Election for Mayor of Laconia

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Major

You are making my point. Either you conform or you get arrested. We can provide some limited assistance, but ultimately the homeless or drug addled person involved is responsible for his own life. If, as a community, we vigorously enforce our laws against homelessness, drug use, drug sales, etc., we will be much better off for it. The homeless/drug user will then be faced with (1) conforming with societal expectations, (2) remain in a cycle of being arrested, imprisoned, set free, arrested, etc., (3) or move to a community that tolerates the behavior. I think we can put together a collection to buy one-way tickets to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland or Seattle. It appears that these communities tolerate if not embrace this type of behavior. Let them deal with it.

This is just another case of "not in my back yard". Push the problem along on someone else.
As far as homeless go, getting arrested is like giving them a hotel room and a free meal for the night. You think that's going to make them conform? That's never worked.

[Major]

Originally Posted by Biggd

This is just another case of "not in my back yard". Push the problem along on someone else.
As far as homeless go, getting arrested is like giving them a hotel room and a free meal for the night. You think that's going to make them conform? That's never worked.

I see nothing wrong with a community standing up against bad behavior. You either live by our rules, or find a place that will tolerate it. It has nothing to do with one's backyard. It has everything to do with what you want to be. One thing I know, we do not have control over the individuals involved. The choices are theirs alone. After some effort to help, I have no interest in finding out what works versus what doesn't work. I would rather focus on things that can be fixed and improve our community.

[Bigstan]

Originally Posted by Major

I see nothing wrong with a community standing up against bad behavior. You either live by our rules, or find a place that will tolerate it. It has nothing to do with one's backyard. It has everything to do with what you want to be. One thing I know, we do not have control over the individuals involved. The choices are theirs alone. After some effort to help, I have no interest in finding out what works versus what doesn't work. I would rather focus on things that can be fixed and improve our community.

It's tolerated every day. From last weeks LDS, 40 indictments for drugs -

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...af4e3c806.html

And in anther month or two you can read all about the suspended sentences / released with time served / $620 fine suspended on condition of one year of good behavior.....Etc.

For fun - Google the first five names on the list and see if you can count the times all of them have been arrested previously - I won't waste the time beyond the first five, but I bet every single name on that list has no fewer than three prior arrests. Most will have more.

I would be chastising the judges to start tossing maximum sentences around. No problems solved, but it gets rid of the person for a couple years, and noone was solving the problem anyways.

[Mr. V]

Punishing / jailing people merely for being homeless is borderline insane.

Best attack the cause of the problem:

1) mental illness. Lots of these people don't take prescribed meds, which leads to homelessness. Perhaps Big Pharma could figure out a way to time release meds such that they need only get a shot once in awhile; keeping them medicated will help.

2) family. Consider changing the law to require family members to take in and take care of their adult progeny who would otherwise be homeless.

3) jobs. This is a tough one: create jobs for homeless people: yeah, I know, easy to say, hard to do. Maybe a program akin to Job Corps, to train and house them til they are able to get to work.

4) Purge Day: once a year it's "open season" on homeless, with no limit (just kidding, but I know some of you will slam your beer down and yell "Yeah, baby!"

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Mr. V

Punishing / jailing people merely for being homeless is borderline insane.

Best attack the cause of the problem:

1) mental illness. Lots of these people don't take prescribed meds, which leads to homelessness. Perhaps Big Pharma could figure out a way to time release meds such that they need only get a shot once in awhile; keeping them medicated will help.

2) family. Consider changing the law to require family members to take in and take care of their adult progeny who would otherwise be homeless.

3) jobs. This is a tough one: create jobs for homeless people: yeah, I know, easy to say, hard to do. Maybe a program akin to Job Corps, to train and house them til they are able to get to work.

4) Purge Day: once a year it's "open season" on homeless, with no limit (just kidding, but I know some of you will slam your beer down and yell "Yeah, baby!"

#4, sad but true. It's called "thinning the herd".

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by Biggd

#4, sad but true. It's called "thinning the herd".

.... between cigarettes, drunk driving, motorcycles, and old age .... there's plenty thinning the herd happening ..... with old age finishing last. The D.O.T. sign on Rt 93 on the Campton flats says 83-NH road deaths, so far in 2019.
.................

.... and, going from Oct 10 to Oct 23 the D.O.T. sign now says 89 NH road deaths, or six deaths in 11 days which is a much higher rate than usual, probably a lot of deaths happen with cars not merging into flow of traffic when they get onto Route 93 ...... like enroute to one of the many fine retail stores in Tilton or Laconia ..... is so sad ..... r.i.p.

[Major]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

If Andrew Hosmer were here, I'd ask him ..... as Mayor of Laconia ..... how come it is so difficult to find a low priced suv, not a Jeep, with a 5-speed, stick shift and a clutch pedal ..... these days. How come I can get a Kia Soul with a stick shift but not a Kia Sportage or a Ford Explorer with a stick ....... that's my question, Mr Mayor to be?

I don't think Andrew Hosmer has anything to do with the dealership any longer. From an outsider's perspective, it appears that he's had a hard time sticking to any job, whether it be an assistant district attorney, an auto dealership executive, a consultant, etc. At a minimum, one would think they could concoct a do-nothing job at AutoServe for him. It appears he's doing this because he's bored.

My vote is for Spanos. At least he brings some level of fiscal responsibility to the council. Also, he's a proponent of the tax cap.

[djmikeb]

There was a debate October 8th and another will be October 21