I like to vacation in the mountains of northern Georgia, North Carolina, and West Virginia during the summer, places where it stays pretty cool thanks to the high altitude.
Iâve been away since yesterday morning. Can we get this a little more back toward cars? Thanks.
Iâll try.
What car do you think would be best to outrun them?
Do you think an F-250 diesel truck would be up to the task?
Are these places accessible by 2 wheel drive vehicles or 4 wheel drive only?
There, back to cars and trucks, sort of.
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Well I got a chance to try out the AWD finally with the Goodyear Weather Ready tires with more snow and 59 mph winds. Worked fine going to church but not many people there. Most churches closed for the day. Wife exclaimed oh no, but I know how to drive in snow. The thing about 59 mph winds and blowing snow is that if anyone rolled their window down and tried to throw trash out, it would come right back at them again. Karma I guess. National Guard activated to rescue people. Gotta go crank the Toro up. This weather kills the bugs, snakes, and alligators.
You reminded me that I had heard of a guy, near my northern outpost, hanging out a window and hurling a beer bottle from a fast moving vehicle. The bottle immediately exploded on impact with a speed limit sign, launching a shard of glass which put a nice slice in the guyâs forehead. I guess thatâs Mother Natureâs way of teaching a human pig a drawback to littering.
Rode my bike to a beach on the gulf this morning (wife went by Dodge Caravan and I rode home with her) and I have to say that I didnât see any litter or trash on or near the roadway.
Plus, the beach was as clean as usual (no litter) and the air was 78* and a swim in 75* water was refreshing. Also, as usual, no sharks, rays, bugs, snakes, sink holes, or anything other than gorgeous smooth white sand, sun, on-shore breeze, and blue-green ocean waves (oh, and lots and lots of bikinis).
Iâm wondering if the morning I saw all the trash on the roads was in conjunction with some kind of local event and heavier traffic or a less than desirable audience.
CSA
Here are some things I have noticed while out and about providing service to the general public.
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Smokers do seem to be dirtier and throw out more trash than most. They say the butts are really bad because of all the nasty stuff that gets concentrated in them. They say lots of animals eat them and get poisoned. Their cars are nasty, their homes are nasty, and the insides of their computers are nasty. I personally work on their computers so that is what I see. I do service for auto mechanics and they pretty much tell me the same story. Smokers bring their car in or have it towed in with a million things wrong and the insides just a mess! They seem to be more impulsive and donât think out long-term. I recently got a computer in from one. They donât have the money to pay for a fix but there were dozens of $20 and $30 scratch off tickets floating around the insides of the car. They must buy several a day or something. That alone would have paid for their repairs.
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Some people are just hopeless. We will just have to keep picking up after them and there is no other solution besides locking them up or something.
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Homeless camps appear to be a problem everywhere, including middle America. IF you want to see TRASH, then go to a homeless camp. There is anything and everything. People donate new tents and sleeping bags to them. They just up and leave and leave all their crap as well as belongings behind where they become yet more TRASH. I have come across some pretty nice camping gear out in the woods with the tag still on it but it is ruined from mold and sun exposure. They will just be given new stuff somewhere else so leave it all behind. This goes for coolers, camp chairs, and more. There was one camp with a ton of unused adult diapers as well as used ones too. You just find the strangest stuff in these camps and boy does the trash really just pile up!
I find a lot of this stuff while hiking in the woods or kayaking local rivers. I have a friend with a large dumpster who is also into the outdoors so he lets me dispose of what I pick up there. I came across a ton of trash at a makeshift river access under a highway bridge. I guess it was easy to get there and a camp was setup under the highway. Again, it was all new camping gear that was just ruined.
This is even a problem in town. They opened a new homeless shelter. All the bleeding hearts think this is great and a way to help people but the trash, crime, and other problems have gone up dramatically. They just pull down their pants and go wherever and whenever right out in the open right downtown. The authorities donât seem to do anything about this. If I did this I would be arrested and convicted as a sex offender!
There was a bench with a power outlet nearby as well as a trash can. They would sit there to charge their phones and lots of trash would just pile up under the bench. The trash can would be empty. The business with the power outlet disconnected the wiring and the trash was reduced.
