_and_totals_over_time

      “The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has data on drug overdose death rates and totals. Around 1,106,900 US residents died from drug overdoses from 1968 to 2020. Around 932,400 from 1999 through 2020. Around 91,800 in 2020. 28 people out of every 100,000 died from drug overdoses in 2020 in the US. Opioids were involved in around 80,400 of the around 106,700 deaths in 2021.[2][3][4][5]”

      “Around 110,500 people died in 2022. Around 109,900 people died in the 12-month period ending February 28, 2023, at a rate of 301 deaths per day.[5] “

      – This is YOUR President? Heil Hitler? America is in a very dark place.

      https://freedomsplash.substack.com/p/bidens-philadelphia-speech#details

      Sep 6, 2022 • 21M
      Biden’s Philadelphia speech
      What a mess

      “But there’s no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country.”

      “All of the accusations are better applied to the allies of the Democrats rather than Trump and the MAGA movement.”

      https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1ce9c615-445f-4a3d-b668-ff9ae8e20141_1020x612.jpeg

      – Does anyone else notice? Does anyone else care?

      1. ‘Their evil plan is working’

        In some important ways it is not. A sizeable number of people recognize it as evil, meaning they reject it as saving ‘the planet’, etc. IMO these people represent a gnat on the pigs a$$ in terms of population. How many hairy old men that put on dresses in public do you think there are? And how long does any one think we’ll be around without farms? Or combustion engines? A couple of weeks? Which means it’s a joke.

        1. IMO these people represent a gnat on the pigs a$$ in terms of population. How many hairy old men that put on dresses in public do you think there are?

          You are correct–it is not accurate to compare what’s happening today in this country with China. During the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution in China, it was impossible for the average Chinese citizen to oppose or resist–the government had hundreds of millions of Chinese backing their policies.

          It’s just the opposite here today. The way the MSM, Democrats and liberals talk, they act as if they have the power over firearms and their owners. In fact, the gun owners never even show their faces except through their lawyers in court. The anti-gun faction is EVERYWHERE.

          Same goes with every other issue and problem. The overwhelming proportion of Americans live by the rules and don’t go cleaning out the shelves at Walmart–at least they don’t at my working-class Walmart. If the riffraff showed up, the patrons would probably beat them up.

          1. ‘gun owners never even show their faces except through their lawyers’

            In Arizona people carry hand guns everywhere, cities included. Out in the open, in a bank for instance, and nobody bats an eye. When I lived on a two lane road to Grand Canyon outside of Flagstaff, these was this young man who would regularly take a long hike beside the road carrying a big skewwy rifle! Just to make the point I believe, and I’ve seen others do the same on teevee.

        1. This is just blatant corruption in action. Fentanyl and these new pain killers simply have no role in medicine today. I’ve never heard from all of my colleagues and friends in the industry complain that there aren’t enough effective painkillers on the market.

          Even for people dying of cancer in the most awful ways can be relieved of their suffering with what the pain management docs have available (I have seen this with my own two eyes).

          2. Yep, got fentanyl on my first colonoscopy, which feels like being lowered into a warm tub of water, certainly not the kind of high I would seek for entertainment. I waited six hour for it to wear-off before I could leave. I’ve had simple Tylenol for my last two colonoscopies, i.e., get dressed, walk right out and drive home.

          3. I learned that I was allergic to fentanyl because of an epidural during childbirth.

          4. certainly not the kind of high I would seek for entertainment

            You want dilaudid for that! On dilaudid, I could watch someone cut off my arm with a saw and not care.

          5. Ever get a colonoscopy? You are under fentanyl
            Nope. I just had one last year and 3 years before that. They used propofol–I was out like a light and woke up like no time had passed. Thirty five years ago I had a colonoscopy and they used demerol which is no longer used. I also got IV demerol years ago when I got hospitalized for a bout of very painful diverticulitis. The stuff is horrible since it really didn’t kill the pain, but it made my mouth and airway so dry that it was almost as bad as the pain from the inflamed colon. So I had them stop it and just gritted my teeth.

          6. Ever get a colonoscopy?

            I was given propofol last time. I believe I am due for another one next year. I will be sure to ask again what they are giving me.

          8. Had to look that up. Yikes!
            Diverticulosis (a condition in which there are small pouches or pockets in the wall or lining of any portion of the digestive tract) is extremely common in this country. That’s one reason why doctor’s harp so much on eating a high fiber diet. Unfortunately, my diet, while it is pretty good, is not high in fiber.

          9. I will be sure to ask again what they are giving me.
            It’s a question of whether you need moderate or deep sedation. Personally I don’t like opioids (e.g. fentanyl). If you are healthy with no heart problems, propofol would be my preference. Also, the amount of time that the G.I. doc is going to need to do your colonoscopy is an issue. If you have polyps (like me), then things will take longer and you want them to do a really good examination. Polyps can be difficult to identify.

          10. “Unfortunately, my diet, while it is pretty good, is not high in fiber.”

            I drink two 20-oz tumblers of Metamucil daily each with a hefty scoop yielding a near milkshake consistency. I’ve been doing this for a long time, decades. A had one polyp removed during my first exam, nothing since. My “tunnel” is clean, pink and smooth as seen on the screen.

