How to do it the American way.
I am the only candidate for Washington State Governor who has been homeless. I will share some of my experiences with you.
Being homeless wasn’t a new experience for me. I had been living on the streets on and off since my early teen years. My home was violent and abusive. I won’t go into details but I did consider eating discarded pizza was a better option that living with very violent parents.
I was bounced through Washington State’s Foster care program. Needless to say it wasn’t fun. Seeing my foster father beat his wife was one of the better experiences I endured.
After losing my last job in 2002, I was forced to sleep on the street again. Fortunately I had been through this before so I knew what to expect. Backpack with three changes of clothes, sewing kit, hygiene, sleeping bag and a tarp to stay dry in the rain. I did spend a lot of time at the library reading and doing other research. I scrounged together some money and bought a knife sharpening kit and made a sign for my backpack advertising knife sharpening for $2.00 a blade. I must have dome a good job as I had several repeat customers. Spent a lot of time at the Share House in Vancouver Wa. just collecting my thoughts and pulling myself together.
What I saw
A lot of people with a lot of different problems. I saw a lot of them. They had their motivations. They had complete lack of motivation. Many simply liked where they were. Seriously. The Train Riders were an interesting bunch with different stories. One Train Rider I met was in a boxcar with some illegal immigrants who were all crossing the Rocky Mountains in the cold weather and he told me he watched them freeze to death before his eyes. They didn’t have any protection from the cold.
I watched a number of fights between people who had violent tendencies. A pair of brothers still treat the Clark County jail if has a revolving door. I have seen heroine addicts drag the young woman around with them. As soon as she showed signs of pregnancy they ditched her and I presume they left town. I heard she went back to her parents but the sources are sketchy at best.
The single worst experience was dealing with this one particular Vietnam vet. I shared a camp with him for a short time. He was a real good guy except for the flashbacks. He also liked to be drunk all the time as well. I met him and we exchanged pleasantries and the subject of selling blood for money came up. Of course I always need more money so I went to the blood bank with him a couple of time. I found out I have an elevated liver enzyme making my blood unsuitable.
One night he wakes up just screaming his head off that “Charlie” is coming in. Being woke up like that, it took me a bit to realize what was happening. I thought her was talking about a guy named Charles who was a resident at the Share House at the time whom we both were acquainted with. It did take awhile to calm him down. A lot of people you meet aren’t the easiest to deal with.
Dealing with the mentally ill and those with similar conditions, depressions, bi-polar, etc… are the most disturbing. One guy, I went to school with his brother, was never there mentally. Always laughing to himself and always muttering to himself. He wasn’t a threat to anyone so he was left alone. Others displayed bizarre behavior to say the least. One guy kept talking into his hand like it was a recording device or communicator. There were others but for my own sanity I began maintaining a very safe distance from the others.
Mr. Bird’s UnConstitutional plan to “Solve” the homeless Crisis
- As Governor, in accordance with RCW 43.06.10 (12), I will declare a state of emergency based on “public disorder which affects life, health, property, or the public peace.”
- Under Article 3 (8) of the Washington State constitution, I will activate our national guard to bring forward immediate housing, physical, psychological, and dental health services, which will include alcohol and drug addiction intervention and treatment.
- We will partner with education partners to bring forward training which will lead to skill certification, as patients/residents move toward improved mental health and sobriety.
- We will partner with the business community to facilitate job placement.
- We will partner with non-profit organizations to facilitate temporary housing, out-patient counseling, and community reintegration services.
A point by point rebuttal of Mr. Bird’s UnConstitutional plan.
RCW 43.06.10 (12) The governor may, after finding that a public disorder, disaster, energy emergency, or riot exists within this state or any part thereof which affects life, health, property, or the public peace, proclaim a state of emergency in the area affected, and the powers granted the governor during a state of emergency shall be effective only within the area described in the proclamation;
Mr. Bird is taking a far too liberal interpretation of said statute. The statue is intended for enactment AFTER a disaster, man made or natural where the rule of law is breaking down. NOT due to economics and bad policy making in Washington D.C. If Mr. Bird was to address the crisis with the National Guard he would deploy them to the borders to secure them from the drugs being transported in. Mr. Bird like a very bad doctor is only treating the symptoms. Not the cause.
SECTION 8 COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. He shall be commander-in-chief of the military in the state except when they shall be called into the service of the United States.
The Governor’s power on how the Washington State’s National Guard is determined and limited by the laws of Washington State. He doesn’t get to make changes to the rules or ignore the rule of law when it becomes inconvenient.
Under Article 3 (8) of the Washington State constitution, I will activate our national guard to bring forward immediate housing, physical, psychological, and dental health services, which will include alcohol and drug addiction intervention and treatment.
Bring forward housing? What kind of housing? Most importantly, WHAT is the National Guard going to do after the housing is brought forward? The most the National Guard can do is hold open the door. Anything else further is a violation of the United States Constitution which Mr. Bird has obviously no understanding of. The National Guard CANNOT round people up off the street due to them being poor, homeless, drug addicts or being simply drifters. Adolph Hitler did the same thing for the same reasons. Homeless cannot be impeded either coming of going.
to bring forward immediate housing, physical, psychological, and dental health services, which will include alcohol and drug addiction intervention and treatment.
Intervention by the military means required treatment. READ THAT AGAIN! REQUIRED TREATMENT!
We will partner with the business community to facilitate job placement.
We will partner with non-profit organizations to facilitate temporary housing, out-patient counseling, and community reintegration services.
Job Placement? We have daylabor and temp agency services already. For skilled and unskilled labor.
The rest is already provided through various govt. services.
What Mr. Bird is offering and the way he is presenting it is UnConstitutional and redundant. Many of these services are already offered. When the National Guard is presenting it, it is a greater burden on the taxpayers.
Everything Mr. Bird is doing is wrong in it’s approach and implementation.