From: stephen@sprunk.org   
      
   On 14-May-14 09:28, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:   
   > On Tuesday, May 13, 2014 7:41:42 PM UTC-4, Stephen Sprunk wrote:   
   >> Yes, affluent communities are nicer places to live than poor   
   >> communities; that's why the affluent people pay more to live in the   
   >> former, which creates a virtuous cycle there--and a vicious cycle   
   >> on the other side.   
   >   
   > And that is something transit carriers must deal with.  This includes   
   > things like whether to order cushioned seats or hard plastic, whether   
   > to have the drivers make change, etc.   
      
   All cities have good and bad parts of town; it's inevitable.  As a   
   result, all of them have to make such decisions, regardless of the fare   
   system.   
      
   >>> I can't help but suspect that a homeless person or beggar on   
   >>> DART will not be treated as kindly by the carrier, cops, or   
   >>> courts, as say one in Philadelphia.  I can't help but suspect   
   >>> that the courts in Dallas take a different stance on the rights   
   >>> of "free speech" than they do in the northeast US.  That all   
   >>> plays a difference on the platform of a transit line.   
   >   
   >> The cops here don't care about "free speech" either way; all they   
   >> care about is whether you're committing a crime, and speech (except   
   >> in rare cases) is not itself a crime.  OTOH, if you're committing   
   >> criminal trespass in order to make said speech, they _will_ arrest   
   >> you for that--just as they would if you weren't speaking; your   
   >> motivation or subsequent behavior is immaterial to that crime. For   
   >> cops to behave any differently is a bizarre concept to me, and   
   >> perhaps that is part of your "oppressive dictatorship" problem.   
   >   
   > You disregarded my commeent on how courts treat situations.  Heck,   
   > courts vary by county within a single state, so it is understandable   
   > if they vary by state.   
   >   
   > I probably should've explained the free speech issue further as it   
   > pertains to transit.  In the Northeast US, the courts have ruled that   
   > much of the adverse behavior of homeless and troubled people on the   
   > transit system is a reprsentation of free speech and thus protected.   
   > So in certain cities, arresting a passenger for disruptive behavior   
   > or trespassing will be met by a lawsuit by the ACLU and other   
   > advocacy groups.   
   >   
   > As mentioned, I dare say the courts in Dallas will not be as tolerant   
   > of disruptive behavior as they are elsewhere.  Further, lawsuits by   
   > advocacy groups won't get very far.   
      
   Well, no, our courts don't accept "free speech" as a defense unless the   
   charge in question is something related to speech.  Why they would in   
   other places is a mystery to me; I suspect there's something more under   
   the surface than just the parts you've related.   
      
   >> Being poor means not having enough income to pay for basic   
   >> necessities of life; they're always short on paying _some_ bill.   
   >> Rent is usually the biggest bill they have--and the least immediate   
   >> due to the lengthy legal process to evict them, so that's not   
   >> surprising.   
   >   
   > Being poor unfortunately often reflects an inability to budget one's   
   > money or maintain consistency at a job.   
      
   There are "poor" people who are gainfully employed yet still can't make   
   ends meet because they simply don't get paid enough.  Even McD's   
   inadvertently admitted that they don't pay people enough to live   
   on--even if they have _two_ such full-time jobs.   
      
   It's no wonder that many such people realize they can improve their lot   
   in life by _not_ working.  If anything, it's surprising that so _few_ do so.   
      
   > Poor people waste a lot of their money on alcohol, drugs,   
      
   Actual evidence contradicts this; drug usage among the poor is _lower_   
   than among the general population.  It's just that when poor people are   
   charged, they're far more likely to be convicted because they can't buy   
   their way out of it as affluent people can, so they are   
   disproportionately represented.   
      
   > and spur of the moment purchases they can't afford.  Whether you   
   > agree or not, they just don't think things through.   
      
   My experience is that they think about money a _lot_ more than I do;   
   it's just that their circumstances don't allow them the same choices I have.   
      
   >> Here, though, you can't rent by the week; if you don't pay the   
   >> full amount on the due date, the landlord files for eviction the   
   >> next day, and then no other landlord will rent them an apartment   
   >> either.  They end up living in "extended stay" motels, which aren't   
   >> subject to the eviction process: if you don't pay to extend your   
   >> stay by noon on the checkout date, they call the cops for criminal   
   >> trespass.   
   >   
   > Depending on the location, eviction can take four or more months.  It   
   > takes longer in the city than the suburbs, simply because city courts   
   > are much more sympathetic to the tenant.   
   >   
   > As to a deadbeat tenant being unable to rent another apt, credit   
   > checks are a waste of time, because poor people have notoriously bad   
   > credit history.   
      
   If a landlord has to wait four-plus months to evict someone, he'd be an   
   idiot not to check their rental history.  If they've previously been   
   evicted, don't rent to them!  A landlord who does won't be in business   
   for very long because they're paying taxes and mortgages on properties   
   with no income.   
      
   Such tenants are why extended-stay hotels exist, as I already explained.   
      
   S   
      
   --   
   Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein   
   CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the   
   K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking   
      
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