Homeless Emergency on Joe Rodota Trail

[arthunter]

Yes, vetting is extremely important and I've shared my home constantly for the last 15 years without serious problems because of it. In this case I did the usual background checks, asked the pertinent questions and felt inclined to help because they were employed by a friend and acting responsibly. We are talking about a former banking professional and a pharmaceutical research assistant here, .. Good backgrounds ... They were fighting corruption ...They were homeless because they had been flooded out of their home, and it was an emergency situation, so there's your lesson, be careful in emergencies with hasty decisions ... I charged them much less then the going rate because they had lost so much but yes, I must pay my own bills on time ... Strangely, their lives became full of mishap shortly after they moved in ... Like I said, trauma can produce addiction. Lesson #2.

It's sad, all of it, because you're right, we become cautious and distrustful ..

Compassion doesn't take us down; it's acting with compassion directly (person to person) without due diligence,...

[podfish]

Not just JRT, but for homelessness in general, does this make sense? Thoughts?

the thoughts are that he's engaging in hyperbole, probably on purpose, since he clearly should know his stuff. It's not the "only plan", in fact it's not a complete plan. It's only for the population that he's been dealing with for 30yrs - the truly mentally ill. There are many more homeless who aren't in need of institutionalization. He's got nothing for them. He's got nothing for those who aren't successfully self-supporting in our current economy. Those people tend to be viewed unsympathetically as if they could just buckle down, be more personally responsible, and pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The homeless and near-homeless I know are much more likely to be in the latter category. I can imagine a society where they'd thrive, but this one's too unforgiving.

That said, one of the reason the mentally ill are in the streets is because it costs so damn much to treat them, (in the vein of "the rent's too damn high") and it was a fantasy to think that people would accept the taxation necessary to support them once the institutions were closed. I suspect those proposing closing the institutions knew that at the time, too. People won't vote for more taxes for that, they just want the politicians to stop wasting money on whatever people assume they're wasting it on, so that priorities like this can be funded magically.

[finnie]

For all the verbiage, homeless solutions can be distilled into a simple formula:

STABILITY FIRST - that means 1) a safe place to live and 2) wraparound services (medical, behavioral health, substance abuse rehab, job training etc.

It's not either/or - it's both.

[Mayacaman]

This article in the L.A. Times indicates that the push to evict the homeless from the Joe Rodota Trail - and everywhere else - is coming from the President of the United States. Can anyone in local government confirm this?

https://www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...ear-encampment

However, there was one positive item in President Trump's State of the Union message that has bearing on where the able-bodied and non-drug-addled Homeless may find work & shelter. And that's his pitch to plant a "trillion trees." Some of the less-damaged souls who are on the streets would jump at that opportunity, were it packaged and presented to them in a manner that they could hear.

Couple the work of Reforestation with the Homesteading option that I have been pitching on the other thread - for the "Homeless" need permanent "Homes" - and we have the Solution for housing and employment for fifteen to twenty percent of those who are currently on the streets of our cities.

Adrienne Lauby of Homeless Action! who knows the turf, and knows her Homeless, thinks that about twenty percent of the Homeless are capable of staying with a Homestead until it is perfected. These are the very people who would make ideal tree-planters.

Acreage that is adjacent to or enclosed within the burned hills & timber-lands of California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho - as well as acreage in Nevada - acreage that is suitable for human habitation and tiny villages of 160 acres, should be made available for Homesteading.

It really doesn't matter if the Land in question is owned by the States, the timber corporations, or by the Bureau of Land Management. What is essential is that the branches of government co-ordinate this effort, and achieve the elegant solution of alleviating the Homeless/Housing Crisis and at the same time, accomplish the necessary task of Planting Trees...

With regards to the following article, cyberanvil. Yes, the Doctor does present a serious program for those among the homeless who are mentally ill and addicted to heroin and methedrine. There is some merit in it. But not all of the Homeless are crazy. Some of them are quite sane, and have simply lost their homes.

https://californiaglobe.com/section-...-homelessness/

Some of the people whose marginal existence in Society was made painfully obvious to the rest of us in Sonoma County by the encampment on the Joe Rodota Trail should find permanent housing in facilities like the Sonoma Developmental Center. That is because some of those folks can not take care of themselves. Some would do better in halfway houses until they can get back on their feet.

But others - the twenty percent or so whom Adrienne Lauby counts among the capable - should be given the opportunity to plant the One Trillion trees that the President has decreed & at the same time, Occupy and develop a Homestead.