    2. I am missing how the gubming makes money off the opioid crises.

      Where does the money come from and who pays?

      1. Look in the bank accounts of politicians and unelected bureaucrats. Then follow the money through Mexico and all the way back to China. Our politicians are dirty. Our entire system is corrupt to the very core.

        1. Big pharma and the pharmacies made hundreds of billions legally selling pills through drug pusher doctors.

      2. Where does the money come from and who pays?

        It comes from the taxes paid overwhelmingly by the upper earners, and it goes to the places that have the problems (i.e., Democrat cities and States).

        It’s not about making money, it’s about retaining power. Democrats just use people to further their goals. If a few die along the way, then their deaths will be honored and they’ll be martyrs for the cause. Remember, lots of people have to die in every single revolution–peace is never the goal.

        1. Over 100K people died from overdose last year. Millions of lives ruined. My SIL is a recovering heroin addict. She got hooked after a doctor prescribed her oxy due to back injuries from a car accident.

          1. She got hooked after a doctor prescribed her oxy due to back injuries from a car accident.

            That’s the problem. Since docs are rated on how they handle pain relief, and lots of patients demand strong painkillers because they expect that they shouldn’t suffer any pain, too many prescriptions get written for narcotics.

            I’ve had migraines for 60 years, and for much of my working life they were intractable. But I never got pain killers for them because they don’t work on migraines. But there are lots of medications that can prevent migraines or lessen their intensity these days. So I rarely get the really bad headaches like I did in the old days–those really were unpleasant, worse than kidney stones, root canals ect. But pain is just part of life. Better to have some pain than turn into an addict. Go docs won’t prescribe large amounts of narcotic painkillers, but that doesn’t keep patients from doctor shopping.

    3. It’s becoming more clear globalist scum set this whole thing up to destabilize, demoralize and centralize power.

      I look forward to the day when these scums’ heads are lopped off in public, and turned into soccer balls for angry mobs exacting their pound of flesh. Then feed their lifeless meat to some crocodiles.

  2. ‘Since we’ve been looking at sites, I think we’ve looked at 3,000 sites, some are appropriate, some are not appropriate. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d be here a year later with 100,000 people and no end in sight’

    Keep it up Anne and yer gonna have a million. Do you really want to empty out Africa, El Salvador and Honduras?

      1. ‘Do you want to (turn) your back on people that are fleeing war?’

        Start wars, cause people to flee, create an industry that undermines nation states. Are you going to pay for this Marc? You realize there will never be an end to wars with the globalist scum? Years ago I would do searches and hardly see any crime in K-da. Now it’s about half of what I read. It’s the same with bums. I don’t search for this stuff. But if you search ‘Denver housing’, most of what comes up will be about bums.

  3. ‘You could say it’s gotten worse because the cartels are a big part of what’s happening with the unhoused,’ Olmos said. ‘They’re taking advantage of that situation because they can move drugs easily through the creeks and encampments’

    Great.

    1. ‘They’re taking advantage of that situation because they can move drugs easily through the creeks and encampments’

      Well, knock me over with a feather! WOW! Who would’ve thought!

    1. “Mistakes were made.” Let’s change that passive voice to active voice, shall we. “The globalist Quisling regime in Ireland implemented their criminal COVID-19 policies without regard to the enormous harm being inflicted on the most vulnerable members of the population in the name of “public health.” There, fixed it for ya.

    5. The CONvid-19 SCAMdemic in Ireland: “Disastrous mistakes were made in the nursing homes”

      I knew this entire thing was a sham when they closed outdoor areas such as beaches, parks and campgrounds for a respiratory illness which is only transmissible indoors, and forced the poor back inside of their tiny apartments and homes to infect each other and as many people as possible. This wasn’t “science,” this was HOMICIDE.

  5. Land in San Diego has never been worth so much. San Diego County’s assessed value of all taxable property — including residential, commercial and industrial land — is now $727.48 billion, the Assessor’s Office said this week. It represents an increase of 7.1 percent from last year and its highest in history.

    Even a slowdown in home price growth at the end of last year could not stop the steady rise of land values across San Diego County. For more than 30 years — despite decreases for three years in the Great Recession — the value of land has been on an almost immovable climb.

    “Governments will receive record high reliable funding for the eleventh straight year to deliver key services like schools and first responders,” said San Diego County Assessor Jordan Marks.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/san-diego-county-properties-now-valued-at-record-727-billion/ar-AA1eO0DZ

    1. Governments will receive record high reliable funding

      Government sponsors massive credit expansion. Prices go way up. Government taxes go way up. Government expands. People suffer.

      Not an accident.

    2. It doesn’t seem like San Diego real estate investors believe the Fed will succeed in containing inflation. What better place than real estate to park your money when you don’t believe the dollar will hold its value?

      1. What better place than real estate to park your money when you don’t believe the dollar will hold its value?

        But if you want to spend your money for something, like a new boat, you don’t have access to it if it is parked in a house. Especially in a house that can’t sell and is overpriced. Money in 401k and other retirement instruments might not earn the best rates, but at least you aren’t slaves to a gigantic property bubble.

        1. Money in 401k and other retirement instruments might not earn the best rates

          It does pay for gas for the boat.

  6. Community warns against negative narratives after five wounded in shooting

    Five people were wounded after two suspected shooters opened fire near the Rainier Beach Safeway parking lot on July 28.

