UCSB Anthropology Dig at Mission La Purisima Concepcion's Indian Apartments

This article appeared in the publication "Las Noticias", the newsletter for the docents of Mission La Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima. http://www.lapurisimamission.org

Also, check out this KEYT Coverage of Kaitlin Brown's dig at La Purisima Concepcion by clicking here.

By Tim Waag

Because of the long drive from San Luis Obispo (where I live) to La Purisima, I often bring my mountain bike and go for a ride after my docent duties are done for the day. The July 20, 2019, “Children’s Mission Life Days” was just such a day. Heading out for a quick ride before the park closed, I came upon PhD Candidate Kaitlin Brown and her anthropology crew literally up to their necks in an archaeological dig!  They all looked rather busy, but I was so excited I couldn’t resist – I identified myself as a docent, and began a barrage of polite questions to anyone who was willing to talk to me.

PHOTO: UCSB student Angelina Sanchez, find happiness digging through history.

Kaitlyn and her crew of 12 UCSB undergraduate students gave me a briefing on the field work they were performing before my very own eyes. I was hoping for an interview with Kate right then and there for an article in Las Noticias – but clearly, there was way too much going on for her to step away for even a minute! It turns out that Kate was finishing one of only six days of excavation and exploration she would have at this site. She gave me her card, and I was able to catch up with her later to fill in the information I needed for this article.

PHOTO: Lots of frenzied activity at the dig site.

While at the excavation that day, I quickly gathered some photos. Kate informed me that her work required digging through about 4 feet of “fill” used to cover up the site after its most recent excavation in the 1960’s. The site is believed to be the location of a 10 unit apartment building for “married Indian families”, each unit with 2 rooms. Records indicated that a 7 square meter section of Apartment Unit No. 8 had not previously been examined. Using her mapping and siting skills, her team was able to accurately identify the untouched 7 meter area on their first try – amazing!

PHOTO: 1883 drawing of the Mission La Purisima site. The building underscored in red may be the "Indian Apartment Dwelling" being excavated.

As a PhD candidate, Kate has spent 90% of the time on her project examining archives and artifact collections. Her excavation was minimally intrusive, and selectively identified and examined 6 distinct “units” of the site (doorway, interior, “backyard” area, “frontyard” area, etc.). These “units” only covered about 25% of the 7 square meter area, leaving the majority of her site untouched for future scholars to explore.

PHOTO: Building No. 102 in red is identified in the 1938 Civilian Conservation Corp map as the "Infirmary", but is believed to be Indian Dwelling Units instead.

As part of her preparation for site work, she forged relationships with the local Indian authorities, presented her plans, and modified them with suggestions she received. She understands that our history is an ongoing continuum of life itself, and that we are all connected to the events of the mission era in ways that continue to influence us today.

PHOTO: Yes, you get to sift through all the dirt!

Kate insisted that a paid tribal monitor be present for every day they were excavating, even though that may not have been required. She invited the Chumash to be present and participate, and that goal was achieved with the participation of a Chumash youth group. As one would expect from an unexplored site, interesting artifacts populated the small area she examined, including but not limited to: abalone shells, large pestle and grinding stone, glass (Spanish) beads, shell (Indian) beads, and various expected detritus. What was unexpected was the discovery of a musket ball in the floor — an artifact whose significance is unclear at this time.

PHOTO: Small exploration footprint. Angelina is still down in the excavation pit!

Finally, Kate indicated the desire for a unique, thoughtful and detailed public interpretive display of this Indian dwelling site — something our docents should be excited to see when it becomes available. Many believe that the public would benefit from a more complete American Indian perspective of the mission era, and filling that need at this married Indian family apartment would be a laudable achievement.

2019 Homeless Count for the County of San Luis Obispo, California

All photos are copyright 2019 Tim Waag and taken during the January 28, 2019 SLO Point in Time survey.

