[RonMN]

I'm not close to being homeless (at the moment), but knowing the ramifications of P.O. is to acknowledge the fact that this may be in store for any or all of us.

Which, taking a step further, just amazes me that TPTB find bulldozing a tent city is the sollution. Do they expect these people to simply vanish? they may have nothing, but they have to exist someplace.

[I_Like_Plants]

We're going to have vacant McMansions and homeless people, just like they poured milk into rivers while children starved in the last Depression.

If we honestly deport all the illegals that sure opens up a lot of basic low-IQ work for our homeless to do or to be rehabilitated into doing. It also opens up a lot of low-income housing.

It's a pretty obvious solution.

But in the meantime, I don't think anyone should think they'll never become homeless, it's happened to too many people who thought it was impossible. And, being homeless for a while may be that brush with reality so many trapped in the USA Hologram(tm) need.

[deMolay]

Why if they cause no trouble are they not left alone, and if someone wants to help them. Let it be so but leave them their human dignity.

[I_Like_Plants]

That's how I feel DeMolay.

One problem is a certain percentage, and I think the more visible ones, are the ones with mental problems. They used to get help, but that wasn't as profitable as just turning them out onto the street.

Another percentage have been foolish enough to have a family. They believed that Leave It To Beaver stuff, and now they're on the street trying to live, with kids. I was too smart to fall into that trap myself, but a lot of people are really getting torn apart in the Mixmaster that the Free-Market Society is, and unprofitable dead weights like children drag them down - just as much so their illogical emotional attachment to them.

Yet another category are the people who have become disabled - usually a quick road to joblessness, divorce, and homelessness. If they'd really get with the Free Market System, they'd realize they're now unprofitable and off themselves, but most don't.

The only group I can say that homelessness is a choice for, are the ones who are fit males, able to work, fight, and look good doing it, and they are able to disguise themselves well enough as worker bees and homedebtors that they're essentially invisible. It's interesting spotting them, that guy there, in his khakis and "dilbert" shirt, why is he carrying a backpack as big as a high schooler's? They may be making the logical choice to live homeless for a while, to save up money to buy a house, buy a wife, or just put in the bank. It makes perfect sense, actually - why pay some scum landlord $1000 or more a month, when you can save that much, work, and find various places to sleep for free?

The most primitive societies don't treat their unfortunates as badly as we do, in fact many "primitive" peoples have come to the conclusion that Westerners are ghouls or evil spirits in human bodies, when they've learned what our attitudes are.

[threadbear]

How are you doing, Plants?

[deMolay]

Maybe because I travelled thousands of miles in my youth with just a good pair of walking shoes and all my possessions in a Trapper Nelson. Living by mt. streams and prairie wheat and sun. And staying in city parks and hostels when passing through. It is one thing to be homeless by choice but quite another to be forced onto the roads with small children, landless and homeless and without hope.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RonMN', 'I')'m not close to being homeless (at the moment), but knowing the ramifications of P.O. is to acknowledge the fact that this may be in store for any or all of us.

Which, taking a step further, just amazes me that TPTB find bulldozing a tent city is the sollution. Do they expect these people to simply vanish? they may have nothing, but they have to exist someplace.

[I_Like_Plants]

DeMolay good points.

Good points here about 'urban renewal" too.

There's been some interest in bringing back SRO (single room occupancy) housing, what we used to call a rooming house. I spent my early years on my own in rooming houses, that was what you did. All of us worked, and there was a large spread of ages. Mostly we worked the "glue" jobs that no one ever thinks about, and I was actually able to save money on my rooming house lifestyle on a take-home pay of $600 a month. (Democrat state, so for making $800 a month I was a Capitalist or something and had to pay 25% in taxes. Meanwhile rich Demos pay no taxes.)

The way I was able to live so well on so little was, rent was under $200 and no weird "sneaky fees" that was it. No drinking, didn't and don't smoke, took the bus or rode a bike, most of the time rode a bike which is cheaper than the bus. I think my food budget I kinda set for myself was $5 a day - more than the $3 a day Food Stamps allocates me now.

Threadbear - doing OK thanks, once the weather warms up a bit and my skills are better, I'll be able to get out there as a street "entertainah" lol. Really, it will be music'ing or drawing folks, maybe a bit of each. I ain't playin' no didgeridoo. I'd gladly shag shopping carts at Wally's but they involve too much paperwork. Too bad, shagging carts would be fun.

[3rensho]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBIJH6--vsM

This is a BBC Report on Californians now living in a tent city because they were evicted from their homes. I have left the link unedited so people can see exactly where they are being directed to (Youtube)

Very reminiscent of the the "Hoovervilles" of the 1930's.

[Novus]

At 1:10 into that video they interview I guy who just lost his home. There is monster SUV in the driveway...Priceless.

[IanC]

This is really sad. I'm afraid we'll see more of this in the future.

-IanC

[ozkrenske]

Well that is his old home so that's the new owners massive pickup. Mind you it is so large it wouldn't fit in the garage. Prime target for self conflagration when it's time for repo.

[heroineworshipper]

The real story is loss of confidence in money. The foreign investors who kept lending money to keep us clothed suddenly wanted the houses back because their bonds became worthless. Rents went from $1700 to $3000 overnight. Housing prices are still going up in Silicon Valley but now foreign investors R buying all the real estate.

[Leanan]

The new Hoovervilles are known as "Shruburbs."

(Hat tip to Souperman at TOD.)

[aflurry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Leanan', 'T')he new Hoovervilles are known as "Shruburbs."

(Hat tip to Souperman at TOD.)

[BigTex]

It's all just a clever plan to get rid of all those toxic FEMA trailers.

The new Hoovervilles will be strip-mall parking lots full of run-down RVs.

***

I watched that video. That's a little over the top, I think. They didn't say a word about what percentage of homeowners who had been foreclosed on were having to live like that.

[alecifel]

Perhaps "Duburb" would be a more fitting term. Looks like a lot of these people don't even have shrubs.

[BigTex]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('alecifel', 'P')erhaps "Duburb" would be a more fitting term. Looks like a lot of these people don't even have shrubs.

[alecifel]

Oh, if only that were true!

Instead I think we're going to be looking back in another 8 years, shouting "Damn you all to hell!"

[Cloud9]

Let's see where we are at the end of the next eight.