    The shooting took place during a weekly community outreach and healing circle pop-up event hosted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County and other local organizations. Occuring for nearly three years, the events provide discussion forums for community members to collectively address the impacts of gun violence on the area and have been credited with reducing such violence.

    Two of the five people shot on Friday were initially admitted to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. As of Sunday, their conditions had improved to “satisfactory.” The remaining wounded are either in stable condition or were treated at the scene.

    Two of the shooting survivors were also identified as staff members of the coalition that hosts the pop-ups.

    While the motive behind the shooting is still unknown, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz pointed to the excessive number of illegal guns on the streets.

    “Honestly this is really disturbing when you have victims that are just trying to do an outreach effort and help people out and get people on the right path, and then they get hit with a variety of different rounds being fired at them,” said Diaz.

    https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2023/08/02/community-warns-against-negative-narratives-after-five-wounded-shooting-new-tree

    1. ‘The shooting took place during a weekly community outreach and healing circle pop-up event hosted by the Boys & Girls Clubs’

      No drag queen perverts were injured.

    2. “Two of the five people shot on Friday were initially admitted to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.”

      A level I trauma center provides the most comprehensive trauma care. There must be a trauma/general surgeon in the hospital 24-hours a day. There must also be an anesthesiologist and full OR staff available in the hospital 24-hours a day as well as a critical care physician 24-hours a day.

  7. World’s Factory in Ruins! Numerous Factories Closed in Shenzhen, Jobless Youths Live on Streets
    China Observer
    Aug 5, 2023
    However, what is surprising is that the feelings of these netizens and the official unemployment rate data seem to be inconsistent. Official statistics tell us that China’s youth unemployment rate is only 21.3%. Since February, this data has only risen by a few percentage points. What’s going on? How is this calculated? The answer lies in the definition and method of statistics. The statistical bureau may adjust how data is used during statistics. As long as you work for one hour in two weeks, you are not considered unemployed. As long as there is income, whether it is temporary taxi driving, delivery, or tips obtained through live streaming, as long as you can receive money, you will be counted as employed. It is understood that there are nearly 200 million “flexibly employed” people in China, of which more than 7 million are young people.
    Consequently, economists begin to worry that this wave of youth unemployment is not a systemic or trending issue, it might last for a decade! They warn that if the Chinese government does not handle it properly, it could trigger other social issues outside of the economic sphere, even potentially becoming a fuse for political problems. Young people who desire to work hard but do not get the opportunities, wouldn’t they harbor resentment towards society?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEZrESi-qjw

    14:11. Check out the “Do you work hard today!?” sign at 8:11.

    1. wouldn’t they harbor resentment towards society

      Quite possibly toward the Commies that govern.

    2. Inflation should come quick in China, should it not? Lots of young people willing to work = lower salary. Vendors/ manufacturers cannot increase prices.
      What is stopping Chinese manufacturers under-cutting Vietnamese, Cambodian and Philippine factories and sell to US/Europe?

  9. The 2020 election was stolen.

    The Unelected Occupant of the White House is not the legitimate president, and has no legitimate authority to govern.

    There are over 80 million of us who had our votes stolen. We will not submit to your unelected occupation government.

        1. Zuckerberg contributed $419 million to buy the 2020 elections. What did he get out of the deal, besides fellow Bolsheviks installing Joe Biden?

          2. Facebook was DARPA’s LifeLog. Facebook launched the same day that LifeLog was shut down. Another DARPA connection: Facebook hired a former DARPA head, Regina Dugan, to lead Building 8, a research group developing hardware projects to advance the company’s efforts in virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and global connectivity.

            Whitney Webb: The Military Origins of Facebook

          3. Facebook was DARPA’s LifeLog. Facebook launched the same day that LifeLog was shut down.

            There’s something about this AI and DARPA thing that bothers me. If you have a gigantic dataset with billions of observations and millions of variables, how are you going to find real and meaningful patterns or processes? With the current rules that govern probability and statistics, it is literally impossible. I doubt that AI can break the laws of probability.

            On a practical note, I look at YouTube a lot (like cooking videos, car videos and music video). YouTube can’t even come up with 3 new videos to watch that might be interesting to me. They have all the videos I’ve ever viewed–that’s thousands and thousands, yet their programs can’t even figure out my viewing habits????

          4. This. I just glance at Youtube recommendations and ignore them most of the time. Keyword search is much better in that you can pick what you want or based on the search results, refine your search.
            I produce a lot of IIOT algorithms. This is another over-hyped term by the industry trying to make a quick buck. However, there always was a genuine need for critical equipment to be monitored. Today’s IIoT algorithms do this with a better interface and a tad more data output.
            A lot of machinery manufacturers were sold the idea that IIoT is like each machine having a smart phone that can talk to each other. To what purpose I could not fathom. I think the promoters saw $$$ signs.

          5. There’s something about this AI

            I think it’s artificial stupidity. Scary thing is, it will appeal to most people.

          6. Some people are impressed by chatbots, but this comes to mind:

            “The Ability To Speak Does Not Make You Intelligent”: Qui-Gon Jinn (to Jar Jar)

  10. A homeless encampment in downtown Denver is now cleared up amid health concerns raised under Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration.

