Yesterday a homeless veteran said:

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Once you become homeless, you are:

Beneath public contempt
Beneath public conscience
Beneath public consideration

[Cal Carpenter]

1. And no longer an individual

You become 'one of them' - a category of people (?castoffs?) who are talked about in terms of a problem - eg, 'the homeless problem'...rather than individuals.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

4. that's a good point

[ChoppinBroccoli]

12. No Longer An INDIVIDUAL???

More like no longer HUMAN.

You know, isn't it funny that the exact same people who whine all day long about sending aid to Haiti and other foreign countries all repeat the same lament of, "We need to fix all the problems in OUR OWN country FIRST!!!" and then turn around and figuratively (and sometimes even literally) piss all over the homeless people in their own towns?

[bobbolink]

21. Yes, no longer human. Thanks for pointing out the duplicity of self-serving people!

[bobbolink]

19. Outcasts, the new lepers, etc.

Right here on DU, we read how homeless people have "contributed" to their own problems.

You see, it makes the housed feel better, feel safer, to point to the flaws of people, rather than to see the flaws of the society they are RESPONSIBLE for.

[Hydra]

36. I'm surprised most of them bother with that much

It takes a bit of a soul to feel...uneasy...seeing your brothers and sisters in such a condition. I suppose that should be encouraging...if they weren't so eager to talk themselves out of feeling like that.

[zbdent]

2. I thought that Reagan said it was a choice ...

[Jeffersons Ghost]

5. it's unreal that he could be so naive... this OP needs one more recommendation...

or maybe it's Beneath public concern

[Jeffersons Ghost]

17. ...

[Caliman73]

Not naive. Malicious.

Naivete although it can have negative consequences, is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. Childlike is something that naive is often compared to. Reagan was not child like. He was a complete fool and an tool of the rich, but he was not naive. He promoted greed and social Darwinism in the guise of "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps." There is NO valid reason why people who want a home and a job should not have one. The only reason it happens is that someone else out there can make more money for himself buy keeping that person out of a home and out of a job.

[Caliman73]

46. Self Delete

Duplicate post

[old mark]

6. ...like Just Say No? (rec) ....nt

[Jeffersons Ghost]

9. that's a good example

[Raster]

7. I say dig up his rotting corpse and drive a stake through it's black heart.

Ronnie the Raygun: Father of modern homelessness and advocate of catsup (ketchup) as a vegetable.
Ronnie the Raygun: The Great Bullshit Artist.

It's mourning in America...

[Jeffersons Ghost]

10. he also created news media, as we know it today..

by deregulating the FCC.

[bobbolink]

22. That was over 30 years ago. What have the Dems done since to rectify it?

What did Clinton do to change it (besides create more homeless mothers and children?)

What is Obama doing?

What is our Dem Congress doing?

The Dems now own homelessness by their inaction.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

37. with all the other issues congress never works its way down to this one

[bobbolink]

39. Exactly! Everuything else is always more important. But, we homeless people

still get the blame for being homeless.

What a surprise.

This will change when "progressives" decide it is important.

[elocs]

3. In this country you must have a physical address to really be a person.

You need a physical address to have a driver's license or to own a car. Need food stamps or other help? Then you had better have a physical address to prove that you have an anchor in this country, that you truly belong.

There is nothing romantic about being homeless in this country because for most you are no better than dust in the wind, only more annoying.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

11. it's true and you need actual income vs. housing expenses to get food stamps

[dajoki]

26. The biggest problem...

is we need enough affordable housing.

[Mojorabbit]

33. I am ambivalent about some homeless

people in a camp near me. They have broken out the back windows of a closed business and moved into the building. I live on a lake. There is no running water nor electric in the closed building. Every night one of them gets roaring drunk and starts screaming at the top of his lungs stuff like, "I will kick your mother F**king ass". Obscenity laced rants. This goes on nonstop for hours.

I can no longer enjoy my back yard nor fishing in the evening. I think this must be a group that comes every year as they were here last year also and the hollering fellow too. I remember a bonfire party my sister had and the teens hollering back at the screamer to pipe down. It put a damper on the evening though the kids did not seem put out.

I saw one of them, a fellow that stands at the corner with a homeless sign on tv a few years ago. He said he makes more money from donations from cars than he would make working. I am sure everyone in the camp are not so lucky.

