Holte---no there isn't And maybe I am an economics simpleton, but it seems to me that a very small portion of our military budget would solve the problem...not to mention give our real estate market a much needed boost.
well, confound it. Thought it was gonna be funny here and walked into this. Dang it! I didn't want to cry. but I am. More things to do... write the white house. Tell them, too. Write your congressman/senators. (you want to know what those fat cats are up to? http://www.humortimes.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=131) Look in your cupboards for canned goods that you're pretty sure you'll never eat, or don't mind parting with. (here, it's the creamed corn. Don't like it, but dang if it doesn't keep coming to the cabinet) Take your clothes down to the missions/poor houses. Dang it, Winter is coming and those kids are cold, too!
I may be poor, no income to speak of, but, I try to do my part whenever i can. It's good to see this. I was starting to forget why. Thanx!
mom---even George Will, the conservative columnist said just a few days ago that we need to get out ot Afganistan and Iraqi. God what a waste of lives and resources. We are trying to be the policemen of the earth, and completely ignore our own who need help. And it is particularly onerous that children are affected by our arrogance...that is, the money could be better spent to alleviate this sort of misery.
boneman---damned well said. I should have said it, and didn't. We make it a policy here in this household that when we go grocery shopping, we spend 10% of our usual bill on food for the city rescue mission. It's not a lot, but we can't afford a lot. However, we cannot as so-called caring human beings NOT do something.
Sorry for the heavy hit on this one...I start to get the guilts if I do too many light posts, and this one hit me hard. Afterall there are many many many people out there who have no humor in their lives...through no fault of their own. So, I have to heavy up now and then. For all of my smartassness, I really do feel deeply that we ought to be a little less self-centered and a bit more empathetic.
otin---yep, such as, CEO bonuses, shit like that? If THOSE guys gave 10% of their bonus into some sort of pot for the poor and displaced...jesus. It should be required and with NO TAX DEDUCTIONS.
Is this what George Bush meant by NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND? Yeah, but if we feed the children with a small per cent of the military budget, hoiw are we going to kill another million Muslims and steal their oil?
Chimp---jeez. There will be plenty of money left over to buy Afghan opium, to give to the Iraqis, to get them in a stupor, so that they don't notice we are taking their oil. A substantial savings...no shooting or bombing involved with this plan. Then we can take the profits from that (after bonuses, of course) to smuggle ladies pants into Afghanistan, with stock bought from a ladies pants factory in China...however, the CIA will feint the source of these pants as being Iraqi. The pants will piss off the Afghan Taliban so much that they will attack Iraq with captured U.S. awe and shock weapontry, lose the war because of the slow camel thing and retire to their biblical days revelry...never to be heard from again...until ol' Moham beams them directly up to heaven (after the rapture, or course). And once again, American takes it's Godly rightful place as the defenders of the faith and free people everywhere...standing tall, with a little change left over for America's homeless children.
No need to apologize for the heavy hit, jj. Now, especially, we need to remember this. Too many folks have had -- or will have -- the rug pulled out from under them during this economic roller coaster ride. (I just wish they picked a different song for the video, know what I mean?)
It is a disgrace--- and as much as I cannot do much for thousands of children, I sure as hell do all I can for the ones that are in front of me; still, this is sad, so sad.
Here in my area, over 80% of homeless are people with mental disorders. Thankfully, we have city housing all over Canada - usually row housing or fourplexes where the rent averages $200/month (to a maximum of $600/month). I have not ever seen a homeless child! Even after hitting rock bottom, women have beds available in shelters in most areas around here (at least they did a few years ago) There are Youth Shelters as well. I suppose there MUST be some in the huge cities, but even Bill says he never saw a homeless child in Calgary (pop.1,000,000+)
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are funded by credit, not the current military budget. ergo ending the wars will only save us from more deficit spending not return money to the budget.
If there is a will there is a way to put people in housing. Every bank that hoklds toxic assets in the form of foreclosed houses backed by Fannie Mae or Freddy Mac, HUD or VA loans should be forced to open those houses for housing. It is where the problem arose from and it is where the solution should be forced from. We have allotted nearly a trillion dollars to those banks and it is nigh past time for them to return to them who they broke some portion of sustenance for the cost of utilities and care for the property.
