The statistics of homelessness in America are a tragedy. It’s hard to imagine how politicians at every level of government, from small-town city councils all the way to the White House, have been able to effectively ignore the scourge of homelessness from a humanitarian perspective. Unfortunately, it’s not hard at all to understand that the pervasive “nothing’s free” ethos of capitalist America keeps people from wanting to think about it, or even acknowledge that something could be done at very little cost and effort to the average person.
There are more than half a million homeless people in America — somewhere around the two-tenths of a percent of the population of the United States. There are more than 18 million empty, vacant homes that have been foreclosed on. The math there is pretty simple, but people won’t concede that it’s viable because then people would be getting something for nothing. That’s unacceptable to many people in America, even if they know the properties will never be occupied otherwise.
Nobody can have it.
But the rhetoric spouted by Donald Trump at his Thursday rally in Cincinnati, Ohio is the kind of thing that just cements that stuff in the public consciousness. And because he’s been on a roll attacking American cities when they’re represented by Democrats, he took a swing at Los Angeles and California in general on Thursday night.
Much like his attacks on Baltimore, which followed Maryland Representative Elijah Cummings’ subpoenas for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s private email accounts, Trump’s California digs came after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an order requiring presidential candidates who want to be on the ballot in his state to release their tax returns.
Apparently when you piss off, Trump, he goes after the place you represent.
But he had nothing but lies and misplaced vitriol for the homeless problem in California, calling the state “a disgrace to our country” and declaring that half of the homeless population of America lives there. It’s actually about a quarter, which seems high until you factor in the fact that an eighth of all Americans live in California, and the climate there is just about perfect if you don’t have shelter.
In fact, California’s homeless population accounts for about three-tenths of the state’s total population, one and a half times higher than the national average. But then, Trump’s home state of New York has five times the national average, accounting for a full one percent of that state’s population.
Trump wouldn’t dare disparage his own home, though.
Watch Trump’s pathetic attack on California here:
Featured image via screen capture
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