Joy and Austin 24

[BlackberryGirl]

I have missed exactly 1 election since 1972, when I was able to vote for the first time.  Since I was chasing a helicopter flying my 80 year old mother to the hospital 100 miles away, I forgot all about the election.  I vote in local, small elections, school board elections, off year elections. BlackberryBoy was on our school board for 9 years...(there’s a thankless job.) I have driven others to the polls. I am a life long Democrat. 

I actually signed up to be an election judge this year, but ill health prevented me from being one of those old ladies who mark down who is voting. I still want to do it.  One of my earliest memories is going with my parents to vote and getting to go behind the curtain with them. 

I truley believe every single vote matters. 

 

[Mama Mia]

21 hours ago, JillyO said:

In Germany it IS mandatory to register at your current address (within 10 days after a move, I think?), although usually you don't get anything more than a stern talking-to if you do it late. I guess you can be fined for that, although I don't know of anyone who ever has been.

But yeah, why WOULDN'T you register? It makes everything easier. Certainly a lot easier that all the hoops you have to jump through in the US to prove your identity or residence sometimes. We just go to city hall for any ID needs we may have (ID card, driver's license, passport, new birth certificate, vehicle registration, etc.) and they have all of our records, no matter how often we've moved. Which also means they send us our voting documents without prompting, since they KNOW where we currently live (and that we aren't also registered anywhere else).

My assumption is that the US doesn't have this system because FREEDOM. Technically you can be completely "off the grid" and nobody will know where you are. Americans can be incredibly touchy on this subject even if it's not at all applicable to the vaaast majority of people, who have driver's licenses, and vehicles registered in their name, and credit cards, and passports, and are registered to vote, ... So the government knows where to find them after all.

What do homeless people do in that system? Not asking snarkily, just curious.  

 

[Marly]

44 minutes ago, Mama Mia said:

What do homeless people do in that system? Not asking snarkily, just curious.  

 

I'm Dutch, but our system is similar to the German one. Here, as far as I know, homeless people can register at the address of a homeless shelter. Not all of them do this, but those that receive/want to receive aid have to be registered somewhere and they are usually advised to register at a local homeless shelter.
So, the Dutch government makes a distinction between a "living adress", where you live, and a "mail address", an address where you can receive mail but where you don't necessarily live. For most people their living address and mail address are the same, but when you're homeless you obviously don't have a living address. In that case, a mail address is accepted by the government. If a homeless person has a mail address, s/he can receive aid and is also eligible to vote, since they will receive all government correspondence including voting ballots on that address.

For Dutch people wanting to read more on this:

Spoiler

http://www.opvang.nl/site/item/inschrijven-van-dakloze-mensen-in-de-basisregistratie-personen

 

[Mama Mia]

2 hours ago, Marly said:

I'm Dutch, but our system is similar to the German one. Here, as far as I know, homeless people can register at the address of a homeless shelter. Not all of them do this, but those that receive/want to receive aid have to be registered somewhere and they are usually advised to register at a local homeless shelter.
So, the Dutch government makes a distinction between a "living adress", where you live, and a "mail address", an address where you can receive mail but where you don't necessarily live. For most people their living address and mail address are the same, but when you're homeless you obviously don't have a living address. In that case, a mail address is accepted by the government. If a homeless person has a mail address, s/he can receive aid and is also eligible to vote, since they will receive all government correspondence including voting ballots on that address.

For Dutch people wanting to read more on this:

  Hide contents

http://www.opvang.nl/site/item/inschrijven-van-dakloze-mensen-in-de-basisregistratie-personen

 

Thanks for the info.  As long as there were ways to ensure it was accessible and affordable - I like the idea of having all the official documents in one place. I think the U.S. has a loonnngg way to go before we would get there - just the voting requirements varying greatly by state would need to be settled - for example, the Supreme Court just ruled that one state is allowed to require I.D.s with an exact physical address - a format not commonly used by rural ranchers or on Native American Reservations ( a large portion of the population in this particular very rural state ) . 

[StraightOuttaArkansas]

21 hours ago, Mama Mia said:

What do homeless people do in that system? Not asking snarkily, just curious.  

