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When I was 22 years old I saw a "homeless" person with a "will work for food" sign in a snow storm. My heart ached for the man. I went to the store and purchased a jacket, gloves, and food.
I drove back to the corner and gave him what I had purchased. He said "thank you", but didn't seem appreciative?
I assumed he would have eaten some of the food immediately, but he stuffed the food in his bag and didn't eat a thing.
As I drove away perplexed I looked in my rear view mirror and the man had begun to walk to the far corner of parking lot. I was curious so I drove around the block and came back.
The man got into a brand new Chevy Corvette!!! I kid you not!
AL, who is going to argue on the side of able bodied lazy con artists?
Let's just not try to throw out the baby with the bathwater...
According to the United States Conference of Mayors, requests for shelter by families with children went unmet 32 percent of the time in 2004 - and families with children make up the fastest-growing segment among the homeless. Fifty-six percent of the reporting cities say that homeless families have to break up in order to find shelter. At least 3.5 million persons are likely to experience homelessness during a year in the United States and 40 percent of them will be children.
Understanding poverty and homelessness in America | csmonitor.com (http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0522/p09s01-coop.html - broken link)
Very good report by Stossel, and I generally agree with him. Kotay is doing a great job in Denver, and folks should really pay attention to his process.
But there are some mentally ill and sick folks out there, who need a support system. My "guess" is like most things I have experienced, the "80/20" rule would apply. That means that probably 80% need to get their act together and move up the ladder of life, while 20% really need help with little in realistic expectations.
AL, who is going to argue on the side of able bodied lazy con artists?
Let's just not try to throw out the baby with the bathwater...
According to the United States Conference of Mayors, requests for shelter by families with children went unmet 32 percent of the time in 2004 - and families with children make up the fastest-growing segment among the homeless. Fifty-six percent of the reporting cities say that homeless families have to break up in order to find shelter. At least 3.5 million persons are likely to experience homelessness during a year in the United States and 40 percent of them will be children.
Understanding poverty and homelessness in America | csmonitor.com (http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0522/p09s01-coop.html - broken link)
I can't argue with anything you have stated. America is very compassionate and unfortunatley the con artists are going to continue to take advantage of the system.
I found the report very interesting though.
What's the answer?
Maybe all able bodied should be required to do work for the city if they receive the free food and shelter.
Maybe more of the free loaders would get a regular job and stop making it harder for the homeless families to find available shelters?
"Not taking the responsibility because there's a free hand-out"....
I think some of the 'help' inadvertently causes dependancy. I brought up the following question on another thread but no one answered my it: I asked what if all welfare benefits were cut, suddenly, overnight. Would people go out and commit crime out of desperation? Or would they find work wherever they could because they were so desperate?
The only disagreement I have with this report is that it doesn't take into consideration those people who are mentally ill. And I also disagree with their view on addiction. People CHOOSE to drink, noone chooses to become an addict.
Last edited by Prettygyrl777; 07-15-2007 at 10:20 PM..
From personal experience, many of the homeless have mental illness. I have an uncle with mental illness, he has been homeless since about 1985. During that time, my poor grandparents and other relatives have tried to help him. They get him cleaned up, on medication, off the booze and working. A few months go by, then he says he is better because he feels great. He thinks he isn't crazy, and doesn't need the meds. Once he goes off the meds, he gets angry, moody, and violent.
He usually leaves a note that says 'F' you all, your living to pay for the government and the aliens, I am going to live a real life. Its sad, he lives in cardboard boxes, broken down u-hauls, in barns, etc. He is about 52 and will die in a field somewhere. My grandparents have tried to have him committed throughout the years, but unless he endangers himself, the police can't hold him. My grandpa is such a hard worker, I know this situation is like a failure for him.
From personal experience, many of the homeless have mental illness. I have an uncle with mental illness, he has been homeless since about 1985. During that time, my poor grandparents and other relatives have tried to help him. They get him cleaned up, on medication, off the booze and working. A few months go by, then he says he is better because he feels great. He thinks he isn't crazy, and doesn't need the meds. Once he goes off the meds, he gets angry, moody, and violent.
He usually leaves a note that says 'F' you all, your living to pay for the government and the aliens, I am going to live a real life. Its sad, he lives in cardboard boxes, broken down u-hauls, in barns, etc. He is about 52 and will die in a field somewhere. My grandparents have tried to have him committed throughout the years, but unless he endangers himself, the police can't hold him. My grandpa is such a hard worker, I know this situation is like a failure for him.
So true. Most people have no clue how many people suffer from mental illness and can't function. Whats really funny is listening to the jesus freaks and right-wing religous nutbags proclaim their values and turn their backs on the homeless because they perceive it as handouts or welfare. Just compassion for a fellow human being......
As I drove away perplexed I looked in my rear view mirror and the man had begun to walk to the far corner of parking lot. I was curious so I drove around the block and came back.
The man got into a brand new Chevy Corvette!!! I kid you not!
I was shocked and disgusted.
Hmm, it's funny how you mentioned this because a long time ago, I saw a story about a squeegee worker. Apparently, what he does is that he stands on a corner, and clean people's car windows for any amount people are willing to give him.
Here's the kicker: He is very wealthy.
When asked, the explanation made everything clear. A person people may consider wealthy would make roughly $20-30 per hour and work something like eight hours a day; which would translate to $160-$240 a day or $2,240-3,360 every two weeks and
This guy made an average of $1.68 per car and over the course of an eight hour day, he would make $1,153 a day! That translate to $16,142 every two weeks and about $420K per year (if he were working 7 days a week). To summarize, this guy made an corporate executive-level salary...washing windows.
I cannot take anything Stossel says seriously.
It is too one sided. He is an angry conservative
in liberals costume. I lost all respect for him when
I read his views on development in the USA.
Anyway....the real figures speak for themselves...the majority
of homeless people arent scammers. With our economy
and manufacturing / middle class gone, a whole new
class of poor has been created. These people need to
eat, and need services. If one was to actually beleive
the corvette window washer story (which I dont), if this
was a kid from an upper-class, conservative town, he
would be applauded for his entrepreneurial spirit and
being quoted about how great opportunities in America
are. This culture of freeloaders exists only as a Stossel
ratings grab.
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