    IIRC, Johnston promised in his campaign that he would stop clearing out the camps and would instead focus on permanent solutions for homelessness. I suppose skyrocketing fentanyl OD’s count as a permanent solution.

  12. We need to start enforcing vagrancy laws in new ways. Arrest the tweakers and junkies for public intoxication, if they test positive for meth or opioids, lock them up for 90 days of cold turkey detox. You can’t die from withdrawal from these two classes of drugs. You can die from alcohol or benzo type drug withdrawal.

    My neighborhood has been overrun with tweakers and junkies in the past few years. These people don’t have rights. You forfeited those rights when you’re getting high all day every day and camping illegally on public or private land.

    Sounds harsh, but there isn’t any other solutions. Give junkies and tweakers apartments, and then you have trashed out apartments full of junkies and tweakers. Lock them all up, now.

    1. “…lock them up for 90 days of cold turkey detox.”

      And then what…who is going to manage their daily affairs?

  13. That’s Bidenomics. (insert Kamala Harris cackle here)

    World Food Prices Jump Most In 18 Months

    SATURDAY, AUG 05, 2023 – 07:35 AM

    Global food prices increased the most in 1.5 years as trade disruptions from the El Nino weather phenomenon battered agricultural-producing countries, and Russia’s exit from a crucial UN-backed agriculture deal stoked supply concerns.

    The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported Friday that the global food index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 123.9 in July, up 1.3% from the previous month.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/world-food-prices-jump-most-15-years

    1. And the globalists want to shut down farms, to “save the Earth”. I still think part of the plan is to starve the 3rd World to death.

      1. “part of the plan is to starve the 3rd World to death”

        Emphasis on part.

        But first, the Marxist globalists need to import hundreds of millions from the 3rd world into soon to be formerly majority white European or descended from European nations.

        It is their stated goal, because they know that white Christian men with guns are the only demographic capable of resistance to and overthrow of tyrannical government.

        Name their names:

        Southern Poverty Law Center
        Anti Defamation League

        These two organizations, along with George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, are the architects and proponents of a coordinated and deliberate genocide of Christian European civilization.

        And they think they can make it illegal to even discuss any of that. Which in Canada, Western Europe, AUS, NZ, it already is.

        Jesus is Lord.

  14. I wonder how many would have showed up for a really good paying job?

    “Riots erupted in New York City on Friday afternoon after popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat instructed his millions of followers to meet him at Union Square Park for a giveaway.”

    JORDAN DIXON-HAMILTON
    4 Aug 2023

    Cenat has over 20 million followers on Twitch and over five million on Instagram. He and video game streamer Fanum were set to give away PlayStation 5 consoles, computers, gaming chairs, and microphones.

    However, the crowd broke into chaos within a half hour of arriving on the scene, according to reports.

    https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2023/08/04/riots-erupt-nyc-twitch-streamer-tells-millions-followers-meet-union-square/

      1. I LOL when the police hold a large NFL ticket give-away, and then arrest everyone in the room due to their outstanding warrants.

    1. You think maybe there’s a link between societal decline & commie malgoverance, & shack/CRE valuations?

    2. Property taxes.

      Specifically, what they are not paying for in terms of municipal services. And what they are paying for to promote in the public education “system.”

      Follow the money.

    3. First, it’s a blog I pay for and run on my own time. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of staying on topic since 2004. Back then I didn’t spend much time on commercial real estate, for example. I spread out some in 2014 and I’m glad I did: it’s the biggest story in real estate right now by a long shot. And it certainly involves housing.

      I have an article I’ll probably post tomorrow with bums directly causing a$$ poundings in California. So there’s that angle. Minor respiratory illness causing landlords to not be able to collect rent: yep, I followed that for a couple years. If I come across articles I think are interesting and if they fill out a post, maybe I’ll improvise a little on the weekend.

      Here’s something undeniable: I’ve been doing web searches of a similar vein on this housing bubble for a long time. I’ll notice outcome changes cuz I know it like the back of my hand. Before CCP virus started, but especially since, these simple searches for say, ‘Denver housing’ come back about 75% about homeless people and the havoc around them. Many other places too, like Seattle or Bay Area. It’s what’s really happening that makes topics relevant, not my ‘editorial’ choices.

      And it doesn’t hurt to change things up once in a while.

      1. Should’ve been more specific. In the nearly 20 years I’ve been reading your blog I’ve never had a problem with your content. Thank you for your work in digging up content and articles that enlighten and educate. And when it comes to the comments, maybe I just need to be enlightened on how stolen elections and vaccines directly relate to housing bubbles. And to be clear, I agree with most opinions here. Just wish we’d stay a little more on point, even though I’m sure if you look hard enough all the garbage we see today can be linked together somehow. But that’s just me and from now I’ll just do what was suggested the last time I brought this up, and that is to just take what I need and ignore the rest. But seriously, thank you for decades of work putting this together. You’ve helped a lot of folks keep their eyes open when it comes to real estate and the financial engines that drive it.

        1. real estate and the financial engines that drive it.

          how stolen elections and vaccines directly relate to housing bubbles

          I don’t think they are unrelated. Just something to consider.

          1. People dropping like flies could crash the housing market with a massive increase in inventory.

        2. And when it comes to the comments, maybe I just need to be enlightened on how stolen elections and vaccines directly relate to housing bubbles.