 

Mr. Outta checked (he is German so obviously his German language skills are better than mine) and in Germany, a homeless person is still required to have one, but the general practice (if they choose to, it seems to be a slightly controversial topic) is to go the town hall (Bürgeramt) and say you are "living" there, but have no address. The ID is then still the same, but in the part where and address would be, there is just the city. Homeless people are (by law) not charged for their ID (hubby is skeptical that the practice follows this). I would like to point out that in Germany there are a lot of social help systems in place (having used them myself, it is truly amazing), but it can be difficult to navigate (my German was not the best at the time) and there are a lot of requirements placed on you when getting help. Still coming from the US ans suddenly finding myself in a horrible circumstance, I really did find it better than nothing and was very thankful for it. I had Mr. Outta check on the homeless rate and while there is no official statistic (?) he found estimate and without refugees (they are counted separately, I am not sure why?) and making the distinction between an actual homeless person and a person who does not rent or own a place in their name (another interesting distinction) the rate is roughly 52,000 people or 0.06% of the population. Again that is just an estimate from a charity who works with homeless (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnunglosenhilfe)

[Mama Mia]

5 hours ago, StraightOuttaArkansas said:

Mr. Outta checked (he is German so obviously his German language skills are better than mine) and in Germany, a homeless person is still required to have one, but the general practice (if they choose to, it seems to be a slightly controversial topic) is to go the town hall (Bürgeramt) and say you are "living" there, but have no address. The ID is then still the same, but in the part where and address would be, there is just the city. Homeless people are (by law) not charged for their ID (hubby is skeptical that the practice follows this). I would like to point out that in Germany there are a lot of social help systems in place (having used them myself, it is truly amazing), but it can be difficult to navigate (my German was not the best at the time) and there are a lot of requirements placed on you when getting help. Still coming from the US ans suddenly finding myself in a horrible circumstance, I really did find it better than nothing and was very thankful for it. I had Mr. Outta check on the homeless rate and while there is no official statistic (?) he found estimate and without refugees (they are counted separately, I am not sure why?) and making the distinction between an actual homeless person and a person who does not rent or own a place in their name (another interesting distinction) the rate is roughly 52,000 people or 0.06% of the population. Again that is just an estimate from a charity who works with homeless (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnunglosenhilfe)

Thank you for all the information! I worked in a homeless services program, and estimating the number of people experiencing homelessness is horribly complicated and difficult, and almost always underestimated.  In the US, the primary method is through a bi-annual point in time one night survey, where each county tries to count everyone in shelters and on the streets ( gigantically farcical in how badly undercounted that is! ) they do it one night in January - which also underestimates the count, as you will have the fewest people literally outside. Although there also more seasonal shelters open.  The last one night count was 553 000 or .17% . Of course that varies hugely by area.  The annual rates are of course much higher.

[neurogirl]

When I got married this year, I did ask my bridesmaids by mailing them wine glasses from etsy with their name and "Will you be my bridesmaid?" on them in sparkly letters. They were very well-received and since my 6 bridesmaids were in 6 different states, it was fun to send them a package. 

My husband asked his groomsmen in person or over text. Amusingly, one of his best friends who he asked over text (long-distance) seemed to have forgotten or not realized my husband was serious, because Neuroboy was asking him about the bachelor party and his friend was asking him who was in the wedding party and was shocked when Neuroboy mentioned him! So we joked that Neuroboy should've sent his friends personalized whiskey glasses as well. (Not that men don't drink wine, just that these men were not of that persuasion) It's a little extra, but it's harmless and fun, and me and my friends had a lot of fun with it.

[just_ordinary]

20 hours ago, StraightOuttaArkansas said:

Mr. Outta checked (he is German so obviously his German language skills are better than mine) and in Germany, a homeless person is still required to have one, but the general practice (if they choose to, it seems to be a slightly controversial topic) is to go the town hall (Bürgeramt) and say you are "living" there, but have no address. The ID is then still the same, but in the part where and address would be, there is just the city. Homeless people are (by law) not charged for their ID (hubby is skeptical that the practice follows this). I would like to point out that in Germany there are a lot of social help systems in place (having used them myself, it is truly amazing), but it can be difficult to navigate (my German was not the best at the time) and there are a lot of requirements placed on you when getting help. Still coming from the US ans suddenly finding myself in a horrible circumstance, I really did find it better than nothing and was very thankful for it. I had Mr. Outta check on the homeless rate and while there is no official statistic (?) he found estimate and without refugees (they are counted separately, I am not sure why?) and making the distinction between an actual homeless person and a person who does not rent or own a place in their name (another interesting distinction) the rate is roughly 52,000 people or 0.06% of the population. Again that is just an estimate from a charity who works with homeless (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnunglosenhilfe)