All charts and text graphics are from the SLO County Homeless Census & Survey - Comprehensive Report 2019. A PDF of this report is available at: 

https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/getattachment/f1b2caef-10c6-4415-b0ad-1396eeb97a0b/2019-Homeless-Census-Survey-Report.aspx 

I highly recommend that you download it and read it - though at 56 pages long, it is quite a tedious read - part of the reason I am breaking it down for you here. 

Click on any images to enlarge and read. Start by clicking on this one, which provides some critical information on the survey's tendency to "undercount".

INTRODUCTION: Every 2 years, every county in America counts their homeless population, in a sweeping action known as the "Homeless Blitz Count"! In SLO County, that took place on January 28, 2019, from roughly 6am to 10am.

I was again a participant in the 2019 count. I was teamed up with 2 homeless people and 1 other homeless advocate like myself. Together, our team covered one of the most challenging and dangerous areas for counting the homeless. This area includes a popular homeless haunt known as "The Circle", plus the bottom of San Luis Obispo Creek in an overgrown jungle-like area between Prado Road and Los Osos Valley Road along Higuera and west to the Freeway. This survey area also included the Sewer Treatment Plant, the Strawberry Fields, the Catholic Cemetery, the San Luis Cemetery and the Elks Lodge.

A photo of our "high performance" team is shown below (GREAT job, guys - truly an honor to be part of our team):

In August 2019, a report on the so-called Point-In-Time (PIT) count came out, with a link to the entire 56-page report (above). This post summarizes some of the more important data points in the report, from my perspective as a long time homeless advocate. As necessary, I'll include snippets from the report that support a disturbing trend or statistics.

THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: The observations and data points of the report have been divided into a homeless "youth" population (age 25 and below), contrasted with plain old homeless "adults" (over 25 years of age). It was reported that these 2 groups seldom overlap in location or interaction, so they were counted using different methodologies for purposes of this census. You can read the details in the "PIT Report".

FOLLOW-UP SURVEY: Following the all-in-one-day PIT count, which identified about 1,500 homeless people in SLO County (an increase of 32% from 2 years ago), there was a separate "in-depth" post-census survey of 481 homeless people on the street, to extract details about the nature of homelessness in SLO County.

FOUR SUBCATEGORIES: Four homeless subdivisions were given special attention in the report: 

(1) Chronically Homeless; 

(2) Homeless Military Veterans; 

(3) Homeless Families with Children; 

(4) Homeless "Youth" (age 25 and under). 

Separate statistics and data points are given for these 4 subcategories. Since my interest is focused primarily (though not exclusively) on the Chronically Homeless, I will leave it to you to read the report if you are interested in the other 3 groups.

CONFUSION FACTOR: One aspect of the report's structure initially confused me, as it distinguishes between "Government Assistance" (GA) - also known as "benefits" - and "Services Currently Accessing" (SCA). Upon further scrutiny, it became clear that GA consists of Food Stamps, Medical / Medicare, General Assistance / Relief (whatever that is), SSI / SSDI Disability, etc., whereas SCA are provided by the community generally through nonprofits (often funded in whole or part by the government), and consist of homeless support services provided by nonprofits such as ECHO, Food Bank, Shower the People, People's Kitchen, Prado Day Center, T-MHA, etc.

DEFINITE UNDERCOUNT: The PIT Report underscores what we all intuitively know: by definition, the survey undercounted the homeless. By its very nature, the PIT count is only an estimate, and given the hidden nature of the homeless population, an undercount almost certainly occurred.

From here on out, I'll give my "play-by-play" on the report, noting unusual, surprising or illuminating results, citing the page number in the report so you can access it for additional information.

Page 8 "Sexual Orientation": 22% of respondents identified their Sexual Orientation as being "not straight" (bisexual, gay, lesbian or "other"), leaving 78% self-identifying as "straight". This number is far higher than the population at large. This is a concerning though not unexpected statistic, and should be considered in efforts to prevent those at risk from becoming homeless. I will be taking that number into account when I interact with the homeless in the future.

Page 8 "Employment": Also on page 8 were employment statistics, but I found them to be misleading and / or confusing (I'm not sure which! - stay tuned for clarification from the "powers that be"). There are really 3 categories when understanding homeless employment numbers: 

(1) Employed; 

(2) Unemployed but looking for work; 

(3) Not looking for work, which could be due to being UNABLE to work. 

