A tale of two cities

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by garysanfran

Again, Laconia should have a lot to learn from the lessons learned from other cities...A very informative read...

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/ar...d-city/661199/

As a person who used to love San Francisco, I agree this is a great article that describes incredibly naive policies that are destroying the city. For those on this thread whose last visit was 15-20 years ago, it is no longer that city, and you'd be shocked that any wealthy civilized community allows this.

The hyperventilating on "trusts" misses the point. The real issue is how to we care for people who are not able to care for themselves, and how do we do this in a way that does not let the inmates run the asylum.

I hope all will read the piece Gary posted

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

As a person who used to love San Francisco, I agree this is a great article that describes incredibly naive policies that are destroying the city. For those on this thread whose last visit was 15-20 years ago, it is no longer that city, and you'd be shocked that any wealthy civilized community allows this.

The hyperventilating on "trusts" misses the point. The real issue is how to we care for people who are not able to care for themselves, and how do we do this in a way that does not let the inmates run the asylum.

I hope all will read the piece Gary posted

I think he was just pointing out that difference between generational inheritance that some enjoy (whether the receiving generation or the giving generation, since their children or grandchildren will benefit) and the poverty of homelessness.

Oddly, the increase in the homeless in the area correlates to the issue that the businesses and community has suffered from with increased cost of housing in general.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

I think he was just pointing out that difference between generational inheritance that some enjoy (whether the receiving generation or the giving generation, since their children or grandchildren will benefit) and the poverty of homelessness.

Oddly, the increase in the homeless in the area correlates to the issue that the businesses and community has suffered from with increased cost of housing in general.

The OP noted both self-made wealthy people and those with trusts. Others then felt like he was attacking inherited wealth...

Personally, I think mowterman's excellent point about the huge gap between the rich and the poor is much more important than whether people inherited their properties or not. Like San Francisco, we have a colossal amount of wealth on the lake. (Is it $1 billion in real estate value? Primarily on second homes!) We should not have hungry children nearby or drug addicts laying on the street.

[John Mercier]

Laconia has some of that... but not all of that... lake frontage value.