          Houses and real estate have zero intrinsic value if there are no people. People determine the value of everything, including houses and real estate. Things that profoundly affect people, housing AND real estate are of paramount importance to housing and real estate bubbles.

          It is naive to think that bubbles exist independently of the population that sustains them. We are reaching an end goal of a very dark and disturbing process. Just think of property values in China….

        3. Try out the JoshuaTree extension if you’ve not, for help ignoring posters who stray from the topics you feel are important:

          Chrome
          Firefox

          And as always folks, please donate to Ben if you use this extension and like it, as I offer the extension for free. (And as always, thank you Ben for playing the role of benevolent host)

    4. Destruction of cities and countries cause mass migration, which affect the price of housing for everyone. People fled to Florida due to the scamdemic, driving out the native Floridians. The same is happening across Tennessee, Texas, and other states.

    5. It’s a valid question but as others have stated, all of these things affect housing. Dumping 100,000 homeless grifters into NYC might seem like a minor nuisance on the surface to most home owners there but it is sure to turn into a structural problem that affects housing in numerous ways. There are many more examples like the drug epidemic etc but it has already been covered. The deterioration we are seeing absolutely needs to be discussed especially in an open forum like this because the MSM/fake news will never cover it honestly. As this bust gathers momentum these issues are going to be very important to understand if you are considering living in any of these areas.

      We could probably start creating city indexes based specifically around some of these issues to predict future price movements if we were so inclined. Some of these problems are going to create significant price distortions on the down side.

      Funny story: I was selling a house in CA in a past life and I happened to be looking out the peep hole when a homeless derelict wandered up to the sign and grabbed a flyer to inspect. Apparently he was unhappy with the price because he pulled the entire sign out of the lawn, threw it down, and jumped up and down on it. This was prior to both of the previous bubbles. I’ll spare you the list of things that were stolen over the time I lived there but this was in a highly conspicuous spot across from a government building with high security. Your mileage may vary but it is important to be informed. These issues matter.

  16. Uranium One informant says Moscow paid millions in bid to influence Clinton

    By Brooke Singman
    February 8, 2018

    An FBI informant involved in the controversial Uranium One deal has told congressional committees that Moscow paid millions to a U.S. lobbying firm in a bid to influence then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by helping former President Bill Clinton’s charities during the Obama administration.

    In the statement, obtained by Fox News, Campbell said Russian executives told him that Moscow was hiring APCO Worldwide in an effort to influence the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton.

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/uranium-one-informant-says-moscow-paid-millions-in-bid-to-influence-clinton

    (Hunter and the Big Guy already sold these right to China)

    Biden to block uranium mining on 1M acres around Grand Canyon: report

    By Matthew Sedacca
    August 5, 2023

    The Biden administration is considering designating a million acres of land surrounding the Grand Canyon as a new national monument, which would bar uranium mining in the area.

    https://nypost.com/2023/08/05/biden-to-block-uranium-mining-on-1m-acres-near-grand-canyon/#:~:text=The%20Biden%20administration%20is%20considering,uranium%20mining%20in%20the%20area.

  17. A reader sent these in:

    Who is she trying to kid? Borrowing is already exceeding what was expected just 2 months ago by nearly $300B.

    https://twitter.com/NorthmanTrader/status/1686817515240833047

    This is an absolutely fantastic data driven analysis on Sydney’s high housing costs driving out couples in their 30s at an age they look to buy homes and have children 👇

    https://twitter.com/AvidCommentator/status/1687303132831956992

    I often get questions as to why the ‘mortgage cliff’ hasn’t started to really bite yet. This chart from CBA sums it up well. Its only been the last four months that we’ve started to see the bulk of fixed rate mortgages roll off.

    https://twitter.com/AvidCommentator/status/1687299093742419969

    The Trudeau government is an absolute joke. He was initially elected on a platform which included making housing cheaper. Instead housing prices have gone to the moon on consistent government intervention and now immigration to record highs.

    https://twitter.com/AvidCommentator/status/1687278367681515520

    Here’s a glimpse of why Treasury issuance is surging: Compared to the same period last year, tax revenues declined 11% AND expenditures increased 10% 🙃

    https://twitter.com/FedGuy12/status/1687227151538360320

    Canada’s new immigration minister Marc Miller says the Liberal Government will either keep or RAISE its annual immigration targets. Announcement coming in November.

    https://twitter.com/SteveSaretsky/status/1687105031647227905

    incredible, the narrative that if you sell a house it explodes has now spread to the UK

    https://twitter.com/dannolan/status/1687064541392429057

    US payroll gains missed expectations. Payrolls rose +187,000 — vs. +200k expectation & down from +209k in June. Also, June’s addition was revised down by 24,000 jobs to +185k. The 6th month in a row of a weaker labor market than expected. Typical of the start of recessions 🫡

    https://twitter.com/JoeConsorti/status/1687446382334902274

    okay next for entertainment, we have the BoJ unexpectedly buying an unlimited number of bonds to bring yields back into their comfort zone

    https://twitter.com/concodanomics/status/1687233989918982144

    Construction worker hanging by one hand after crane error

    https://twitter.com/NoCapFights/status/1687575270637895680

    “The Bank of England has signalled that interest rates could remain above 5pc until 2026”

    https://twitter.com/xelan_gta/status/1687314137087373312

    Needless to say, Phoenix A/A+ supply glut is pretty striking. Seeing 8-10 week concessions + negative new lease spreads at several properties

    https://twitter.com/hcls24/status/1687556773404884993

    Only roughly 25% of households can afford a median priced home. 80% of that 25% already own a house. So median priced home sellers are trying to sell to 5% of the market able to afford it.

