Trump Attacks San Francisco: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
KCBX, the local NPR affiliate here in Santa Barbara and the rest of California’s Central Coast, reports as follows:
The Trump administration is following up on President Trump’s threat to go after California for pollution that he blames on the state’s large homeless population.
Trump said after a visit to California last week that San Francisco is violating pollution laws by allowing needles and other waste from homeless encampments to drain into the ocean. San Francisco Mayor London Breed (pictured) responded, rejecting Trump’s claims. “I’m sick of this president taking swipes at our city for no reason other than politics. As I’ve said before, there are no needles washing out to the Bay or ocean from our sewer system, and there is no relationship between homelessness and water quality in San Francisco.”
Ms. Breed: I appreciate your anxiety in the matter, but I suggest you chill out. You’re talking about a president who thinks wind turbines cause cancer and looks directly into solar eclipses. Virtually everything that comes out of his mouth is untrue. Moreover, it appears that he’s on his way out. Don’t take years off your life worrying about a psychopath who will soon be regarded as a historical joke.
Craig,
As usual, your Pavlovian response to any Anti-Trump story is poorly researched.
From the conception I have supported free needle programs undertaken by any civic administration, by these programs must be very rigorously monitored and implemented. It appears the City of San Fransisco has not implemented to program rigorously.
However, the President has a point.
San Fransisco distributes over 400,000 needles per month. Nearly 160,000 of those needle wind up in parks, storm water drains etc.
The President claimed;
” It’s a terrible situation that’s in Los Angeles and in San Francisco. And we’re going to be giving San Francisco, \they’re in total violation, we’re going to be giving them a notice very soon”
The President went on to say, ” trash including needles is getting into the bay and oceans”.
The Mayor responded :
“There are no needles washing out to the Bay or ocean”.
Craig Shields says ” Everything that comes out of his (the President’s) mouth is untrue. He’s a psychopath “.
Well okay, without to much research, we can easily establish who is lying, spinning the truth, or just ranting.
Let’s see, shall we. Let’s compare in a calm, rational manner.
1) since 1993 the City of San Fransisco has handed out nearly 30 million needles and recovered about 40% (which is pretty good on a world scale).
That leaves over 18 million needles unaccounted for in organized disposal. A recent survey of the Bay discovered more than 2.7 needles in just 5 square miles of sea bed. How did the get there ?
In February 2019, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit (hardly an organization sympathetic to President trump) surveyed 153 blocks of downtown San Francisco in search of trash, needles, and feces.
The investigation revealed trash littered across every block. The survey also found 41 blocks dotted with needles and 96 blocks sullied with piles of feces.
The EPA discovered the storm water and sewage system unable to cope with the growing demands of trash, needles etc,which has become compounded by a sudden increase on homeless tent cities etc.
Reports to the EPA of Needles and Human Waste in San Francisco Have Steadily Risen Since 2008. Between 2010-16, the Western EPA was asked by the White House to ‘downplay’ San Fransisco’s growing needles program.
‘San Francisco Compared to Some of the Dirtiest Slums in the World’
The NBC Investigative Unit survey, found parts of the city even dirtier than slums in developing countries.
“The contamination is much greater than communities in Brazil or Kenya or India,” stated the NBC Investigative Unit, it also noted that in those countries, slum dwellings are often long-term homes for families and so there is an attempt to make the surroundings more livable. Homeless communities in San Francisco, however, are often kicked out from one part of town and forced to relocate to another. The result is extreme contamination”.
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Okay Craig, now be a ‘mensch’, and explain how you can justify calling the President a “psychopathic liar” ?
How can you justify the Mayor’s claims ?
How can you justify your own lies?
As usual, you will fall silent.
I guess i can help you out a little. Both the President and the Mayor can be correct. Technically, the City of San Fransisco sewerage system does have filters to prevent waste items from reaching the ocean.
However, this system only represents less than 12% of the City waste that discharges into the Bay region, so the Mayor is spinning more than just a little.
But, what about you? Once again, in your hatred for Trump you would rather defend pollution of the worse kind, rather than admit the President might be right on this issue.
What does that make you ?