Refugees are probably counted separately for various reasons. They are not homeless but live in refugee shelters.  They aren’t allowed to vote as they aren’t citizens and furthermore don’t have a permanent living arrangement in the country (if you do you are allowed to participate in smaller elections, town mayor for example and maybe regional government). 

Being homeless and not owning/renting a place in your name is different. Adult children living at home for example. It has no impact on voting though because they still have an address. This statistic might be more important in other contexts. 

In general our statistics are very defined and you have to read them very carefully to get what they really say. Especially when they talk about certain groups you should make sure to find out who is exactly included in this group. But I would imagine that is true for all statistics over the world. Sadly lots of people don’t know enough about it and come to the strangest conclusions. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

Chiming in re:  homelessness in Germany. When I lived there, the common phrase regarding homelessness was - you're only homeless in Germany if you want to be homeless. That was based on the vast amount of resources and support available to everyone. That sort of environment, where everyone is supported (financially, socially, medically) was amazing to see.

That said - it's been 25 years since I lived there, so things may have changed.

[CarrotCake]

They say that about the Netherlands as well. I partly agree but for some people the system is just too difficult because of addiction and/or personal problems. Even if there is so much help available, they might still not be able to take the help and get out.

But in general, there are not that many homeless people and probably the majority of those indeed choose to stay homeless.

ETA: this does not count for non-Dutch homeless people, the last few years the number of homeless people has increased quite a lot but these are refugees as well as Roma from Eastern Europe.

[JillyO]

36 minutes ago, CarrotCake said:

They say that about the Netherlands as well. I partly agree but for some people the system is just too difficult because of addiction and/or personal problems. Even if there is so much help available, they might still not be able to take the help and get out.

Agreed. For example, you are always eligible for unemployment benefits (ALG2/Hartz4), even if you do not have an address. Those benefits actually include rent for an apartment. The way to access them (I just did some research after reading @Mama Mia's question) is apparently to register a mailing address at a homeless shelter. But many homeless people don't know that they can still get those benefits, or the system is just too complicated for them to navigate.

So yeah, in theory, nobody really HAS to be homeless in Germany. But the system definitely isn't perfect, and people still fall through the cracks.

[Jinder Roles]

I’m more shocked that Ted Cruz is still in his 40s, than that he’s the zodiac killer. 

Holy shit, I swear this man was almost 60. I guess being a malicious asshole is bad for the skin. 

Also: is it just me or does Ted Cruz look like a cross between a sloth and a penguin? 

[artdecades]

2 minutes ago, Jinder Roles said:

I’m more shocked that Ted Cruz is still in his 40s, than that he’s the zodiac killer. 

Holy shit, I swear this man was almost 60. I guess being a malicious asshole is bad for the skin. 

Also: is it just me or does Ted Cruz look like a cross between a sloth and a penguin? 

He looks like a blobfish to me

[Irishy]

3 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Chiming in re:  homelessness in Germany. When I lived there, the common phrase regarding homelessness was - you're only homeless in Germany if you want to be homeless. That was based on the vast amount of resources and support available to everyone. That sort of environment, where everyone is supported (financially, socially, medically) was amazing to see.

That said - it's been 25 years since I lived there, so things may have changed.

I was in Berlin last winter and I was surprised by how many homeless people I saw. But also not surprised. My partner works for a homeless charity and there are lots of people who sleep rough by choice. Distrust of sheltered accommodation, temptation and exposure to drugs, violence, mental health issues etc.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

1 hour ago, Jinder Roles said:

Also: is it just me or does Ted Cruz look like a cross between a sloth and a penguin? 

That would be a cuteness overload so I'm going with no.

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

1 hour ago, Jinder Roles said:

I’m more shocked that Ted Cruz is still in his 40s, than that he’s the zodiac killer. 