I COULD BE WRONG, but these 3 categories should add up to 100%.

Based on the report, here are the numbers that may be correct (note: I will be looking for clarification from the report writers on this point):

(1) 3% Full-time employment

(2) 29% Unemployed but looking for work

(3) 70% Either not looking for work or unable to work

Yes, this does not add up to 100%! Additionally, the report says that 9% were part-time or seasonably employed - not sure where this 9% category should reside, either. Let's just say I'm confused. I'm pretty confident in stating that 3% of the homeless surveyed work full time, which is a lower number than I expected. However, when you add back in the 9%, you get to 12% employed full or part-time.

Not surprisingly, while living on the streets, creek beds, or at the homeless shelter, it is difficult to hold a job of any kind, or pursue higher education, for a variety of obvious reasons. Given this fact, 12% is a higher employment rate than I would expect.

Page 12: There are 2 major shelters in SLO County: "40 Prado" in San Luis Obispo, and "ECHO" in Atascadero. In those 2 areas, a large percentage of homeless are in shelters, which is better than living out in the open. In the other areas, the majority are living on the street, as shown in this graphic. Clearly, PASO ROBLES IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF AN EMERGENCY SHELTER.

Page 13 "Homeless by Sleeping Accommodation": For those interested, these statistics related to "where the homeless rest their heads at night". No surprises here, except for how well spread out the homeless are, hiding "in plain sight" all over the place. They live in every nook and cranny of space available to them, from vehicles to overpasses to abandoned buildings.

I was surprised to see such a high percentage of homeless sleeping in their vehicles. I've observed that the homeless struggle keep their motor vehicles operational, plus coming up with the cash to maintain their registration and insurance. Getting ticket repeatedly by law enforcement does not help this "Car / Van / RV" group (isn't a Van a Car?) preserve their mobile shelters in full compliance with the law.

OUTREACH NOTE: In doing homeless outreach, approaching a vehicle that appears to be occupied by a homeless person is one of the riskiest activities that I take. When approaching any vehicle, I am always hesitant to wave or knock on the window, knowing that the occupant may not be homeless or may resent the intrusion. However, given that 26% of our homeless live in their cars or RVs, I will focus more often on vehicles I suspect to be occupied by the homeless.

Page 15 "Age Demographics": Surprisingly, the percentage of the homeless population aged 30 years or younger doubled between the 2017 and the 2019 PIT Survey, from 17% to 34%. This is an alarming statistic and does not bode well for the "millennial" generation, and I would call this a statistically significant change in 2 years - and not a good sign at all.

Page 19 "SLO County Residents Become Homeless": This statistic represents the county of residence of the homeless person when they went from being "housed" to being "homeless". In 2017, 57% of the homeless lived in SLO County when this occurred, with this number shooting up to 74% in 2019. Many claim that we attract these "undesirable homeless bums" to our wonderful SLO County, due to our lovely weather and "abundant" homeless services.

This statistic shows that their dubious justification for turning away the homeless as not being "one of ours" is rapidly becoming hard to defend. I always find it ironic that adjacent counties of a similar demographic to those of SLO County, such as Monterey - Santa Barbara - Ventura - make similar complaints, yet we can't all be correct. As this number of SLO County residents becoming homeless goes up, the argument that we should not be "too nice" to the homeless goes away.

Personally, I've never cared about this statistic: if there is a person in need, then I want to help. However, in meetings and conversations over the years, it is clear that local law enforcement and politicians have cited the need to keep "homeless outsiders" from wanting to come here. Given the trend shown in the 2019 survey, we are attracting less outside homeless people, but instead, are "growing our own".

Page 22 "Obstacles to Housing": The homeless self-reported the reasons for not being able to obtain housing  as: "can't afford", "no job", "no money for moving expenses", "bad credit" and "no car". Duh.

Page 23 "Services Currently Accessing" (SCA): The numbers are self-explanatory. The most common government service received is Food Stamps at 55%.

