Originally Posted by
kewlJ
I don't want to play politics, but I hate that republicans on these sites blame everything on the 'liberal democrats' and democrats blame everything on wealthy republicans. There is more than enough blame for both sides on most issues, including this one. I am a registered republican, but consider myself an independent. I voted for Trump once last year (primary) and voted against him once (general). I am socially liberal feeling people should be free to make their own decisions on most social issues and fiscally conservative, thinking the government spends to much of our tax dollars and that includes on the different welfare programs.
So this situation like most there is plenty of blame for both sides, and some blame that is due to neither. California is far too liberal in welfare benefits in my opinion. This is the fault of Democrats. Welfare was not suppose to be a lifelong 'lifestyle' Welfare was supposed to be a temporary aid to help people get back on their feet.
On the republican side, the great Ronald Reagan has to take significant blame. As president he cut funding for mental hospitals, opting for a program to intergrade the mentally ill back into society. People forget that he was also governor of California before he became president and implemented that same policy at the state level first. So that bad idea and failed policy, California got two different slaps from Ronald Reagan.
And some of the homeless are homeless due to no fault of their own. Some of them work fulltime or multiple part-time job and just can't afford to live anywhere in California. Apartments run thousands of dollars in some of these places. How does a low income worker afford that? High cost of living is one of the issues in a place that has high-end job market, like California with the tech industry. There is a greater divide and for people on the lower end, everything is out of reach.
I don't know what the answers are. But nothing will be accomplished by the traditional 'pass the blame to the other side'.