    https://twitter.com/GRomePow/status/1687508532625862656

    Feels like a lot of rentals in Denver too

    https://twitter.com/GRomePow/status/1687621347491622921

    Our mortgage department has an impromptu “town hall” next week. Pray for us.

    https://twitter.com/femcelfixerHD/status/1687614088669532160

    Loss of 45,000 jobs in construction sector in the middle of summer is a concerning number. Building permits are down significantly…get ready for a bumpy ride.

    https://twitter.com/VinceGaetano/status/1687584976085094400

    “I’ll list it for what someone is willing to pay!”
    “I’m not lowering my price, everyone is moving here!”
    “Even if it does fall, the Federal Reserve will bail us out.”
    “I’ll just sell when prices come back.”
    “Can you give me a Real Estate agent that specializes in short sales?”

    https://twitter.com/GRomePow/status/1687612787802128386

    I know a lot of our AirBnBust was just thesis for a very long time, but it sure does feel like its playing out in AZ right now. The market is being FLOODED with rentals, many of which are furnished, many of which are advertising both short or long-term stays. Many of which are overpriced and sitting with more and more being listed LOWER. Seems like a bloodbath is on the horizon

    https://twitter.com/GRomePow/status/1687594640953036800

    Some neighborhoods are like ghost towns. I know quite a few ppl that own 5-10 rental / airBNB properties in AZ and they cannot find renters / buyers for them.

    https://twitter.com/StonkKing4/status/1687593482670747651

    First time developer sunk $20M+ into this 10-story hotel project, then sold at auction for $5.25M in 2022. “One man’s loss is another’s gain” may not apply. Even with the seller’s significant loss, the buyer may not come out ahead. We think actual value was less than $0

    https://twitter.com/DallasAptGP/status/1687546608508915712

    a little local color from my neighborhood housing market, which i think is at a turning point. houses are being taken off the market and listed as rentals. 90pct of rentals are recent purchases. the only properties selling are those that need updates.

    https://twitter.com/kristinbjornsen/status/1687531221759209472

    Phoenix property-level occupancy has fallen off a cliff from Apr 2022’s peak. Plenty of incremental downside remains, in my view

    https://twitter.com/hcls24/status/1687543558918864896

    1. ‘I know a lot of our AirBnBust was just thesis for a very long time, but it sure does feel like its playing out’

      This is one reason I can’t take the ‘puddle watching pithy comment’ very seriously: cuz they don’t know sh$t. I was all over the STR stuff, for years, 15 years ago! It’s the same movie.

  18. I’m in Westcliffe, Colorado now. No junkies and tweakers on the sidewalks. I just passed two Mennonite women riding bicycles in dresses and bonnets. This is the real Colorado.

    Denver and the urban Front Range is a lost cause, irredeemable.

    1. That’s on my shortlist of places to move to. Only downside: when the SHTF, the gang-bangers in Pueblo will be making raiding forays into places like Westcliffe. Although the winding road into town through the mountains & forests could be their undoing…in Minecraft.

    2. I just passed two Mennonite women riding bicycles in dresses and bonnets.

      You’re not concerned about a potential outbreak of Mennonite-Amish sectarian strife? Those drive-by buggy crews are no joke – that menacing clip-clop clip-clop strikes fear into the most lion-hearted.

    3. “I’m in Westcliffe, Colorado now. No junkies and tweakers on the sidewalks. I just passed two Mennonite women riding bicycles in dresses and bonnets. This is the real Colorado.”

      – Congrats! Yes, like much of the U.S. now, rural life is authentic, honest American life, where people actually have to work for a living, and depend on the providence of Almighty God instead of handouts from the State.

      – Let me know if you’re up for a 14er sometime. I’m in El Paso County, CO, BTW.

      1. The urban areas have been flooded with illegals, diversity, and NPC Karens. They’re mostly criminals, swindlers, or on welfare.

  20. “Whether you say it’s a non-desirable neighborhood, whatever, he’s got a house. He owns a piece of property. He can always rent it out,” said Lee.

    https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/man-buys-cheapest-livable-home-in-phoenix-after-bidding-war?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A%20Trending%20Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1Dv3nV4kqPCnTQFFBoLaP7jEc_zscQEqzyeE8vBJetNVFYFbFI1xzbH8c_aem_AdJEiYaFQRTcs-kXa4DTP7WADwDyqW4f4H_0YUmg9RMofPeQ9aP8j9IlsA3KbOcmJtE

      1. Any Republican, any conservative, any American who hasn’t fallen to brain rot from the cable news who doesn’t overwhelmingly support Trump has no proper sense of revenge.

        1. We just spent a week in Scarsdale, NY with my SIL and BIL. My BIL has done VERY well in private equity, claims to be a Republican, but hates DJT and doesn’t believe the 2020 election was stolen. My conclusion: he watches too much MSM.