Page 24 "Reasons for Not Receiving Assistance": In both the 2017 and 2019 PIT surveys, 40% of the homeless did not want government assistance. For the uninformed, that may seem extremely high, but that is most definitely my experience on the street. I find a very high percentage of the chronically homeless individuals I encounter to be fiercely independent, and want to take care of themselves, no matter how poor a job they appear to be doing. Many do not want government assistance, although most seem to be receiving food stamps.

Page 25 "Monthly Income": These numbers would be of great interest to me and to the general public, but for the fact that the numbers provided in the PIT report only apply to those either employed or seeking employment (33% of the homeless), and NOT to those who are not looking for work, or unable to work (70% of the homeless). THIS MAY BE INACCURATE, AND I AM SEEKING CLARIFICATION.

Page 26 "Health": Surprise! The homeless report the following types of health conditions in frequency far greater than that of the public at large: 
- Drug and Alcohol abuse
- Mental Health conditions
- PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- Chronic Health problems
- Physical Disabilities
- Brain Injury
- HIV / AIDs
However, since a homeless person can have more than one of these conditions, its not clear how many homeless are free from any of these health conditions. In other words, how many are merely "homeless" without serious or recurring health conditions?

Page 28 "Incarceration": Our homeless have a high rate of incarceration, as illustrated by the percentage that have spent a night in jail in the previous 12 months.

Page 29 "Chronic Homelessness (CH)":  Now we get to my specialty - the chronically homeless. Besides CH, there are 3 other special subcategories identified in the 2019 PIT Survey Report, and I invite you to download a copy of the 2019 PIT Survey and dive into those other categories. I will be focusing here on the "Chronically Homeless", or CH.

Page 30 PLEASE READ: This extraordinarily meaningful section of the report below (its not very long, so go ahead and CLICK ON IT!). It smacks the nail on the head, and drives home the point of the effectiveness of the "Housing First" approach to reducing homelessness.

Page 31 "Shelter Status of the CH": Again, not surprisingly, the Chronically Homeless do not generally stay in Emergency Shelters, but instead, carve out a life on the street, as somewhat of a permanent, though undesirable condition. These are the people that claim that they "want to live this way", thus making my life much harder when I try to explain why this is actually not true. UNFORTUNATELY, THE MORE YEARS THE HOMELESS LIVE ON THE STREET, THE HARDER IT IS FOR THEM TO RE-ADAPT TO THE HOUSED LIFESTYLE. IF THEY STAY ON THE STREET FOR LONG, THEN THEY DIE YOUNG.

THE SHORT EXPLANATION: In most, if not many, cases, when the homeless utter such words ("I want to be homeless"), it is because they have gotten acclimated to the homeless lifestyle over the years, as the CH long ago gave up any hope of being housed. As abundantly adaptable humans, they adjusted to living in our relatively affluent American communities, rarely going without the "necessities" for too long. Their continued life on the hard streets is not good for them, and not good for our communities at large, their protestations to the contrary.

Page 33 "Health Conditions of the CH": Once again, the numbers speak for themselves. The CH self-report Drug or Alcohol Abuse at a 72% rate, with additional health conditions scoring remarkably high as well (see chart below). This helps explain why the CH continue to be unhoused. This also illustrates why it is such an uphill battle we are fighting, to get the CH into housing that many claim they do not want!

CONCLUSION: There are a select few areas of the report in which I have a desire to call "BS", but I shall not. Also, there may be a tiny error or 2 in the statistics, but it does not detract from the report as a whole, so they shall go un-flagged as well. For a homeless "blitz" census, these statistics are pretty much as good as it gets. Our homeless population continues to grow, and our leaders are hesitant to tackle it head on, so it continues to fester. 

The homeless population in SLO County is not going away, and appears to be growing. Failure to deal with it in a meaningful way is most likely to lead to greater suffering among the unhoused, growing conflicts between the housed and the unhoused, and greater costs for the taxpayers and the nonprofits that serve the homeless.

