Jim Huether

Recent Activity

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  Jim signed the petition | 6 months ago

  Monster.com: Ban Job Listings that Discriminate Against the Unemployed
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  Jim commented on the article | over 2 years ago

  Because Living on a Prayer Alone Doesn't Pay the Bills

  Yes, it's a tight categorization, but I didn't have room to write a book. However my categorization has come from years of observing homelessness in Santa Cruz County. I strongly believe there are people who want to be homeless, and those that don't. Most people in Santa Cruz who don't want to be homeless, got there either because of economic breakdown, mental illness, or addiction to something. Mental illness usually doesn't go away, but needs to be treated. Addiction is a very hard problem to deal with, requires specialists, and often results in failure. However if we can prevent people who do not fall into those categories from becoming homeless in the first place, and help the ones who do to get back on their feet, those are things that can be done with significant success.

  
  

  BTW, I looked at your website and it seems like a very good place for people to get more in-depth information about homelessness. Keep up the good work.

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  Jim commented on the article | over 2 years ago

  Because Living on a Prayer Alone Doesn't Pay the Bills

  Way to go Jon! As you probably know there are at least 4 categories of homeless in America. There are the people who want to be homeless (basically gypsies who want to be homeless - they do not need our help), the addicts (if they can rehab, they should get help if they want it), the mentally ill (it's sad that there isn't much real help available for these people), and then the people who became homeless through bad economic situations. This last group is people who could become productive members of society fairly quickly if the right places and programs were available. I am glad you are helping some of these people, and hope that more celebrities and the government will do much more very soon. It is also very important to keep people from becoming homeless in the first place. It is far cheaper to keep people from becoming homeless, than it is to try to help them get back. It is extremely difficult to find a job if you don't have a permanent place to live. In any case, what you are doing is a great thing, and I hope more clebrities and government will take similar actions soon.

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  Jim signed the petition | over 2 years ago

  Give us health care freedom!
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  Jim commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  The Top Five Controversies in Health Care Today

  I believe the biggest issue in healthcare that need to be resolved fairly quickly is: lack of adequate healthcare for the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and the uninsured or underinsured.I think whether it is a single-payer system or a regulated industry, what needs to be done asap are for all citizens and green card holders: 1) Change the laws so insurance companies cannot exclude pre-exisiting conditions (this is for people who need to change their insurance, such as if they become unemployed or they lose their insurance or have no insurance to start with), 2) Provide free or low-cost insurance based on a graduated percentage of income such that people under certain income levels (based on family size and cost of living in their areas) would pay nothing to get coverage for current on-going conditions and medications and lab tests, new serious illnesses, emergencies, etc. As their level of income increases above the lower limit, they would pay a percentage of the basic cost until some higher limit is reached, where they would pay the full basic amount (current programs like Medi-Cal in California have income limits that are WAY TOO LOW).
  
  I really believe that people who have insurance through their employers and people who are wealthy can get good medical care. The biggest problem in this country is for people with no income, low income, unemployed, employed but working for companies that don't provide insurance, and the disabled and elderly. These people need access to quality healthcare immediately. I know many people who cannot work or pay their bills becasue they have serious illnesses and cannot affor to get proper treatment so they can get healthy enough to work. I believe that resolving the above issues ASAP would give us the biggest bang for the buck.