        2. Well, that would be me, which probably makes me a minority here. AFAIK, brain rot is not yet a problem.

          I voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. I would vote for him again in 2024 if he is the Republican candidate, which is not saying much, as I would vote for a roadkill armadillo over a Democrat. That said, I don’t want him in 2024.

          Your thirst for “revenge” is the problem. We need to get Republicans elected and get the US back on the correct path. We need what Biden promised and never delivered – a sense of unity. I want to look ahead to fixing things, not back to vindication and revenge. Your call sounds too much like the post-Civil War attitude.

          “But, but…Trump is a fighter.” Okay, but he’s also a loser. Now he’s up to his neck in stupid indictments, part of which is his own fault. Sure, DoJ is corrupt. That doesn’t mean that you hand them the sword with which to impale you.

          “We owe him for the stolen 2020 election”. BS, we owe him nothing. We need to elect the best President for the future, not to make up for the past.

          I could go on, but you get the idea. I’ll close with two points.

          “Ronald Reagan had a vision of America. Donald Trump has a vision of Donald Trump.”

          “Donald Trump wants to BE president. Unfortunately, he doesn’t want to DO president.”

          1. Total and complete B.S. The Democrats have shredded the Constitution and all you can say is that Donald Trump is too flashy. You better reserve your seat to the soon to be re-education camps.

  22. Ok, so recently 1500 Scientists made a written Declaration that there is ” No Climate Change Emergency”, and they stated the reasons why.
    But , MSN is censoring this declaration and instead we are getting fear mongering fake news of boiling temperatures.
    It’s necessary for the take over of World for these Entities to have these fake narratives, like Climate Change and global Panademics ,to scam the globe into compliance with their New World Order.
    They are not going to allow any dispute to their absurd and ridiculous fake narratives that they are using to take over world. .

  23. ‘Everything is on the table right now,’ said Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom. ‘Since we’ve been looking at sites, I think we’ve looked at 3,000 sites, some are appropriate, some are not appropriate. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d be here a year later with 100,000 people and no end in sight.’”

    Look on the bright side Anne. That’s 100,000 more like-minded votes for free stuff!

  24. ’ Waldman said. ‘With all the money that’s been sent from the federal government I simply do not understand why we’re not all housed everybody who wants to be housed should be by now.’

    That’s because it’s all in short-term rentals. You missed out on the gold rush!

  26. Does anyone have a sense of what might happen to US housing prices if the unprecedented number of speculators in US residential real estate lose the faith that real estate always goes up and tries to cut their losses by dumping properties en masse?

    I can’t wait to watch this movie!

    1. Real Estate
      Wall Street landlords are selling homes back to Main Street. Here’s what it might mean for runaway housing prices.
      Alex Nicoll
      Aug 3, 2023, 9:32 AM PDT
      A Floridian home for sale.
      A home for sale in Florida.
      Getty Images
      For the past few years, a group of real estate investors known as Wall Street landlords have been on a buying spree that captivated and outraged the nation.

      Now, it appears as if they’re selling more of these homes back to regular homeowners.
      …
      https://www.businessinsider.com/insitutional-investors-selling-single-family-homes-sales-to-main-street-2023-7

    2. Investment Firms & the State of Home Buying in the US
      Written by: Sarah Johnson | January 31, 2023

      Have you or people you know tried to buy a home in the last three years? Was it a nightmare? Been seeing in the news about “Wall Street snatching up homes”? This week, we’ll be taking a closer look at an interesting bills trending from around the country related to understanding and limiting investment firms purchasing power of single-family homes.

      A look at the Situation
      Some Background

      Before the Great Recession of 2009, financial institutions and investment firms focused on purchasing multi-family dwellings like apartments and essentially ignored single-family homes. But, when a ton of homes were suddenly being sold at incredibly low prices with low interest rates, these investors jumped at the opportunity to scoop up these homes. Individuals and businesses alike capitalized on these low-risk, high reward properties, as long as they had the funds. The general idea was to acquire the property at low cost, and hold it or rent it. This is when the term “house flipping” came about, when people would purchase an asset with a short holding period and the intent of selling it for a quick profit rather than holding on for long-term appreciation.

      Some individuals who had the capital in 2009 got the deal of a lifetime on their family home. Others were able to afford more than one and turn them into these investment properties. On the individual basis, most people were investing in homes they wanted to live in, even if it would maybe become an investment property down the line. The investment firms, however, took a strategic business approach. They bought up older homes (from the 70s and 80s) that were inexpensive, but in growing metro areas. A Google office coming somewhere near you? Maybe a Tesla? These firms focus on buying homes in those areas.

      Investment firms have continued to invest in homes because it makes financial sense for them to. When comparing investment firm buying power to an individual’s, an individual typically pays between 4-7% on their mortgage, where firms usually have access to far more money for a far lower interest rate (Invitation Homes gets interest rates around 1.4%). These firms get debt cheaper, meaning they can afford to pay a higher sticker price for a home than an individual because their actual cost is much lower. Companies also make off their rental income, allowing them to be more cash rich and make cash offers more often than an individual may be able to, making their offers more attractive to sellers. Over the last decade, the number of investors purchasing single-family homes increased from 10% to 15% each year. But, according to a study by Redfin, from 2020 to 2021 investor purchasing of single-family homes increased over 80%. That year, we saw historically low mortgage rates (averaging at 3.11%) due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

      Current State

      According to data reported by the PEW Trust and originally gathered by CoreLogic, as of 2022, investment companies own about one fourth of all single-family homes. Last year, investor purchases accounted for 22% of American homes sold. This is significantly down from the 80% number in 2020-2021, why is this? Mostly, debt has gotten more expensive over the last year, and many people are concerned about a looking major recession.