If you have read this far - well, that is an amazing thing and kudos to you. If you want to discuss any aspect of homelessness in SLO county with me, please feel free to contact me at:

timwaag@gmail.com

805-440-9144 cell phone

Thanks go out to those who know and love our local homeless people created by G*d, see them as the beautiful (if flawed) human beings they really are, and want to make a difference in their lives.

Peace and Blessings to you and yours.

GET REAL PEOPLE: The Electoral College will NEVER be Eliminated in our Lifetimes!

The founders went with the ELECTORAL COLLEGE for Presidential elections and it was brilliant. Not only should we not overturn the Electoral College, but it will never be rescinded by an amendment to the constitution. If you didn't know that, you don't understand the electoral college and the constitutional amendment process.
http://thefederalist.com/2016/09/16/the-electoral-college-still-makes-sense-because-were-not-a-democracy/?fbclid=IwAR1bAnvkrPsRPzbEQuKWnqm_C9tbbelkDLMrHxaGJPOObeQ85QbOTx7e6-Y#.XJEzW90SpDU.facebook

From the article:
"Think of the Electoral College like the World Series. One person-one vote equates to the World Series Champions being determined by total number of runs scored. If the Dodgers win the first game 10-0, and the Yankees win the next four games 1-0, the Dodgers win the series. Even though the Yankees bested the Dodgers in four games, it doesn’t matter because the Dodgers scored 10 runs to their 4. One anomalous game decides the whole series. Without the Electoral College, a few heavily populated states decide the whole election."

RV Improvements: 2006 19' Trail Cruiser

INTRODUCTION: We plan to use our travel trailer quite a bit in the future, so I've been making some repairs and improvements to it. Thought it'd be fun to document them here, and provide ideas for others who are doing the same.

SPECS: The maker of this RV (R-Vision Trail-Cruiser by Trail-Lite) is out of business. We bought the trailer in 2014 from a family in north county who was no longer using it, and it was in good shape. Though we had NOT heard of R-Vision, it was hardly used and seemed to be of good quality, design and layout.

This is what it looked like when we first bought it:

Here's the Spec Sheet that came with it. Note that even though the manufacturer lists the RV at 22 feet, 5 inches, the trailer "box" is 18 feet, 8 inches, leaving a "discrepancy" of 3 feet 9 inches, which is assumedly account for by the length of the tongue. When comparing RV trailer lengths, make sure you are making an "apples to apples" comparison (box length to box length, or full length to full length - including tongue). While shopping, I prefer to use the "box length" for comparison, as tongue lengths can vary a little bit.

Interior headroom is 6' 4" which is sufficient for us. Also, it neatly sizes all 3 tanks at 30 gallons (fresh water, black water, gray water), which makes it easy to remember! Though the trailer is quite light compared to others of the same sizes (dry weight of 3,000 pounds), the trailer frame is stamped with a "Gross Weight" of 6,250 pounds, leaving a theoretical "Cargo Weight" of about 3,000 pounds - more than the weight of the trailer. We were happy that the builders chose a high capacity trailer frame, giving us confidence that they had not "under-built" the trailer. On many RVs, the "Cargo Weight" is much lower, and would be a cause for concern to us. I tow the trailer with a 2006 Dodge Diesel 2500 with a 6 speed manual transmission and a 12,500 pound trailer towing capacity, so the weight is not an issue.

LAYOUT: Our basic criteria for our travel trailer were as follows:

- No slide-outs, but still a functional layout (prefer great "box integrity" by not having slide-outs).

- 2 Beds that comfortably sleep 2 full-size adult couples 

- Large Dinette with room for 4 full-size adults

- As small as possible, but still meets the above criteria

- Dual axle trailer, both for greater safety during a tire blow-out, and better straightline performance (less sway). Good discussion of single vs. dual axle trailers here: Single vs. Dual Axle Trailer

Our Trail-Cruiser met our basic criteria. As we have owned RVs previously, we know from that experience that modifying an RV to fit our needs would be mandatory. Fortunately, I find the mods to be fun to do, so I don't mind, and it sure makes the RV more fun to use!

