Where capital meets law...

Today local news in Portland is talking about the passing of a law further criminalizing drug use in public. Drug is already illegal in public is already illegal. So why do they need to make a pointless law? Cause Capitalism, let me break it down for you right quick... Pointless laws like this accomplish two things; 1. they appease high money donors that bitching about the homeless existing and give the appearance of meaningful progress towards "fixing a problem." 2. These laws allow the city/state to further weaponize their approach to growing houselessness problem, which is actually created by capitalism, which is hyper-accelerating the drug use. The system is actually working exactly as it should.

You see, the penalties for using and possessing drugs have been changed in Oregon towards decriminalizing drugs, but it's still illegal to use any drug in public, even alcohol. That will never change. So while the state is attempting to move towards a treatment based approach for drug use should be a good thing. However, never let yourself think it's because the law or the body politic actually gives a shit about people, cause they don't. It's mathematics. A devil's arithmetic that is done on the part of capital, which keeps the already overloaded jail cells open for worse offenders, rather than expanding the system to accommodate the uptick in penalization that taking place exactly BECAUSE OF the creation of needless laws. You see the actual stated purpose of an government is it's supposed to serve it's citizens by providing basic needs and services. Part of that is helping those that have already landed on the ropes so they aren't getting knocked down completely. But that doesn't vibe with profit incentive rub amok.

You see, that's the whole scam. Policy is always meant to be followed up with meaningful action. When it isn't, that amounts to nothing but a symbolic idea This isn't a party problem, it's proof that the system is working.

To curb drug use in public you would first have to give people a place to go. That's the states job and that means spending money and energy improving the conditions for it's citizens on very dire and basic levels. Since the state doesn't follow through, you create phenomenon like the working poor. That's what the working poor are, people still trying to live despite losing even the basic means to do so. Some of them have problems that lead them to get intoxicated, what they need is hope, not the fear of arrest and even more problems in their lives.

You see the law considers all kinds of non-public facing spaces as public. They do this on purpose. It means that by default places like a tent, an alley, behind some bushes; basically anywhere that isn't inside a permitted domicile that you are paying someone for, is considered public space. Even if it's not in view of the public. This shows us that the actual driver of this whole epidemic is massive houselessness. Why? Well due to artificial scarcity and inflated valuations that have led to them demand for insane rents. Meanwhile there has been an a utter stagnation of wages needed TO PAY THAT RENT that rising rent. When you combine that with the rising CPI (consumer price index) wherein all goods and services costs are rising, it's a recipe for people on the lower end of society to further become the victims of systemic inequity. This is how you fall through the cracks. However, because politicians and their donors don't want to actually contribute meaningfully to change, the recourse is to make more bullshit laws, The lawmakers to appease the conscience of the donors will acting on their real desire; to exploit everything they can from the have not's, then make them disappear. To accomplish that while maintaining a position of seeming "humanitarianism," the state turns against the houseless. That allows them justification to drive people out of town by force, while saying it's in the name of combating flagrant public drug use. See how that works?

Why you ask? Well it's very simple. Capitalism is parasitic in it's very concept and it exists around demanding sacrifice from one group to appease the ceaseless appetites of another. Let me see that louder for you all in the back. Capitalism a system designed to favor those who already possess the means to further add to those means by profiteering by any and all socially tolerable methods. Even to the point of commodification people's basic right to live. This means that any time there is a conceivable profit margin allowable it will happen and it will likely come at the cost of someone's right to live. That means if one owns a thing other people needs they can charge whatever the needer is willing to pay to use that thing. When people simply no longer possess even the ability to be exploited, the state steps in an criminalizes them and foists them off on some other location. Or leads to their death via lack of basic means of survival.

In summation, capitalism is predatory and is set up to enhance the lives of the haves over the very existence of the have nots. Therefore we must burn that shit down.