      But, it’s not just these “huge investment firms” buying up properties for investment. According to Business Insider, when looking at closings between private equity and independent operations (individuals who have “house flipping” revenues), these “investors” accounted for 44% of the purchases during the third quarter. They also state that the “rate for entry buyers (or first-time homebuyers) has continued to decline throughout the year, falling from 43% of the purchases of flipped homes in the first quarter of 2022 to just 32% in the third quarter.” Because of this, these “independent operations” are selling their flipped homes more often to institutional investors, because mortgage rates are too high for entry buyers to afford the monthly payment at the prices being asked. Entry buyers are getting “priced out”.

      Investors purchasing large percentages of available inventory is not a problem unique to the United States. Last year, in an attempt to cool off the hot housing market, the Canadian government imposed a ban on foreign investors from buying homes in Canada for two years. In Europe, there are similar articles to what we see here about investors driving up prices of homes. In Singapore, they implemented housing policies to protect citizens. Most people living in Singapore live in homes that have a 99-year lease they’ve bought from the government and this public housing is sold, not rented, helping control prices and availability.

      Last year, five states saw the highest percentage of investor purchases: Georgia (33%), Arizona (31%), Nevada (30%), California, and Texas (both 29%). These investment firms continue diminishing available inventory of houses that may otherwise be obtainable for younger, middle class households. This can lead to a kind of negative feedback loop where people cannot afford to buy because they are getting priced out, but because rent is incredibly high (and expected to keep going up), people cannot save enough money to get into the market even if rates do fall again.

      So, what legislative trends are we seeing across the United States? Let’s dive in!
      …
      https://www.billtrack50.com/blog/investment-firms-and-home-buying/

  27. ‘many of the people engaging in criminal activity at Mass. and Cass have housing, but travel to the area during the day. Along the same lines, Wu said that most of the people who gather there during the day have housing, whether temporary or permanent, but come to the area to engage in its open-air drug market’

    If libertarians had designed this there would be hell to pay.

  28. ‘If somebody is intoxicated on the street and they don’t have a residence, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s any open air dealing. It could just be they don’t have anywhere else to go’

    As we used to say on the beach Kieth, I don’t care where you go but you can’t stay here.

    1. “It could just be they don’t have anywhere else to go”

      Their families won’t house them because they’re incorrigible and more than likely thieves too. Why would anyone else get involved and spend good money for little to no positive outcome?

  29. ‘I don’t think she understands the meaning of ‘dystopian.’ If you look it up, you know the word refers to ‘a very bad or unfair society in which there is a lot of suffering, especially an imaginary society in the future, after something terrible has happened.’ In this dystopian present, something terrible has indeed happened…”Burn Spokane Down 8/3/23 — $900 million, We Not Housed, Burn Spokane’

  30. ‘A month before the sudden end of zero COVID, senior party officials told the domestic public to expect a gradual rollback of pandemic restrictions; what followed a few weeks later was an abrupt and total reversal. The sudden U-turn only reinforced the sense among Chinese people that their jobs, businesses, and everyday routines remain at the mercy of the party and its whims’

    Same thing happened here, remember? It was 24/7 then one day, they just quit talking about it.

    1. It was 24/7 then one day, they just quit talking about it.

      Funny how those doctors shrieking on the evening news about how the unjabbed were going to die horrible deaths just suddenly disappeared.

      I wonder how much they were paid to lie.

    2. I remember Brandon (FJB) telling me I was in for a winter of severe illness and death since I wouldn’t listen to his dicktator asz and get a death jab. F**K JOE BIDEN. Seriously, I hate that guy.

  31. ‘Gov. Gavin Newsom, who advocates agree has focused more on mental health than prior governors, says it’s time to ‘modernize’ how that money is spent — namely taking 30% of it, or about $1 billion a year, to spend only on housing for those with serious mental illnesses, substance use disorders or both’

    The Other IBM – Catapult – TV Ad
    Sep 30, 2006

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZmHDEa0Y20

    31 seconds.

      1. And not a great neighborhood. It’s new to me to see a garage that can house your other house (RV) 🙄

    1. $262,000,000,000 in Deposits Exits JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, BofA and Citi in One Year As Government Reveals Collapse of Another US Bank
      Alex Richardson
      August 5, 2023

      America’s biggest banks are witnessing a contraction of customer deposits as another regional bank is forced to close its doors.

      The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) says Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart, Kansas, failed on July 28th.
      …
      https://dailyhodl.com/2023/08/05/262000000000-exits-jpmorgan-wells-fargo-bofa-and-citi-in-one-year-as-government-reveals-collapse-of-another-us-bank/

      1. Is it bad of me to coach my friends and family members on how to convert their unproductive bank balances into Treasury bills yielding 5%+?

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