[finnie]

Here's a thought for all those of good conscience with compassion.
To avoid getting burnt (or burned out) I suggest these thoughts, which I find to be good guidance:

Ghandi: "I am a practical realist."

Al-anon: "Detach with love."

[DavidMySky]

Planting all those trees would be a fantastic project, but I don't believe a single word that ever comes out of trump's* mouth for even a minute. I'll believe it when the trees are planted. If you believe he's going to follow through with that... there's this bridge...

Mexico will pay for the wall.
I will eradicate ISIS in the first 30 days.
16K+ lies since ID2017 and counting.

... And that's his pitch to plant a "trillion trees." ...

[cyberanvil]

Mark Evans (aka Mayacaman) writes

With regards to the following article, cyberanvil. Yes, the Doctor does present a serious program for those among the homeless who are mentally ill and addicted to heroin and methedrine. There is some merit in it. But not all of the Homeless are crazy. Some of them are quite sane, and have simply lost their homes.

And yet I can't help but think that those in need most are the ones that are getting less attention.

[cyberanvil]

For all the verbiage, homeless solutions can be distilled into a simple formula:

STABILITY FIRST - that means 1) a safe place to live and 2) wraparound services (medical, behavioral health, substance abuse rehab, job training etc.

It's not either/or - it's both.

And what happens to those with behavioral health and substance abuse issues when they refuse help/treatment?

[cyberanvil]

Planting all those trees would be a fantastic project, but I don't believe a single word that ever comes out of trump's* mouth for even a minute. I'll believe it when the trees are planted. If you believe he's going to follow through with that... there's this bridge...

Mexico will pay for the wall.
I will eradicate ISIS in the first 30 days.
16K+ lies since ID2017 and counting.

Try to be more positive. I wasn't crushed when Obama failed on the shovel ready jobs, Solyndra or "you can keep your doctor".

[cyberanvil]

the thoughts are that he's engaging in hyperbole, probably on purpose, since he clearly should know his stuff. It's not the "only plan",...

True, the Doctor is more focused on larger concentrations (like SF) where mental illness and drug addition is more prevalent, but it could still be applied. Right now, those in need most (to my mind those with drug and mental issues) are allowed to exist in a land of their concoction far far away.
Perhaps we don't need Bullet Trains and SMART trains and should spend our money in other areas.

[DavidMySky]

Obama was far from perfect, but he did not intentionally lie several times a day the way trump* does. Obama has class. trump* is an ass, and that's being nice. As far as the doctor quote, the GOP watered down the ACA with almost 200 amendments in their failed attempt to sink it. You can hang that one on the GOP.

Try to be more positive. I wasn't crushed when Obama failed on the shovel ready jobs, Solyndra or "you can keep your doctor".

[cyberanvil]

​Mark Evans (aka Mayacaman) writes

This article in the L.A. Times indicates that the push to evict the homeless from the Joe Rodota Trail - and everywhere else - is coming from the President of the United States. Can anyone in local government confirm this?

https://www.latimes.com/homeless-hou...ear-encampment

Your spin is creative I must say. How did you get from A to B? I will say (from the article) ---


Carson also said state officials needed to “uncuff law enforcement so that people can be removed now and placed in transitional places.”

A recent Times poll found that a large majority of L.A. County voters believe police should be more active in addressing homelessness.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has spoken about the need to revise the state’s law governing conservatorships, potentially expanding the number of people who can be forced into treatment. It’s an idea that, on the street level, could involve using law enforcement to help identify and detain homeless people to be conserved.

[Mayacaman]

cyberanvil wrote:

Your spin is creative I must say. How did you get from A to B? I will say (from the article) ---

Actually, Jefferson, I was just relating the spin that the L.A. Times put on the story - our local event - for the headline itself said:

Trump wants California cops to evict homeless people. They don’t want that ‘dirty’ job

Now, one may quibble with that all one wants. Perhaps the MSM is being unfair to the poor beleaguered POTUS, and blaming him for something he didn't actually do. Maybe it's the "Deep State" shifting the onus onto Donald Trump, when the orders actually came down from the Governor. I, personally, do not know who was behind the order to evict our local derelicts from their precarious perch on the side of highway 12.

But what I do know - and sense, in my heart - is that the "problem" is far from solved. - And that we, who have houses, are not any safer or more secure now that the eyesore of the encampment is gone. Indeed, what the eviction has done is just move the problem into other fields and multiply the suffering of those who had obtained a temporary respite and a small semblance of community.