Project 1: Truck Alternator / Starter Battery Charging  

The truck uses 2 12-volt starting batteries (Costco Kirkland Brand), while the trailer uses 2 12-volt so-called Deep Cycle Marine / RV batteries (also Costco Kirkland Brand). To optimize the life of these batteries, each type requires a different charging regimen. My current setup charges both my truck "starter" batteries and RV "deep cycle" batteries the same. 

Here is a link from an "Energy engineer" that explains why this is bad, and reduces the life of the deep cycle batteries. This makes sense to me, as previous RVs I have owned used deep cycle / lead acid / RV - Marine batteries, and had a short life (about 2 years) despite keeping them charged. Here's the link: Deep Cycle Charging with your Alternator

Check out this web site for a solution to charging our RV batteries from the tow vehicle using a DC-to-DC 12 volt battery charger: How to Efficiently Charge our RV Trailer Batteries While Driving This article uses the "REDARC Electronics Dual Input 40A in-Vehicle DC Battery Charger", which costs about $450 on Amazon. Here is the link on Amazon: REDARC DC to DC Charger (Amazon) Note that with this installation, the actual charger is mounted in the RV, and NOT in the truck as I might have presumed. Wonder how I'll find room for it in my RV? Note that there is a 40 Amp DC to DC Charger that is much cheaper: Renogy 40A 40A DC to DC Battery Charger

Questions: 

(1) What is the actual max output of my alternator? I have always believed it was 130 amps, but I do not know for sure, and perhaps other "same year" Cummins truck models came with a higher output alternator? Note for the future: whenever my alternator craps out, I'll want to upgrade it to a higher output unit.  

(2) Circuit breakers: is it practical to use an in-line auto-reset circuit breaker? 

(3) Is my built-in converter (110 A/C input to charge 12 volt batteries) any good, or should it be replaced? How do I know it is properly charging my current deep cycle lead acid batteries? What is the charging profile for flooded lead acid deep cycle batteries? 

Many basic single-stage converters, typically found in older and lower-priced coaches, are still in use. They don’t have the sophisticated internal circuitry to properly charge and condition batteries. Some converter models supply only a fixed voltage of around 13.2 volts, which prevents batteries from reaching full charge and also shortens their service life. Modern multi-stage charging circuits typically include four operation modes: boost, normal, equalization and storage (or float). ACTION: test the converter on my trailer with discharged batteries to see what output the converter puts out.

Many owners don’t even know where their converter is located. Typically it’s a metal box a little bigger than a large box of facial tissues and is situated adjacent to the fuse panel, near where the wiring comes into the coach. When it is powered up, it gives off a humming sound, which can help you locate it. Usually the make and model and power ratings are written on the case. You can also look up the ratings in the manuals that come with the RV.

Less Than Human: Why We Do Not Really Want to Help the Homeless in SLO

ENDING HOMELESSNESS IN SLO COUNTY: There are plenty of effective, affordable solutions out there, once our community realize that the homeless are people like you and me - I truly believe they are still seen as "Less Than Human" which is a major factor in our lack of desire to help them. What is the matter with us? NIMBY-ism rules! I've got mine - screw them!

I read this book "Less Than Human: Why we Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others" (by David L. Smith) in search of an answer to how we can treat fellow humans so cruelly. Obviously, not just the homeless, but slavery, indentured servitude, genocide, etc. - how can we do it to a fellow human? In large part, it is because we can convince ourselves that the homeless are "less than human". 

Book (link to Amazon): Less Than Human

The homeless are the last group where we feel free to demean them without guilt or public criticism. Oh wait - there is one other group - white males (especially those with "toxic masculinity) - but that is a topic for another time... 

I hear it constantly. Lazy. Stupid. Made bad decisions. They deserve to live in squalor and disgusting homeless camps. Why should we help them? They should just leave and go somewhere else.

Outside of SLO, many west coast municipalities at least recognize the seriousness of the problem and are trying to address it — here in SLO? Not so much. Sad. Makes me cry, because I love these people.

PHOTO: Blue Heron, Avila Beach

FACEBOOK: I Don't Care What You Think!

