San Francisco is a ****hole.

threein99 · 08-03-2019 11:49am

Was there for 4 days last year, wouldn't rush back, Alcatraz was great. The Golden Gate bridge is cool to look at but the noise of the traffic on it when you are walking over it is head wrecking. Sausalito is really nice too.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 08-03-2019 11:57am

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Richest country in the world with unprecedented standards of living but okay!

Emm... they're trillions of dollars in debt....

Grayson · 08-03-2019 12:02pm

I've had to travel there for work and it really is a shocking place. I've been to developing nations and not seen homelessness as bad, or at least not as visible. You arrive on the plane, hop onto a BART (their equivalent of the DART), and that's when your introduction starts. The BART was built in the 70's. It looks like it. It makes the dart look classy. There's plenty of people begging on it and you even see them crapping on it. From the bart you can see the tent cities as you go into SF. Once you get into SF nearly every second doorway has a homeless person in it. And you'll see many walking around shouting random crap. These are the people with health issues

SF is one of the starkest examples of the rich poor divide in the US. You'll see loads of 100k cars on the streets and out of SF you'll see even more. But there's so much poverty.

My coworkers in the US earn at least double what I do. I know of an intern who turned down a job after college for 120k a year because he was offered more elsewhere. And then there's the service workers in walmart, starbucks etc. They haven't got a hope of competing with the skilled workers for even basic housing.

SharpshooterTom · 08-03-2019 12:20pm

Aww this thread really upsets me.

I've never been to the US before and finally heading there for the very first time this summer and decided to pick San Francisco as my first American city. Been saving up for it for a few months now.

People bad mouth SF but I look into considering LA instead people moan about that saying its souless, has no real city centre. I look at Vegas and people call that fake, overrated, tacky etc.

It seems like every city in the US is hated one way or another.

Subcomandante Marcos · 08-03-2019 12:24pm

Dingaan wrote: »

He means the Democrat's have been in power since the year dot.

So the slightly less right wing neoliberal party hasn't fixed the social issues that cause poverty and homelessness in a country with almost zero social safety nets?

Well Colour me stunned.

Sonics2k · 08-03-2019 12:32pm

Little bit anecdotal but I know a good few people who live and work in SF. A really good mate of mine from school got a job a few years ago with a massive Tech firm, and ended up moving to Seoul about 5 years ago with them.

Sometime last year they offered him a promotion, a huge pay rise and an offer to move to the SF office and work with the key developer team. They gave him a few weeks to think about it.

Long story short, he spoke to colleagues working in the SF office, spent a week out there and ended up turning the job down. Even with the pay rise he'd end up losing cash, largely due to the sheer cost of rent in the city. He'd have to pay for a 2bed apartment for himself, his wife and kid and was looking at thousands per month for a place smaller than he had, in a crappy neighbourhood.

SF has been overtaken by these massive tech companies that can afford to pay their staff massive wages which lead to mass homelessness and housing issues.

Grayson · 08-03-2019 12:40pm

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Aww this thread really upsets me.

I've never been to the US before and finally heading there for the very first time this summer and decided to pick San Francisco as my first American city. Been saving up for it for a few months now.

People bad mouth SF but I look into considering LA instead people moan about that saying its souless, has no real city centre. I look at Vegas and people call that fake, overrated, tacky etc.

It seems like every city in the US is hated one way or another.

The touristy stuff there is nice. Nice parks, great food and places like Sausalito & Muir woods are beautiful. You'll enjoy it. It would just be a horrible place to live unless you were absolutely loaded.

Franz Von Peppercorn · 08-03-2019 2:02pm

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Aww this thread really upsets me.

I've never been to the US before and finally heading there for the very first time this summer and decided to pick San Francisco as my first American city. Been saving up for it for a few months now.

People bad mouth SF but I look into considering LA instead people moan about that saying its souless, has no real city centre. I look at Vegas and people call that fake, overrated, tacky etc.

It seems like every city in the US is hated one way or another.

To be fair to San Francsico they have a homeless problem because other States and cities treat their homeless more severely. You can't be homeless in Texas and other parts of the US, you are locked up or "moved on". Vagrancy laws apply. Because of that and the relatively benign weather, and the fact that SF is a walkable and tourist city making it easier to beg better explains the issue there. SF could rid itself of homelessness like other cities by passing draconian laws which they won't.

The problems of homelessness in the US may be caused by Neo-liberalism but they manifest in liberal cities.

Franz Von Peppercorn · 08-03-2019 2:06pm

The other problems re rent and so on in SF are absolutely true. Even the highest paid tech worker has little disposable income. Theres rent control for some, and others have their mortgage paid off but that generally applies to the natives ( and I mean native to SF not the US). And these guys are the worst nimbyists in the US. ( In case you think that I'm just defending the "liberals" there).