What must needs happen for the problem to be "solved" is for Land / lands to be made available for the poor to Pasture upon. That's what the Bible - the notorious "Good Book" - calls it - Pasture...

[cyberanvil]

cyberanvil wrote:


Actually, Jefferson, I was just relating the spin that the L.A. Times put on the story - our local event - for the headline itself said:

Trump wants California cops to evict homeless people. They don’t want that ‘dirty’ job

Surely you'd agree that this is a bogus headline. Nothing new in La La land. But for you to give it any kind of credence is frankly disappointing from such a researcher of act.

[Mayacaman]

Planting all those trees would be a fantastic project, but I don't believe a single word that ever comes out of trump's* mouth for even a minute. I'll believe it when the trees are planted. ...

All well and good to be skeptical, David. But since Donald may very well remain the POTUS into 2025, We the People must hold his feet to the fire on this, his one bona fide, decent promise in the SOTU. What I have proposed is the elegant solution to solve two problems at once. Why do I bother? Because Donald needs to be presented with the Option of 'doing the right thing.'

I re-iterate:

Acreage that is adjacent to or enclosed within the burned hills & timber-lands of California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho - as well as acreage in Nevada - acreage that is suitable for human habitation and tiny villages of 160 acres, should be made available for Homesteading.

It really doesn't matter if the Land in question is owned by the States, the timber corporations, or by the Bureau of Land Management. What is essential is that the branches of government co-ordinate this effort, and achieve the elegant solution of alleviating the Homeless/Housing Crisis and at the same time, accomplish the necessary task of Planting Trees...

[Mayacaman]

cyberanvil wrote:

Surely you'd agree that this is a bogus headline. Nothing new in La La land. But for you to give it any kind of credence is frankly disappointing from such a researcher of act.

No, I don't surely agree that it is a bogus headline. In truth, I have no inside information concerning the veracity -or- non-veracity of that headline. That is why I asked for someone - anyone - in our local {county} government to either confirm - or negate - the truth or falseness of the headline:

Trump wants California cops to evict homeless people. They don’t want that ‘dirty’ job

[cyberanvil]

Mark Evans (aka Mayacaman) writes

No, I don't surely agree that it is a bogus headline. In truth, I have no inside information concerning the veracity -or- non-veracity of that headline. That is why I asked for someone - anyone - in our local {county} government to either confirm - or negate - the truth or falseness of the headline:

Trump wants California cops to evict homeless people. They don’t want that ‘dirty’ job

And again, that's what's so disappointing. You, the great researcher is throwing out a bone to the hungry Left without doing your own research, it's not that hard.
Surely you know that Gavin would never consider a Trump plan unless it involved getting free money. And Trump isn't a dummy, he'd never offer.

If the glove don't fit, you must acquit.

BTW, I've developed a Maya II homeless plan. It has little chance of success, but more than your BLM relocation of untrained townies in order to build a wilderness wonderland. Details to follow.
Forty acres and a mule

[DavidMySky]

trump* do the right thing?! 😂🤣😂🤣
Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

All well and good to be skeptical, David. But since Donald may very well remain the POTUS into 2025, We the People must hold his feet to the fire on this, his one bona fide, decent promise in the SOTU. What I have proposed is the elegant solution to solve two problems at once. Why do I bother? Because Donald needs to be presented with the Option of 'doing the right thing.'

I re-iterate:

Acreage that is adjacent to or enclosed within the burned hills & timber-lands of California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho - as well as acreage in Nevada - acreage that is suitable for human habitation and tiny villages of 160 acres, should be made available for Homesteading.

It really doesn't matter if the Land in question is owned by the States, the timber corporations, or by the Bureau of Land Management. What is essential is that the branches of government co-ordinate this effort, and achieve the elegant solution of alleviating the Homeless/Housing Crisis and at the same time, accomplish the necessary task of Planting Trees...

[Mayacaman]

trump* do the right thing?! 藍藍
Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

I'm not holding my breath, David. But, as I said, "...Donald needs to be presented with the Option..."

All of Life is a matter of Choices. If Donald makes the wrong Choices, it is on him.

