Reply #76: yes and no

[hfojvt]

I have never been homeless, except for one night that I spent on the streets of Portland and then on the floor of somebody else's hotel room. (edit, for the next couple days).

The year before that I lived in a trailer in the woods - a 10 x 50 mobile home, with no electricity, no running water (and hence no indoor toilet), and heated from a woodstove. I had little income that year, but was living on my $5,000 in savings. Then I went to grad school, made $5900 a year, and was saving money.

But I have that formal education and I am working janitorial at the age of 45.

I think you are seeing a different side of DU. The thread about able bodied people who refuse to work was a general question. I can check, but I do not remember it getting a flood of 'throw the bums out' responses. Typically I see threads about how people will always give to the homeless, with the vast majority of the responses being 'right on' and only a few, three or four, who say 'I used to, but I got scammed' or 'I got scammed, so now I only give food'.

For the most part, I think you are preaching to the choir.