For Those Who Think Homeless Have It So Good: Body Found in Swannanoa River

[tekisui]

ASHEVILLE – Asheville police Monday night identified the body of a homeless man found in the Swannanoa River in East Asheville on Saturday.

Laddie Means, 53, of Asheville, was chronically homeless and had apparently been camping near the site where his body was found in the river near Tunnel Road, according to information on APD's Web site.

Police responded about 2:30 p.m. Saturday to the river.

There were no obvious signs of foul play.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990302113

This is a story repeated thousands of times over. It is not a life of luxury. It is not a life of choice. It is a life of humiliation, fear, suffering and dying alone.

[tekisui]

1. He was known as 'Patches'.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

2. Free food, free housing, no taxes,

free medical care when you're rushed to the hospital for exposure or simple infections that have gotten out of hand, spend time outdoors, the quiet respect and admiration of conservatives - that, my friend, is the good life :sarcasm:

[pnwmom]

3. You think any DUers think the homeless "have it so good"? n/t

[tekisui]

4. Some apparently do:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5174810&mesg_id=5174810

[Aristus]

8. Anybody who thinks the homeless have it good or choose to be that way ought to follow

me around for a day or two at work. You'd get an education pretty quick.

When I hear those "Why don't they just go get a job?" types, I want to vomit. A good portion of my homeless patients DO have jobs; they're mostly those labor-ready work-today-get-paid-today things. But they aren't enough to pull a person out of poverty. Not with apartments costing you first and last months' rent, a damage deposit, a credit check and other fees before you even set foot inside.

If a person values his life, he won't bad-mouth the homeless in my presence...

[tekisui]

12. I commend you for you work.

We need more like you.

[Aristus]

31. Thank you. To be honest, my motives are completely selfish. I get such a thrill from

making a difference to my patients that it can scarcely be called altruism. I never go home depressed. I love finishing a day of clinic and thinking: "Look what we DID!" Someone has medicine who might not otherwise have it. Someone in need of a referral for mental health care and treatment will now be able to get re-tethered to the planet. Someone else gets clean socks and foot-care education. It's very uplifting...

[undergroundpanther]

33. Same here

Fucking smug asshole "get a job" shitheads just get me pissed off too.
Many times I have taken the hot air out of the smug,and shamed them all to hell,I have argued them down into a hole to the point they had nothing to say in defense of that 'get a job' bullshit watching them whine until they meltdown.

[Aristus]

43. ...

:pals::fistbump:

[pnwmom]

11. That OP did disturb me. n/t

[dysfunctional press]

22. thatthread is about panhandling, NOT the homeless.

learn the difference.

[LanternWaste]

34. However, I think both threads share a common theme...

However, I think both threads share a common theme (which I think the OP was alluding to)-- the contrasts between people who are in need and in want, and our perceptions of them (and also how we justify those perceptions in many cases).

[LanternWaste]

37. That thread was simultaneously enlightening and disheartening....

That thread was simultaneously enlightening and disheartening.

Our honor as a people, our dignity as humans, and our duty as countrymen appear to be on the verge of being extinguished some days, with the righteous cries of a self-advertised martyr leading the decline.

That thread was an example of "some days."


ed: sp

[jpgray]

5. For some people, wisdom means suspecting anyone and everyone of "getting away with something"

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Seriously, has anyone on this board suggested that the homeless have it good?

[tekisui]

7. Look at the link posted a few posts above.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I just checked it out and I must say I was really disappointed in some

of the posts on that thread. I never thought to see those sentiments here.

[dysfunctional press]

23. that thread is about panhandling, NOT homelessness.

learn the difference.

[Terran]

36. Oh for god's sake.

The two are sort of related, in case you hadn't noticed. Don't be a jerk.

[hlthe2b]

10. Who on earth thinks homeless have it "so good?"

This is a horrible tragedy and our society is without defense for what we have done to our poor, but, WTF would you say such a thing? Especially here? Do you really think DUers believe that?

[tekisui]

13. I am sorry to say, I felt this thread was a needed response to this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5174810&mesg_id=5174810

[hlthe2b]

15. Oh...... That is damned depressing to see here...

Well, we either have some heartless and thoughtless DUers or some long-standing "disruptors."