Make the homeless resident caretakers of these vacant properties. Match the homeless with homes according to the potential for them to eventually be able to buy the property.
Tie the current value of a vacant house to the residents caretakers education level which is about the only indicator of potential earning power when the new economy emerges. (whatever the hell THAT is going to look like.)
It's always those least able to defend themselves that get the short end of the stick... children, elderly, mentally ill. As long as money is a deity, it will always be that way.
I live less than a mile from one of Atlanta's largest shelters which is overflowing. It's so sad to walk by there during the day and seeing the children who should be in school and the desperate looks on their mother's (most often) and/or father's faces.
Most are new to homelessness in the last 6 months.
Reminds me of a time spent in the Ukraine, witnessed some terrible stuff there. We don't see much of it over here, I think we are very shielded from more terrible facts.
Everyone---sorry that I haven't had time to respond to each comment, but I always appreciate your thoughts and ideas. I saw this video and I feel so strongly about this and many other social problems in this country and the road we were diverted to by the last administration, that I had to post this one. We have to detour, and we have to do better, and we can't let the insane element keep calling the shots.
As to my remark regards the obscene monies we have spent in Iraqi and Afghanistan: of course I know that we will never divert funds(real or otherwise) from the military for solving social ills. My comment was intended to pointing out how fucked up our priorities really are. We spend money we don't have for killing, and ignore finding funds for living. That, folks, is the essence of our attitude. We are a nation that glorifies killing. (readers of this blog naturally excluded.)
To one commenter, walking man, your thoughts as to how this particular problem can be solved are beautiful. Let the perps pick up the slack. Great idea if we had someone with a set of balls in D.C. to get that in motion. But, I think that gang slipped out the back, Jack.
21 comments:
It wouldn't take much at all to do something about this abysmal situation. But there is no political will.
Holte---no there isn't And maybe I am an economics simpleton, but it seems to me that a very small portion of our military budget would solve the problem...not to mention give our real estate market a much needed boost.
I was thinking along the same lines re the military budget. Maybe we are too simplistic...or smarter than most. Hahaha!
well, confound it.
Thought it was gonna be funny here and walked into this.
Dang it!
I didn't want to cry.
but I am.
More things to do...
write the white house. Tell them, too.
Write your congressman/senators. (you want to know what those fat cats are up to? http://www.humortimes.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=131)
Look in your cupboards for canned goods that you're pretty sure you'll never eat, or don't mind parting with. (here, it's the creamed corn. Don't like it, but dang if it doesn't keep coming to the cabinet)
Take your clothes down to the missions/poor houses. Dang it, Winter is coming and those kids are cold, too!
I may be poor, no income to speak of, but, I try to do my part whenever i can.
It's good to see this.
I was starting to forget why.
Thanx!
Not only the military budget, but all of the other money that we waste!
mom---even George Will, the conservative columnist said just a few days ago that we need to get out ot Afganistan and Iraqi. God what a waste of lives and resources. We are trying to be the policemen of the earth, and completely ignore our own who need help. And it is particularly onerous that children are affected by our arrogance...that is, the money could be better spent to alleviate this sort of misery.
boneman---damned well said. I should have said it, and didn't. We make it a policy here in this household that when we go grocery shopping, we spend 10% of our usual bill on food for the city rescue mission. It's not a lot, but we can't afford a lot. However, we cannot as so-called caring human beings NOT do something.
Sorry for the heavy hit on this one...I start to get the guilts if I do too many light posts, and this one hit me hard. Afterall there are many many many people out there who have no humor in their lives...through no fault of their own. So, I have to heavy up now and then. For all of my smartassness, I really do feel deeply that we ought to be a little less self-centered and a bit more empathetic.
otin---yep, such as, CEO bonuses, shit like that? If THOSE guys gave 10% of their bonus into some sort of pot for the poor and displaced...jesus. It should be required and with NO TAX DEDUCTIONS.
Is this what George Bush meant by NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND? Yeah, but if we feed the children with a small per cent of the military budget, hoiw are we going to kill another million Muslims and steal their oil?