- I did a non-scientific study of the tires I pick up from along the rivers. Most are Wal-Mart specific brands and models besides the really old ones that must be unearthed by floods. I have gotten away from serving the demographic that buys computers at Wal-Mart because they tend to be the unreasonable types, wonât pay, etc. I guess the same goes for tires as I see mostly Douglas, Goodyear Viva, or another Wal-Mart specific tire in the mix of dumped tires. Of course more tires may be sold at Wal-Mart around here so that contributes to the bias. Here is one that I dug out and it appears to be a Sears specific brand.
You also notice that a lot of the tires are not just worn out. They are worn out from poor vehicle maintenance. Most of the tread is fine but then there is steel cord showing on one of the shoulders. Again, we are talking about short sighted people. They would rather buy another cheap tire than fix a ball joint or whatever.
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Without question, a Bugatti Veyronâunless it needs to have its engine replaced, as a recent adolescent troller claimed.
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Heh heh. When I wrecked my 59 VW, my dad found a 59 Pontiac at the gas station for $150 and bought it for me while I was at school the next week. One of the kids working there (when they had a repair bay) was the son of a family friend. The windshield of that car had a terrible bulls eye in the center of it that I finally ended up replacing. At any rate it was told to me round about that the guys were out having a good time in that car one night and one of the kids threw a bottle out. Yeah I guess wrong direction 'cause it came smashing on the windshield. Cost me $25 at the junk yard and another $20 to have a guy put it in. It had a big door dent too but no stories on how that happened. Still cheaper than the $500 I paid for the VW from the Rolls dealer where the salesman wore a monogrammed shirt and gold cuff links-to go off topic.
Do you have to be a bleeding heart in order to want homeless people to have shelter? Okay, fine, call me a bleeding heart, because I donât think turning them away or doing nothing is going to solve your issues with trash and crime, and Iâd rather have refuse to deal with than dead bodies.
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Note to self: donât throw bottles out the window while doing donuts.
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Isnât it amazing that some people would rather have social conditions similar to what you might find in Mubai, rather than what is typical of an affluent First World country?
It makes you wonder if those folks have ever actually focused on the teachings of Jesus.
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For many the solution remains so simple; Work = Freedom.
usually I wait to see how things develop for a few posts before asking to redirect, but can we please make the homeless camps tangent a dead end? It doesnât have much to do with cars. Thanks.
Iâm not so sure about that
Our fleetâs equipment operators have to use dump trucks to clean up the trash. And believe me, the trucks are overflowing each and every time
Also, the law is involved during these enforcement actions
Law enforcement drives Ford Exploders
Our fleet sends GMC and Chevy C6500 dump trucks to clean up
almost every time there are interactions between law enforcement, a city/county fleet and homeless, there are cars and trucks involved
so hereâs a question for the others . . .
What vehicles do you see involved in the cleanups . . . ?
The local Copperhead motorcycle group, composed of law enforcement and military riders, had a half-dozen group members help restaurant employees clean up 282 tires from the HobNob on Wednesday. Club president Alvin Burdick said âAt the end of the day, we were all happy to be able to help out.â http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/fix-it-used-tires-dumped-at-hobnob/article_f98a9f97-0abc-5bae-8017-f1b1fd3f118b.html
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I personally use my old 1997 F250 Light Duty to pickup the trash I find when out and about. This is a junky old truck so the perfect one to use for something like this. It is so ugly that one might think it was a derelict vehicle abandoned at the river as well. Sometimes the trash is basic stuff like the clothing and tents that I pickup while other times is it strange stuff and you have no idea why it is out in the middle of nowhere at the river, etc. I invested in a trash pickup tool when the new Harbor Freight opened in town to assist with pickup up gross trash or something that might be dangerous. There are some things I leave behind as I am not sure if they are meth lab related or not. I sometimes see bottles of odd liquids and donât know what that might be so leave it and call the Sheriff Dept and report the location. I pile the bed full of trash, lay the kayaks on top, and then ratchet strap them down on top of the trash to keep the mess from flying out.
Maybe people are used to these homeless issues in places like San Francisco and New York. This is small town America and people used to leave their doors unlocked. I wouldnât be caught dead doing that these days. Gone are the days where this place looked like Mayberry or the set of a Hallmark movie⊠I am all for helping people but feel that the rest of us who live in a civilized society and pay taxes should expect it to stay that way. When people cannot be helped and are criminals, they should be locked up. Here are some of the things that have happened in recent years since the homeless population was welcomed in with open armsâŠ
One of my buddies who lives near one of these shelters caught one of the guys peeping in the window of his daughterâs bedroom while she was changing clothing. He went outside with a shotgun and told the guy to leave and never show his face around there again.