I guess this is the new trend, so here goes:

Dear Face Book Friends,

This is where I stand. Period. I make no apologies to any or all of my FB friends for this. 

I don't listen to what politicians SAY - instead, I pay attention to what they DO (WHICH IS ALL THAT MATTERS).

 

I believe in:

- Reducing INCOME INEQUALITY (California has the highest in the nation) - "the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer" here in California. - Reducing POVERTY (California has the highest poverty rate in the nation). - Create GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION POLICIES that do not disproportionately burden the poor (California leads the nation in this one too: our "Climate Change" laws disproportionately increase living costs for Latinos, African-Americans, and American Indians.) - Increasing INCOME OF PERSECUTED CLASSES. - Reducing COLLEGE COSTS and BRUTAL STUDENT LOAN DEBT. - Allowing AFFORDABLE HOUSING to be built. - Feeding those who are HUNGRY. - Housing those who are OUT IN THE COLD TONIGHT. - Addressing the OPIOD CRISIS that is now KILLING 70,000 people in America each year. - Addressing the SUICIDE CRISIS that is now KILLING 40,000 people in America each year (mostly the young). - Addressing the CHINESE THREAT posed to America (Russian is a shrinking power, while China is a rapidly growing one); the Chinese people are OPPRESSED and have FEW FREEDOMS. - Addressing the FEDERAL DEBT, climbing towards $22,000,000,000,000 (that's $22 trillion dollars) - that means LIVING WITHIN OUR MEANS AND STOP SPENDING LIKE DRUNKEN SAILORS. - Helping the MENTALLY ILL and the PHYSICALLY DISABLED. - Removing American Troops from perfectly capable countries like Germany and Japan, who are rich and can defend themselves. - Removing American Troops from various quagmires across the land (mostly the Middle East): Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Jordan, Pakistan (I can't think of them all right now) where we spend $TRILLIONS$ of dollars and thousands of lives, and end up causing NOTHING BUT PAIN AND DESTRUCTION. - Provide our military veterans with appropriate MEDICAL TREATMENT that they have earned. - Ending CORPORATE WELFARE like the billions recently heaped upon AMAZON and primary owner and $160,000,000,000 (that's $60 billion) Jeff Bezos, who clearly does not need welfare. - Addressing (lowering) Health Care Costs to make them more affordable for more Americans. - Institute TERM LIMITS for all politicians, and remove their massive permanent pensions for life after one term served in office; they should be working for the people and not to line their own pockets. - The MEDIA and POLITICIANS seek to divide us to serve their own petty interests: we have much more in common than we have in differences, but in our "click bait" world, conflict is what "sells", so that is what we get - PLEASE KNOCK IT OFF - IT BRINGS OUT THE WORST IN EVERYONE. - Change the laws to allow AMERICAN INDIANS to have more say over how their reservations are run, and let them do what they have to do to reduce the POVERTY of their tribal members (American Indians have the highest poverty rate of any group in America by far - and nobody seems to care). - Parents: control your children's Smart Phone, Computer, and Tablet use, which studies are showing to be EXTREMELY DETRIMENTAL to their health and their futures. - Compromise and Resolve IMMIGRATION ISSUES, and bring back things KIND OF LIKE the Bracero Program of the 1940's - 1960's. - Move the world towards ZERO POPULATION GROWTH; there are no Worldwide problems that can't be reduced by LESS PEOPLE! The world is still expanding the human population across the planet like cockroaches! - Businesses Employing FELONS when they get out of prison so they don't RECOMMIT CRIMES AND GO BACK TO JAIL (ban the box!). - Ensuring equal access to PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL, especially in the inner cities. - Removing Unconstitutional Laws that MAKE BEING HOMELESS A CRIME.

- I am in favor of "Peaceful Protest", and I believe that all rioters, looters, and terrorists should be apprehended, prosecuted, and punished, as fits the crime. 

- Freedom of Speech, and believe that the Tech Giants that now control public speech should be treated as a part of the government, and therefore have to confirm to free speech guidelines.