[finnie]

what about those who refuse treatment? not much can be done. we know that forcing treatment fails. but let's take care of the 90% who want help first. maybe those left behind will change their minds when they see their friends getting better.
and as far as the most vulnerable, they are the top priority for placement at los guilicos and for future villages, i'm told.
my biggest concern at the moment is the big cut that the leadership council just made to the budgets of those who are providing services. as it was, it wasn't nearly enough, especially in behavioral health services.
outrageous!

[DavidMySky]

He's had more than enough options, chances, and opportunities to do the right thing
He didn't have to fire the Vindmans and Sunderland.

...Why do I bother? Because Donald needs to be presented with the Option of 'doing the right thing.'...

[podfish]

Surely you'd agree that this is a bogus headline. Nothing new in La La land. But for you to give it any kind of credence is frankly disappointing from such a researcher of act.

Yes, it's a slightly bogus headline. If you read past the headline you get:

In recent months, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, echoing rhetoric from President Trump about a possible crackdown on homeless encampments in California cities, called for “empowering and utilizing local law enforcement,” in a letter to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. In a Fox television interview, Carson also said state officials needed to “uncuff law enforcement so that people can be removed now and placed in transitional places.”

The media is quite annoying with their hunt for the equivalent of click-bait in headlines. They often imply something that the actual story doesn't actually state. I don't know why you think this isn't credible, it's very plausibly trumpy. It's just not necessarily true. So: given that the article doesn't actually make the claim, I don't think this deserves many pinocchios.

[finnie]

this is nothing new, friends - santa rosa pd has been doing this for years.
people are forced out under threat of arrest except that we don't have transitional places to send them.
we've had emergency warehouse shelters like sam jones (good for a stay of 6 months, max) and with the last rodota trail eviction, 60 people got cottages at los guilicos and at least 100 others had no place to go and have scattered to the winds.
carson's plan actually was a step up because he called for a place/s that would accommodate everybody. not that they exist, of course.

[cyberanvil]

He's had more than enough options, chances, and opportunities to do the right thing
He didn't have to fire the Vindmans and Sunderland.

He didn't have to? Really? They serve at the pleasure of the President. They can be dismissed at any time and for any reason. They are expected to carry out the Presidents agenda. BTW, Vindman was reassigned, so in reality he wasn't "fired." Vindman in particular was a leaker, one who disobeyed orders and was a never Trumper.

[Mayacaman]

I think that this conversation has digressed long enough from the topic at the top of the thread. Whether or not you consider it a possibility that the current Administration could round up & incarcerate masses of the homeless, or could even consider doing that as one of their “Options” -Or- Whether or not some among you are in denial about the very existence of the FEMA Camps, is not relevant to the subject at hand.

The encampment on Robles Road has just been “moved on.” Here is some footage of the Sheriff's action. Thus the old story repeats itself: the same heartless, vicious approach of Herbert Hoover when he sent in the Cossacks with billyclubs to break up the Tent City of the Bonus Marchers. Still no solutions as to where the homeless may find pasture.

It seems to me that there must be somewhere along Santa Rosa Avenue {on the east side of the avenue} within a mile of Friedman's that could serve as a permanent base for a Tent City & site for RV's, Campers, & Tiny Houses. Someone ought to diligently look into the potential of that neighborhood for a large lot that the City could buy with the help of the State. It is a central & accessible location; people could come and go, and the police could monitor it.

I am suggesting this as a possibility in addition to the temporary, band-aid “fix” of Los Guilicos, which is slated to end in April, anyway. There must needs be permanent Pasture where the Homeless are always welcome to pitch their tents &/Or build a Tiny House of their own on a more or less permanent basis.

Beyond that, there needs to be the Option of Opening up the Public Lands to Homesteading; i.e., permanent Housing in more remote areas. – And I suggest that some of the recently burned-out forest lands of the North Coast might be suitable for small intentional communities. Specifically, the area to the west of Laytonville, where tens of thousands of acres have recently been burned. There, the able-bodied among the homeless could be put to work planting trees - forests of mixed conifers and hardwoods, and orchards of fruits and nuts.

Perhaps the local government here in Sonoma County could seriously consider the advantages of this Option, and push for this in the Present. You may call it the Mendocino Option - since there is plenty of recently scorched acreage in Mendocino County. This Option would alleviate the Supervisors of some of the 'headache' of what to do about the Homeless here, locally, and move a portion of the "solution" into rural areas in Mendocino County.

This option would also have the benefit of providing both housing and employment for those who are currently without. Plus, it would have the extra benefit of channeling the positive energy that some of these folks can produce into turf that could use some tender loving care.