A bunch of heroin needles were found outside of a local elementary school. That one actually made the national news. https://fox2now.com/2014/02/24/rolla-boy-stuck-in-arm-with-used-syringe/
People have had their power tools stolen and pawned so that these crackheads could buy their dope. Yeah, they work for a living and those tools make them money so they werenât too happy. The got one tool back as they had the paperwork for it with the serial number but the other tools were a lost cause because they didnât have the proper documentation. ALL the tools were brought in by the same guy and they had the same paint splatters that the owner recognized. He didnât get them back.
How about the people who have had family heirloom jewelry stolen by these crackheads, never to get it back?
How about the church where one of these guys planned a mass-shooting? Luckily this was posted on social media and someone reported it so the guy was arrested before he could follow through. https://fox2now.com/2018/10/31/rolla-man-charges-with-making-terroristic-threats-against-christians-and-churches/
Yes, I am for helping people but not those who are unwilling to live by the rules and create trouble for those who want to live in a civilized 1st world society.
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You are making a HUGE jump from homeless to criminals. Every criminal act youâve mentioned happens in small towns and cities all over the country by people who are NOT homeless and who work 40+ hours a week. I think youâll find that population of homeless people committing crimes is about the same as the general population.
The homeless population has become a dumping ground for unwanted individuals. Here in NH, one of the wealthiest families had a son who was mentally ill. They decided to sever all ties with him. So person was basically dumped on the streets in Manchester instead of the affluent town of Bedford. Go to bigger cities and youâll find hundreds of homeless people who come from wealthy families. Mental illness a huge factor in homelessness. I visit Boston a lot, and every time Iâm there I have to deal with the homeless. How you deal with them tells what kind of person you are.
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There needs to be some type of accountability with the assistance given to these people. For example, donât let them continue to have the bad habits such as drinking and drugs that got them into the situation.
I guess being threatened by the guy with alcohol on his breath asking for money so âhe can get to workâ while there is a liquor store across the street from where we were at doesnât make you feel the most charitable to these people. I prefer to give to charities who have people who are trained to filter those who are willing to take help and change their lives for the better rather than those who just willy nilly give away free stuff with no accountability. I donât feel it is right to invite problems for those who want to live by the rules.
It seems that the majority of the trouble I have with customers is by those who are unwilling to work. Those who are employed seem to be much easier to work with. This topic has come up while I am providing services for other service businesses such as auto mechanics, HVAC, etc. They all have the same feelings and experiences. The lower end provides 5% of their profits and 95% of their problems. Yes, I have had a few people with money really screw me over as well but I can count them on one hand. The funny thing is one tried to call me back for service the other day. I told them I was booked up for a few weeks and couldnât fit them in right at that point and that was the last I heard of them.
Our politicians (both parties) and Wall Street show just how people with money and influence can get away with their crimes if they bribe and/or legislate themselves out of their liabilities.
I feel the homeless need to be helped but in some way that doesnât negatively impact others and actually HELPS them. Just giving them free stuff with no accountability just doesnât cut it and seems to be enabling them to stick with their old bad habits if you ask me.
It is interesting but this topic came up a church that I was wiring for internet and AV equipment. It was an older but large church that provided a lot of challenges so I was there basically the entire day. The issue with the homeless using their outside power outlets came up as they were outside during the day using the outlets. They could have cared less about the few cents of power being used but were upset that they had to have people come in to sweep up the needles and other trash before church. There was going to be a board meeting to discuss what to do about the situation. The pastor of the church basically said âWe are here to help people but not enable or encourage them to behave badly.â
One of my best friends from high school works for Google and lives right in San Francisco. Both he and his wife have gone through multiple bicycles due to a thriving âbicycle recycling industryâ (AKA theft and scrapping). They used to have pretty nice bikes but now buy the cheapest one available at a real bike store and not the top of the line model anymore. They were storing it in a designated parking garage in front of their car but a city code inspector saw this during some construction work and ordered them removed. It is apparently illegal in SF to put anything other than a car in a designated car parking spot. The same goes for a designated storage area. It is illegal to park a car there as well.
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