RasTa · 08-03-2019 2:07pm

Obviously never been to hastings in Vancouver

sk8erboii · 08-03-2019 2:09pm

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Emm... they're trillions of dollars in debt....

National debt is quite djfferent from personal debt lad

Grayson · 08-03-2019 2:13pm

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

The other problems re rent and so on in SF are absolutely true. Even the highest paid tech worker has little disposable income. Theres rent control for some, and others have their mortgage paid off but that generally applies the natives ( and I mean native to SF not the US). And these guys are the worst nimbyists in the US. ( In case you think that I'm just defending the "liberals" there).

And it leads into the inequality there too. Since schools and even police are paid out of local property taxes, the best schools are in the more expensive neighbourhoods.

I spent a lot of my time outside SF in towns around there and it's all about what neighbourhood you live in. There was a lot of chat in the office about who lives where.

08-03-2019 2:20pm

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

........

It seems like every city in the US is hated one way or another.

Boston is grand

Small city admittedly.

jam_mac_jam · 08-03-2019 2:23pm

sk8erboii wrote: »

National debt is quite djfferent from personal debt lad

Doesn't really matter how different if you can't walk along the street without dodging human ****. That's a bit third world regardless of how rich they are.

Franz Von Peppercorn · 08-03-2019 2:24pm

sk8erboii wrote: »

National debt is quite djfferent from personal debt lad

He didn’t say it wasn’t. Lad. Although there’s a different problem with how we measure debt vs gdp, that isn’t it.

Grayson · 08-03-2019 2:28pm

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

Doesn't really matter how different if you can't walk along the street without dodging human ****. That's a bit third world regardless of how rich they are.

To be fair you don't see that often unless you're in certain neighbourhoods like the tenderloin. It's extremely rare downtown or around columbus or any of the touristy areas.

I've watched a few documentaries about the opioid crisis and issues caused by other drugs like meth, and SF is far from the worst city, even in california. There's places like Reno which are just in bits.

Edit: I know Reno is Nevada, it's just that was the last doc I saw.

TeaBagMania · 08-03-2019 2:28pm

its not just SF, the whole of Comifornia is turning into a ****hole

Grayson · 08-03-2019 2:33pm

And btw, cali is one of the higher tax states. I worked out how much tax I'd be paying if I was living there and it's not as high as here, but it's not far off.
It's just that people don't get much for their tax dollars. And richer people pay a lower proportion of tax.

Edit: I just checked again and it's lower now thanks to Trumps tax breaks.

AllForIt · 08-03-2019 2:45pm

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Aww this thread really upsets me.

I've never been to the US before and finally heading there for the very first time this summer and decided to pick San Francisco as my first American city. Been saving up for it for a few months now.

People bad mouth SF but I look into considering LA instead people moan about that saying its souless, has no real city centre. I look at Vegas and people call that fake, overrated, tacky etc.

It seems like every city in the US is hated one way or another.

I always shut out those kinds of thoughts when on hols no matter where the destination. All cities have a bad side to one degree or another.

And I never heard anyone say they hate NY, not Manhattan anyway.

buried · 08-03-2019 2:45pm

Keep reading thread title as "San Francisco is A$$hole" in the same voice as Mr.Wu

rossie1977 · 08-03-2019 3:04pm

A country that has no welfare system or socialized health care system has a homeless issue...colour me shocked. San Francisco is a beautiful city but it's homeless problems go back decades. First time I visited there 20 years ago there was young teenagers holding doors at fast food joints hoping you would give them change.

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Richest country in the world with unprecedented standards of living but okay!

Top 0.1% own as much of the overall wealth as the bottom 90% so as far as income wealth distribution goes it's a long way behind western Europe. It's gotten so bad that 40% of Americans now can't pay a $400 debt without taking out emergency loan https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/22/fed-survey-40-percent-of-adults-cant-cover-400-emergency-expense.html

Those Reagan, Bush tax cuts (and just wait till Trump's kick in fully) have shifted all the wealth to the top with everyone else fighting over the scraps.

Keyzer · 08-03-2019 3:13pm

Been there a couple of times, never seen anything like the stuff in that video.

I've always loved spending time there, its an iconic city with lots to see and do.

Yes, there is a homeless issue but we're talking about a metropolitan area with the population of Ireland in it. America, like every country, has its problems - treatment and ongoing care of the mentally ill being one of them.

micosoft · 08-03-2019 3:27pm

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

To be fair to San Francsico they have a homeless problem because other States and cities treat their homeless more severely. You can't be homeless in Texas and other parts of the US, you are locked up or "moved on". Vagrancy laws apply. Because of that and the relatively benign weather, and the fact that SF is a walkable and tourist city making it easier to beg, better explains the issue there. SF could rid itself of homelessness like other cities by passing draconian laws which they won't.

