We've got an innumeracy problem in San Francisco. I want to call to your attention a number that homeless advocates regularly use. The words are: "169 homeless died in San Francisco last year"-- presumably from being homeless in a city that treats them cruelly.
I have been disturbed, since I was a member of the S.F. Emergency Services Council, to find that homeless, crap-in-the-pants-filthy drunks consume nearly half the resources of our San Francisco emergency services. They get far more resources and do far more damage to the goodwill of our emergency personnel than I think is warranted.
I wondered how many homeless would have died if they were living safe happy satisfied lives in Kansas City. The answer is in the mortality tables on the web.
Homeless advocates say there are 10,000 homeless in San Francisco. More than 169 of them would have died last year living safely and happily in Kansas City if the average age were 55 and they were mostly male smokers.
Someone should tell the homeless advocates that living on the streets of San Francisco, drunk and filthy, is good for longevity.
(This is a repeat of a blog ten years ago.)