It is 2020. If Donald Trump and Secretary Ben Carson will not rise to the plate to Open the so-called "Public Lands" to a new round of Homesteading, perhaps the Democrats can be persuaded to include this Idea as a Resolution & a Plank in their 2020 Platform. That is their Option. After all, there is plenty of Land. North America - especially the Western half of it - is still a vast land, full of empty spaces.

[finnie]

some good thoughts in here but one is troubling.
we can't think about resolving sonoma county's problems in mendocino county.
if all parties were willing, of course, it will work.
but perhaps it's best that we solve our county's emergency within the county.
onward!

... And I suggest that some of the recently burned-out forest lands of the North Coast might be suitable for small intentional communities. Specifically, the area to the west of Laytonville, where tens of thousands of acres have recently been burned. ...

[cyberanvil]

Mark Evans (aka Mayacaman) writes

... And I suggest that some of the recently burned-out forest lands of the North Coast might be suitable for small intentional communities. Specifically, the area to the west of Laytonville,...

I just don't see your plan as workable in any sense. Taking untrained townies (who are not Daniel Boon types) and planting them in some wilderness spot. A spot that is burned out or otherwise not at all inviting is ludicrous. Expecting them to fell trees, build cabins and all the infrastructure to sustain a village or commune. It just isn't happening. Support services, employment, etc, etc? Miles from regular habitation, where's an unemployed computer tech, office worker, welder, auto mechanic, etc. etc. going to work? Kudo's for the imagination, but -------------

[karenm97]

I'm sure that there are not many to-be-developed lots on Santa Rosa Ave that have water, sewer, and electrical hookups. There are plenty of new units being built - maybe you mean to suggest that the city or county could take some of those over?

But let's return to your idea of setting up concentration camps for homeless people to "homestead" in burned forest areas These people who don't have the money to deal with basic living expenses will be, what, put out in the burned forest, away from all stores and services, and those who are well enough will be "put to work" planting trees? Slavery? Cruelty?

Wonder how much money you're thinking our county would pay Mendo to "take" our homeless folks.

[podfish]

But let's return to your idea of setting up concentration camps for homeless people to "homestead" in burned forest areas These people who don't have the money to deal with basic living expenses will be, what, put out in the burned forest, away from all stores and services, and those who are well enough will be "put to work" planting trees? Slavery? Cruelty?

I don't think that's a fair representation of what MM is envisioning.

Just personally, if I suddenly had no assets at all, it might be attractive to have a nice cabin in the woods with some like-minded neighbors. With a good do-it-yourselfer attitude, a bit of a non-materialistic philosophy of life, and some basic resources, it might be a fine way to live. For me, way better than a dirty urban tent. But, I live out here in Sonoma county too. Most people attracted to places like SF, and even to Santa Rosa's city center, probably would feel like you say - forcibly separated from society. I still like his idea of creating neighborhoods for people who can't or won't compete. They just need to be in proximity to "the rest of us". It seems like a goal for civilization should be to remove basic food, basic shelter, and health care from the competitive capitalistic economy. The ones who thrive under this system get to set the rules for what kinds of attitudes, personality, and skills it takes to participate. Nature itself is even harsher, but shouldn't we try to be more humane and enlightened?

[Mayacaman]

finnie wrote:

some good thoughts in here but one is troubling. we can't think about resolving sonoma county's problems in mendocino county. if all parties were willing, of course, it will work. but perhaps it's best that we solve our county's emergency within the county.
onward!

Kathleen, we must think outside the little sandbox of Sonoma County. Most of those who are currently among the Homeless in Sonoma County came from elsewhere, and many of them would not mind going a few miles north of here - if they could find work and a safe place to pitch their tent at the same time.

When & If the bureaucrats in both Counties realize that roughly twenty percent of the Homeless can: A] Plant trees (@ piecework wages) & B] Homestead small plots of land & thus be off the streets, perhaps they will catch the vision that Land Reform coupled with Reforestation is the elegant solution, to two major issues.

cyberanvil wrote:

I just don't see your plan as workable in any sense. Taking untrained townies (who are not Daniel Boon types) and planting them in some wilderness spot. A spot that is burned out or otherwise not at all inviting is ludicrous. Expecting them to fell trees, build cabins and all the infrastructure to sustain a village or commune. It just isn't happening. Support services, employment, etc, etc? Miles from regular habitation, where's an unemployed computer tech, office worker, welder, auto mechanic, etc. etc. going to work?