The problems of homelessness in the US may be caused by Neo-liberalism but they manifest in liberal cities.

This. The simple minded misinformation being spread by the "compassionate" conservatives belies the fact that the homesless migrate to liberal states to get some form of support vs. the "Christian" Conservatives states that give nothing. The numbers of homeless in SFO and other liberal cities is a statement of their compassion and alignment with actual christian values of those states as opposed to the self-centered and ruthless behavior towards their own people.
Detroit is a symbol of America no investing in it's people unlike Germany leading to the death of US manufacturing.

topper75 · 08-03-2019 3:33pm

TeaBagMania wrote: »

its not just SF, the whole of Comifornia is turning into a ****hole

I was in neighbouring (or should that be neighboring?!) Nevada a little while back and saw a lot of visible growth, construction etc. Asked a local where all these people are coming from.
"Oh all over, but they are jumping off California like fleas off a dead dog".

Democrat tax regime, droughts, fires, and now sidewalk ****. I'd be gone too.

Ultros · 08-03-2019 3:40pm

I wouldn't vote Democrat if you put a gun to my head. California is their utopia, where they introduced law shrinking punishment for knowingly infecting someone with hiv.

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/new-california-law-reduces-penalty-knowingly-exposing-someone-hiv-n809416

They shield and hide criminal aliens who've committed serious crimes.

https://www.irli.org/single-post/2019/02/28/%E2%80%98Sanctuary%E2%80%99-California-Failed-to-Honor-Over-5600-ICE-Detainers

"An investigation by the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) has revealed that California law enforcement agencies have refused to honor a shocking number of immigration detainer requests for illegal aliens charged with serious felonies, an indictment of the state’s deadly and unconstitutional sanctuary laws.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by IRLI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released records regarding law enforcement agencies that failed to honor ICE detainer requests. For a 27 month period ending on December 31, 2017, many California police and sheriff’s departments refused to honor over 5,600 immigration holds, of which over 3,400 were classified by ICE as threat level 1 and 2 offenses. These included, but were not limited to, homicide, kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, drugs, burglary, and fraud."

Is there any blue city in the US where they've had rule for decades that isn't a complete shíthole? But, but Climate change.

Deiselurker · 08-03-2019 3:47pm

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Aww this thread really upsets me.

I've never been to the US before and finally heading there for the very first time this summer and decided to pick San Francisco as my first American city. Been saving up for it for a few months now.

People bad mouth SF but I look into considering LA instead people moan about that saying its souless, has no real city centre. I look at Vegas and people call that fake, overrated, tacky etc.

It seems like every city in the US is hated one way or another.

My brother has been living there for many years and loves it there. I've been there many times visiting and it's an interesting city with loads to see and do. It has a great history too.
The homeless problem is mainly in city centre and seeing mentally ill or addicted people passed out on street is a bit of a shock but I would not let it put me off. Many of the homeless come from other parts of USA because of mild climate and because they are tolerated more than in other cities. Also I've heard of other cities paying for tickets for their homeless to go there. You definitely see the divide between rich and poor there with huge multi million mansions in some areas.

Yamanoto · 08-03-2019 3:49pm

I like cities with a bit of grit about them but SFO has a menacing vibe to much of the Downtown. There can be 2 parallel streets beside each other, one grand to stroll down & the other where you'd instantly pick up on the fact you should get off that block ASAP.

The go softly policies from City Hall allow a small minority of folks to make everyone elses experience of the place a bit grim. There's a difference between vagrancy and nuisance vagrancy, which shouldn't be indulged.

wakka12 · 08-03-2019 3:54pm

Its a beautiful city with so much going for it, its expensive because lots of people want to live there. But yes it has problems. I hate when people say Paris, London, Sydney, Berlin, New York (insert any other famous western city )etc are ****e. No mention of any actually ****e cities like Dhaka, Mumbai, Damascus, Baghdad, Karachi and Port Au Prince which are ****e in every sense of the word with no redeeming features

What you mean to say is you see major problems in a city which is generally considered among one of the nicest in the world with highest quality of life

Hector Savage · 08-03-2019 3:54pm

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Aww this thread really upsets me.

I've never been to the US before and finally heading there for the very first time this summer and decided to pick San Francisco as my first American city. Been saving up for it for a few months now.

People bad mouth SF but I look into considering LA instead people moan about that saying its souless, has no real city centre. I look at Vegas and people call that fake, overrated, tacky etc.

It seems like every city in the US is hated one way or another.

Don't worry, as a tourist you're fine!

TeaBagMania · 08-03-2019 3:56pm

Ultros wrote: »

I wouldn't vote Democrat if you put a gun to my head.

you couldn't if you wanted to, Comifornia routinely tramples on the United States Constitution's second amendment.
They are well on their way to outlawing ALL guns

San Francisco is a ****hole.

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