Starbucks is unwittingly feeding the homeless problem

There is no doubt Starbucks made a mistake in Philadelphia when it had two black guys arrested for not buying anything as they waited for a friend. They settled with the two men for an undisclosed amount. But now, in typical liberal fashion, they have overcorrected. Facing an enormous PR problem, the coffee chain has adopted a policy that says anyone can use their bathrooms and people can hang out indefinitely without buying anything.

Folks in L.A. can see exactly where this is heading. Their homeless problem has exploded. They still can’t figure out why. I read an article recently that blamed the rich people in Bel Air. This is a favorite liberal pastime, blaming the rich for the plight of the poor. The fact that some movie producer is making millions has absolutely nothing to do with the guy wandering around the streets of L.A. Or does it?

Guilt is the driving force behind the homeless boom in Los Angeles. Do-gooders feel guilty about the homeless and now they’re building them tiny houses and trying to find vacant land to park them. Bums are coming in from all over the country. I’d love to see a survey of how many of the so-called homeless in L.A. are actually from L.A.

It’s important draw a distinction between those who are truly homeless and those who are what used to be referred to as vagrants. Studies show the truly homeless—those who have temporarily lost their jobs and a place to live—are homeless on an average of three months. What you see wandering the streets are not blue collar workers who found themselves living too close to the edge and lost their homes. The street people can basically be broken down into three categories. There are those who have some sort of substance addiction. There are those who are mentally ill. Then there are the bums. These street people aren’t homeless because they don’t have a home. They’re homeless because they can’t keep a job. Housing them in tiny homes just to get them off the streets isn’t going to solve the problem. You have to address why they’re unemployable.

Starbucks has always prided itself in being progressive. Remember, this the company that has been paying black folks the same as white folks since 2018. They dropped their policy of demanding to know how much you were making at your last job then issued a press release bragging about their new policy. Welcome to the 21st Century, Starbucks. I’ve had numerous jobs, and I don’t recall once being asked how much I was making at the last one. It’s none of their business. Apparently some companies still require you show them your W2 from the last job. If you ever encounter such a company I suggest you walk away. They’re going to try and screw you. The only thing that matters is how much the current job pays and if you’re willing to work for those wages.

If Starbucks really cared about the homeless they’d help rehabilitate these people and give them jobs. Instead, they brag about how many immigrants they’ve employed, illegal and otherwise.

The irony is, because of its new policy, Starbucks will become the new homeless encampment in L.A. and across the country. If you can use the bathroom and sit at the tables without buying anything how long before that word gets out amongst the homeless community?

It’s classic liberalism. They see a problem then only make it worse. And they will destroy their own business in the process.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

Much ado about Facebook

The frenzy around Facebook is a bit perplexing. I firmly believe the vast majority of Americans have no idea what this case is all about. They think Facebook has sold deep, dark secrets about them. What they don’t understand is they are the ones who gave away the secrets.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was called before Congress recently to explain how a third party gained access and then sold information about Facebook users. What Zuckerberg failed to adequately explain is we gave them everything they got.

Photo: WatchingAmerica.com

This is not a case of someone stealing identities. No credit card numbers were stolen. No Social Security numbers were leaked. Plain and simple, what Cambridge Analytica got from Facebook is a profile you painted when you posted to Facebook. Your likes and dislikes, your habits, your personality are all intertwined with your profile and postings.

As this whole so-called scandal was taking flight I was listening to a BBC interview with an American professor who sued Cambridge Analytica last year. British law requires them to hand over any information they may have accumulated on citizens upon request. He got several pages that painted a profile of him. What he found outrageous is they had him pegged as “very liberal.” He’s a college professor, so go figure. The host asked him if they had correctly identified his political persuasion. He said they had and that’s what prompted him to sue. He accused them of spying on him in the polling booth.

You would think a reasonably educated college professor would immediately understand that no one was spying on him in the polling booth. They didn’t have to. All they had to do was read his anti-Trump/pro-Hillary rants on Facebook to figure out he’s “very liberal.”

No surprise that Facebook lists me as very conservative. Do I care? Why should I? I am. Plus it keeps me being bombarded with ads from the global warming kooks. I happen to be a big fan of targeted advertising. So are advertisers. Instead of the old shotgun approach, they can now target ads specifically to people who will be more receptive to them.

For example, my car got totaled recently and I was searching for another one. I was continually shown ads relating to the type of car I was looking for. No trucks. No motorcycles. Just the car I was wanting. I actually clicked on several ads because they were helpful. That’s basically what Facebook does. They’re not following you into the polling booth as people have been led to believe. However, it’s the political angle that has so many people upset.

It’s like these people who constantly post their political rants don’t realize that anybody can read them. When some robot reads them and creates a profile, they get angry.

If you’re curious, you can actually see your advertising profile with a few clicks on Facebook. I won’t detail how here. Just do a search for “get your Facebook data.” They know I live away from the town where I was born. They know I’m a frequent traveler. They know my birthday is in September. They also know I’m very conservative. How do they know all this? Because I told them. In fact, I’ve told the whole world.

What’s troubling about Facebook is not that they’re actually reading my posts, it’s that they’re throttling and outright banning people like Diamond & Silk. At least the House members had the good sense to shift the focus to that.

So, you post what you had for dinner and someone actually cares. Advertisers. Surprise!

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.