Chimp---jeez. There will be plenty of money left over to buy Afghan opium, to give to the Iraqis, to get them in a stupor, so that they don't notice we are taking their oil. A substantial savings...no shooting or bombing involved with this plan. Then we can take the profits from that (after bonuses, of course) to smuggle ladies pants into Afghanistan, with stock bought from a ladies pants factory in China...however, the CIA will feint the source of these pants as being Iraqi. The pants will piss off the Afghan Taliban so much that they will attack Iraq with captured U.S. awe and shock weapontry, lose the war because of the slow camel thing and retire to their biblical days revelry...never to be heard from again...until ol' Moham beams them directly up to heaven (after the rapture, or course). And once again, American takes it's Godly rightful place as the defenders of the faith and free people everywhere...standing tall, with a little change left over for America's homeless children.
I think there is political will, but that will has already been paid to do what the government "sponsors" tell it to do. Call me a cynic.
No need to apologize for the heavy hit, jj. Now, especially, we need to remember this. Too many folks have had -- or will have -- the rug pulled out from under them during this economic roller coaster ride. (I just wish they picked a different song for the video, know what I mean?)
All i can do is weep.
I cannot read this pain
i must turn my head in shame.
It is a disgrace--- and as much as I cannot do much for thousands of children, I sure as hell do all I can for the ones that are in front of me;
still, this is sad, so sad.
Here in my area, over 80% of homeless are people with mental disorders.
Thankfully, we have city housing all over Canada - usually row housing or fourplexes where the rent averages $200/month (to a maximum of $600/month).
I have not ever seen a homeless child! Even after hitting rock bottom, women have beds available in shelters in most areas around here (at least they did a few years ago)
There are Youth Shelters as well.
I suppose there MUST be some in the huge cities, but even Bill says he never saw a homeless child in Calgary (pop.1,000,000+)
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are funded by credit, not the current military budget. ergo ending the wars will only save us from more deficit spending not return money to the budget.
If there is a will there is a way to put people in housing. Every bank that hoklds toxic assets in the form of foreclosed houses backed by Fannie Mae or Freddy Mac, HUD or VA loans should be forced to open those houses for housing. It is where the problem arose from and it is where the solution should be forced from. We have allotted nearly a trillion dollars to those banks and it is nigh past time for them to return to them who they broke some portion of sustenance for the cost of utilities and care for the property.
Make the homeless resident caretakers of these vacant properties. Match the homeless with homes according to the potential for them to eventually be able to buy the property.
Tie the current value of a vacant house to the residents caretakers education level which is about the only indicator of potential earning power when the new economy emerges. (whatever the hell THAT is going to look like.)
tough topic j
been on my mind for a while now too...
LINK
It's always those least able to defend themselves that get the short end of the stick... children, elderly, mentally ill. As long as money is a deity, it will always be that way.
I live less than a mile from one of Atlanta's largest shelters which is overflowing. It's so sad to walk by there during the day and seeing the children who should be in school and the desperate looks on their mother's (most often) and/or father's faces.
Most are new to homelessness in the last 6 months.
Reminds me of a time spent in the Ukraine, witnessed some terrible stuff there. We don't see much of it over here, I think we are very shielded from more terrible facts.
Everyone---sorry that I haven't had time to respond to each comment, but I always appreciate your thoughts and ideas. I saw this video and I feel so strongly about this and many other social problems in this country and the road we were diverted to by the last administration, that I had to post this one. We have to detour, and we have to do better, and we can't let the insane element keep calling the shots.
As to my remark regards the obscene monies we have spent in Iraqi and Afghanistan: of course I know that we will never divert funds(real or otherwise) from the military for solving social ills. My comment was intended to pointing out how fucked up our priorities really are. We spend money we don't have for killing, and ignore finding funds for living. That, folks, is the essence of our attitude. We are a nation that glorifies killing. (readers of this blog naturally excluded.)
To one commenter, walking man, your thoughts as to how this particular problem can be solved are beautiful. Let the perps pick up the slack. Great idea if we had someone with a set of balls in D.C. to get that in motion. But, I think that gang slipped out the back, Jack.
Hey, what's with all this negative talk? America is still Number One in:
State of the art weapons systems;
Number of soldiers occupying countries all over the world;
Number of guns manufactured and sold all over the world;
Percentage of the population locked in prison;
Dollars (in billions) paid to failed CEOs as salaries and bonuses.
Don't Worry Be Happy.
Tom---happy? Sort of like this?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ
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