Holy shit, I swear this man was almost 60. I guess being a malicious asshole is bad for the skin. 

Also: is it just me or does Ted Cruz look like a cross between a sloth and a penguin? 

I was stunned to learn that he is 2 months YOUNGER than I am, I too thought he was a lot older than that.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

38 minutes ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

I was stunned to learn that he is 2 months YOUNGER than I am, I too thought he was a lot older than that.

Yeah. I dated someone who was a classmate of his, and during the 2016 primary I texted him to ask his opinion of Cruz (“biggest asshole I’ve ever met”). I attempted to tell my mother that, and she got stuck on the explanation. Just could not process that he was that young, or that I’m that old.

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

51 minutes ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

Yeah. I dated someone who was a classmate of his, and during the 2016 primary I texted him to ask his opinion of Cruz (“biggest asshole I’ve ever met”). I attempted to tell my mother that, and she got stuck on the explanation. Just could not process that he was that young, or that I’m that old.

LOL!  I tried telling my mother that everyone who ever met him thought he was the biggest asshole ever, and all she said was "you liberals are always so negative".  I told her that that was coming from republicans, and she said "but Hillary...." 

Now she's all in a panic because her beloved republican party is going to cut her Medicare and social security and I just said "but her emails." she wasn't amused with me. I then told her to if she doesn't want to lose her Medicare or SS to vote blue. To my shock and delight my 73 year old republican mother who has NEVER voted for a democrat in her life voted straight Democrat last Saturday. WOO HOO.  We are in Iowa, not Texas but Ted was her scum bag in the 2016 primaries.

[samurai_sarah]

7 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Chiming in re:  homelessness in Germany. When I lived there, the common phrase regarding homelessness was - you're only homeless in Germany if you want to be homeless. That was based on the vast amount of resources and support available to everyone. That sort of environment, where everyone is supported (financially, socially, medically) was amazing to see.

That said - it's been 25 years since I lived there, so things may have changed.

(No reflection on you, just jumping off)

Sadly, it never has been and never will be ideal. Even in countries like the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Switzerland and Austria (and everyone I'm forgetting), people fall through the cracks. The rate of people who do fall through the cracks is still too high.

[VBOY9977]

Joy was just tagged in this picture on ig

to all the people who were saying she looked pregnant in that striped top picture...this pic really proves that different clothing can make your body look certain different ways

 

[Nikedagain?]

On 11/1/2018 at 2:51 AM, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

Simmer down folks, allow Professor Names to 'splain.  there is too much, let me sum up, 1. HRC is NOT, running for office again. She knows she's done. 2. Bernie, would never have beat Trump, Trump would have wiped the floor with Bernie. Bernie had 1 thing and only one thing, free education. nothing else, just that. 3. Biden wants to run he's too old, sorry, not sorry, ageist and all that but he's 75 NOW (he will be 76 on Nov 20th) do you really want to run an octogenarian? I would lay you $100 on a Harris/O'Rourke ticket.  I'm calling it, 2020 Dem ticket will have these two in 1 order or another at the top of the ticket. Young, ethnic, female, southern. its a Dem's wet dream, Beto could turn Texas blue in a POTOUS election. 

I agree with this! But I could also see a Castro twin or Cory Booker. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

3 hours ago, VBOY9977 said:

Joy was just tagged in this picture on ig

to all the people who were saying she looked pregnant in that striped top picture...this pic really proves that different clothing can make your body look certain different ways

 

She looks really good.

And also:  all those damn ceiling lights in that house would make me crazy. I know they're conducive to filming, but do they even have table or floor lamps? 

[AussieKrissy]

8 minutes ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

She looks really good.

And also:  all those damn ceiling lights in that house would make me crazy. I know they're conducive to filming, but do they even have table or floor lamps? 

and the electricity bill, that is what would freak me out, but then again where I live electricity is awfully priced. I have heard it is not so bad in the states. All in all bad for the environment also 

[Rachel333]

Reminds me of how I light my Sims houses.

[SapphireSlytherin]

34 minutes ago, AussieKrissy said:

and the electricity bill, that is what would freak me out, but then again where I live electricity is awfully priced. I have heard it is not so bad in the states. All in all bad for the environment also 

Electricity rates vary widely in the States, depending on where you live/which company provides the service.