It certainly is not for everyone, cyberanvil. But, after I had spent several days on the JRT, and had spoken with a number of able-bodied people about the option of A] Being paid by the government to plant trees, & B] Having the opportunity to patent a Homestead of either 4.444 or just under half an acre (depending on how much one could reasonably handle) everyone I spoke to said “Where can I do this?” & “Let me at it ! “

After doing that field work, I ran the Idea by Adrienne Lauby of Homeless Action! -& Said that I thought roughly fifteen percent of the homeless folks I spoke with (especially the veterans among them) could handle the rigors of living in their tents in the woods, planting trees for their day jobs, and building their own rammed earth houses, brick by brick.

Adrienne Lauby warmed to the Idea, and stated emphatically that she thought that at least twenty percent of the Homeless that she knows in this County would be capable of sticking to it.

karenm97 wrote:

I'm sure that there are not many to-be-developed lots on Santa Rosa Ave that have water, sewer, and electrical hookups. There are plenty of new units being built - maybe you mean to suggest that the city or county could take some of those over?

Nope, I’m not suggesting that at all. I don’t think that it is the responsibility of any County to spend millions of dollars to house people. It shouldn’t fall on the Counties to provide housing for everyone, rent free.

The responsibility of alleviating the Homeless Crisis should be shared by the States and the Federal government - which, since the time of Ronald Reagan has steadily abrogated more & more responsibility of providing for the poor and those who are not able to function in a self-supporting manner. Sonoma Developmental Center is a perfect and safe place for some of the more dysfunctional folks who are currently living on the edge.

The SDC should be retrofitted no matter what the cost. A government that can spend 738 Billion dollars on more war toys for the benefit of the plutes ought to be able to retrofit a hospital. There should also be places in every county where the homeless can safely pitch their tents, without being hassled & continually moved on by the gendarmes. There should also be cheap State-subsidized hotels where down and out people can spend the night for five dollars.

“But let's return to your idea of setting up concentration camps for homeless people to "homestead" in burned forest areas…”

How could you possibly misread my words and attribute such vicious intentions into anything that I have written? When I wrote about the FEMA Camps, it was a warning that they do exist, and that Trump and Carson may indeed have those {very dark} intentions. Q. Just what did Ben Carson mean when he spoke of "clean places" where the homeless are to be put ?

My suggestion to put some of the homeless (the able ones) to work planting trees is one positive solution to the Homeless Crisis. It achieves the elegant solution of allowing People – Anybody: Boomers, Generation X’rs & Millennials - to obtain a parcel of land that, in the end shall be theirs to keep -and also- granting them meaningful Paid Labor, planting Trees. The Slogan is:

"Forty Acres, an Alaskan, a Bobcat & a Cinva Earth Ram"

If the Federal government can waste seven hundred and thirty-eight billions dollars on the DoD this year, they can also provide an Alaskan, a Bobcat & a Cinva Earth Ram to every forty acre parcel that is established as the site of a Homestead patent. They can help do the deep drilling, down to primary water, so that even semi-arid lands can become viable for human habitation.

The Idea of Opening up the Public Lands to Homesteading does not equate with “putting the homeless in concentration camps.” How could you come up with such a baseless slurring of my meaning Karen? I suggest that you take a serious -and long- look at the many articles I have posted on the other thread here on WaccoBB. Then you would understand where I am coming from, and would not attribute such vile sentiments to me.

“These people who don't have the money to deal with basic living expenses will be, what, put out in the burned forest, away from all stores and services, and those who are well enough will be "put to work" planting trees? Slavery? Cruelty?”

What I am proposing, Karen is that the Federal government spend several Billion dollars to provide jobs and services for the million or so people who are currently homeless in America. – And that selected portions of the vast open spaces of the West be made available for Homesteading, once again.

The Federal Budget for the Department of Defense is 738 Billion dollars for fiscal 2020. To me that is obscene. I do not support the notion of unlimited spending on Welfare; but the basic needs of American citizens are far more important and pressing than the bottomless hunger of the military-industrial complex.

I know, from talking to people on the JRT, that the able-bodied among the homeless would much rather be gainfully employed planting trees in the wilderness & reforesting the scarred terrain – with the assistance of professional foresters - and simultaneously building their own houses, on parcels that shall become their own property.

“Wonder how much money you're thinking our county would pay Mendo to "take" our homeless folks.”

None. That is not in the equation. Both Counties are Departments of the State of California.