[bushmeister0]

21. You think that's bad, check out what happened when I mentioned the homeless

were being rousted from the federal district for the inauguration. It got ugly, quick.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4858445

[dysfunctional press]

24. that thread is about panhandling, NOT homelessness.

learn the difference. please.

[WI_DEM]

14. Tell me, who here on DU think that the homeless have it good?

Okay I saw the above link, I guess one DUer maybe thinks it's a racket for some.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

16. Has anyone here ever said homelessness is a 'life of luxury'?

[tekisui]

17. Yes, read the OP and the responses:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5174810&mesg_id=5174810

[dysfunctional press]

18. maybe you should learn the difference between "panhandling" and "homeless"...

the two words are not interchangeable, after all.

[Zodiak]

26. You can spam this thread with that message over and over, but it will not get people to listen

Looks like you were the one being a cynical curmudgeon on that thread, and you probably earned a lot of ignores (I saw at least one person who ignored you on that thread), so no one is answering you. After reading your posts on that thread, you probably deserve mine, as well.

After a while, you may realize that being right isn't so important when you are right all by yourself and everyone is ignoring you.

[tekisui]

28. I guess 'Ignored' said something?

Well said, Zodiak. I know who it is, I only have one on ignore.

[dysfunctional press]

30. go for it.

i was merely setting the record straight, seeing as the op is a little confused as to the definition of words. - i wasn't expecting a reply...:hi:
i welcome being on ignore for such muddleheads.

[uppityperson]

32. Borrowing a quote from you "i welcome being on ignore for such muddleheads."

to bad you can't read this. And, I'd change it to "from some muddleheads".

[dysfunctional press]

38. what can't i read...? (btw- i would change "to bad" to "too bad"- just a hint there, english-major)

:shrug:

and seeing as it would be the incorrect way to say it, i'm sure that you WOULD change "for" to "from"...since they are the ones who have me on ignore, when they log on, i am on ignore "for" them, they are not on ignore for me, i don't use the ignore feature, because i look at it as a tool for close-minded people who are afraid of words.

[LanternWaste]

40. I've always viewed the ignore button as an effective way...

I've always viewed the ignore button as an effective way to filter out people who know very little about what they're talking about and/or people who act as though making trouble is actual dialog.

I imagine a tenured physics professor would most likely ignore the rambling of the typical high school dropout who finally finished his first reading of "Math for Dummies". I certainly wouldn't see that same professor as being afraid of words-- indeed, I'd perceive words to be of such value to him that he chooses to ignore and discard the useless and wasted ones from our drop-out friend.

However, I suppose we all have different perspectives about the most efficient ways to use tools placed at our disposal.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

19. The sign-guys are not typical homeless people

In my area the sign-guys are a well organized panhandling operation. Vans drop them off on certain corners with a choice of sign. Sometimes you see the same sign with a different person on different days.

It's no life of luxury but seems to be as good or bad a deal as other kinds of shit labor.

Most homeless people do not have signs and do not make even a panhandler's pittance so the sign-guys are not representative. So I am less likely to give to a sign-guy than to a disorganized (and presumably more vulnerable) homeless person. But the sign guys have it bad. Just not as bad as the schizophrenic homeless person who can't get her shit together to even have a sign.



But I take your point. There are a lot of assholes on DU.

[AlphaCentauri]

20. it's not easy for homeless or for those who care about them

I did help a homeless couple at one time and they are some of the most fine people I ever met, but another couple had drug abuse problems and they were a nightmare treating to kill everybody

[Occam Bandage]

25. I don't think anyone's said the homeless have it good.

I have seen "the sign guys near me make $10/hr," which is not the same thing.

[Javaman]

27. He was someones son once.

He lived. He breathed. He existed.

He is gone.

and no one missed him.

[tuckessee]

29. I wonder if alcohol was involved.

Wouldn't be the first time a body has been found with a lungful of water and a bloodstream full of alcohol.

[WilliamPitt]

35. Who thinks homeless people have it good again?

[tekisui]

39. At least a couple on DU are under the impression that

panhandlers make a good living.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5174810

[WhiteTara]

41. another American tragedy.

RIP Laddie.
Om Mani Padme Hum

[Lost in CT]

42. It's 13 degrees outside... I know it sucks to be homeless. nt