Part of me is glad they have shelter from the afternoon storms. Part of me is upset at the loss of my right to enjoy my yard. I vacillate between wanting to call and have them evicted and between trying to be compassionate.I have not decided what to do yet.

So I am peeved just now about the whole situation. I spent a few years feeding the homeless with food not bombs in the park and risked arrest for doing it yet here I am in a NIMBY situation and am feeling a mix of anger, irritation, compassion, empathy. An uncomfortable place to be.

[bobbolink]

41. The point is that neither you nor they should be in that position!

You list options, but none of them are actually solution oriented.

[Mojorabbit]

44. I understand that and I agree.

A good portion of the camp near me are seasonal.
The people I helped feed downtown were another matter. It has turned into a wonderful resource as many
different groups are there to help people in whatever way they need.
I guess I was just verbalizing my dilemma and hoping for some ideas on how to handle it.

[midnight]

8. Freeze the assets from those who have profited from this war, and house, and

employ our vets.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

13. first let's make sure we have no homeless vets.

[bobbolink]

23. Only vets?

Its OK for children to be homeless?

Its OK for old women to be homeless?

[Jeffersons Ghost]

14. He went on to say, "We're just an obstacle in the ally-way to step around."

[Jeffersons Ghost]

15. one last kick for homeless vets.

:kick:

[bobbolink]

24. You can see how important it is to "progressives".

[Jeffersons Ghost]

28. it seems to be doing pretty well, actually.

[Dystopian]

16. KandR.

This is heart wrenching.


peace~

[Jeffersons Ghost]

30. thanks for the K&R. this OP is important to me, personally

[walldude]

18. K&R..

A homeless veteran. Yeah, we are supporting the troops.

[raouldukelives]

20. k&r

[dajoki]

25. You become invisible...

Its a sad state of affairs when we can't take care of our vets, let alone the entire homeless population.

[laughingliberal]

27. No doubt about it. I'd argue, all that applies once you are poor and gets worse with homelessness.

I'm tired of trying to survive in this heartless empire.

[Blue Owl]

29. And Orrin Hatch wants you to pee in a cup

Such dignity.

[Shireling]

31. Why are people so ignorant.?

Whenever I see someone suffering in that way, my heart goes out to them. I give them money if I can. People have so many stereotypes, and stereotypes don't tell the truth.

:hippie:

[whathehell]

32. That is SO fucking sad...No veteran should be homeless

It's a national disgrace.

For those of us with a little something to give...Consider giving to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans...I do.

[maryf]

34. No Human being should be homeless...

no human being should be denied survival needs, including the need to maintain dignity...

Regarding the Vet aspect; that such a large number of homeless are vets speaks to the horrendous toll war takes on individuals...the casualty list we are given is incomplete...

That the military budget is more than half the entire federal budget yet housing can't be provided for each and every person is another casualty still...

it all comes down to the cost and profit factor...where's the profit in taking care of human beings?

[whathehell]

35. I get your drift.....It just seems PARTICULARLY horrible that

a person who literally put their life on the line for their country would be treated SO shabbily.

By the way..I'm old enough to remember an America where homelessness was essentially non-existent.

[bobbolink]

43. Dividing homeless people into groups and deciding who is more "worthy" is exactly the game

they want us to play.

It keeps us divided forever, and guarantees that NOTHING will be done to change it.

This is the richest country in the world.

NOBODY SHOULD BE HOMELESS IN THE U.S.

[DailyGrind51]

38. He's right, an address implies respectability, even if it is a crack house!

[Spirochete]

40. If ever a term deserved to be an oxymoron

it's the term "homeless veteran". There's always enough money to send them to war, but not enough to take care of them afterwards,

[county worker]

42. I was a homeless Vietnam vet for a while.

I was living in an old Buick station wagon. You have to find a place to park and piss and people shout at you not to stop in front of their place. If you have gas at all you go looking for a place that is safe and you won't get hassled.

[Skittles]

48. some people, being homeless is their greatest fear

experiencing homelessness must give you incredible insight into human nature, bad and good

[Skittles]

45. when I was TDY to Philadelphia

I got a takeout dinner that was way too much food for me so I sat in front of a store on the street and split it with a homeless man - we chatted and ate and when I left he told me I was an angel - I laughed (embarrassed) and said, aw, it was just an overload of food - he said, no, you don't understand - you SAW me....I wasn't.....invisible :cry:

[bobbolink]

47. "you SAW me....I wasn't.....invisible " Exactly! Thank you for such a beautiful reminder!