Well....now what? Just need to rant a bit.

[The Straight Story]

What more can a person do to help others like the couple I was talking about who are homeless and living in a tent at the creek?

Our various government agencies are not able to help such people falling through the cracks (not saying they are at fault here - when you have people with no address/phone/etc it is hard to send help their way).

I have my own issues I am dealing with that are, to say the least, not fun. But that does mean I cannot do something more - I am just not sure what right now I can do.

I see a problem, I see people needing more help than I can give right now, and it freaking sucks.

It is like my X - sick as hell and nothing I can do to fix it, it is damned frustrating. You can do some things to help but then you realize somewhere inside that the problems are bigger than you and what you can do. In other words, the best you can do is a little something but it won't fix the bigger problems.

There are no super heroes coming to save the day it seems. No magic item that can heal the physical and mental pains. The idea of all for one and one for all seems to be something one just reads about in high school English.

Somewhere out there people are sleeping on park benches, a parent is being battered and trying to protect themselves and their child and have no where to go.

I don't care about what would Jesus do - I care about what I/we do.

And we did, and are doing what we can when it comes to trying to vote people into office that will see the bigger pic and help out. But damn, I am 45 and we still have the same big problems - people are homeless, cannot get good health care, I keep hearing how bad our education system is and so-and-so can fix if you just elect them to office (45 years as noted...and the same problems are not yet solved???)

How hard is this really? End the wars. Cut funding to the war machine. Take my money, raise my taxes - just use it to help those needing it, use it for roads, schools, shelters - just quit using it to kill people and for weapons. Seriously - we have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world already, what more do we need...especially when the whole damned idea was to save lives here and to 'protect' Americans.

You want to protect us from something? Protect us from being homeless, protect us from the things that are killing us - diseases, lack of health care, hunger, etc. Protect us from corporations that want to screw us over time and time again.

I'll kick in some money for other countries to help them and their people. I'll gladly work some extra hours if we can pool that money to help one another and get those suffering the most the help they need.

Take one of those fighters and refuse to buy it - spend the money on some housing for folks. Take those tax breaks and shelters for companies making billions and not paying taxes and use it to buy medical equipment for those that need it.

**I shouldn't have to be asking "now what, what more can I do?" for the people who are suffering and need it. I work, I pay taxes and want to see that money going to help and defend people from the real enemies they face. And those enemies are not some guys half a world away, those enemies are here and they call themselves poverty/homelessness/medical care - not al qaeda and taliban.

Lets have a real war on the terror that is taking the lives of people.

But I suppose there is no money in that.

[Cleita]

1. Universal health care for one.

Some become homeless because they can no longer work because of a chronic health problem. Next besides food stamps, I think rent vouchers for housing would help, especially before a person becomes homeless and gets kicked out of their rental because they can't afford the rent anymore. Also, we need the safety nets back that were destroyed during the Reagan years, where the disabled, mentally dysfunctional and others who can't function in our society are cared for and have a bed, a meal and a safe place to reside and get the special care that they need. Oh, and lastly, we need to take care of our vets like the VA once did before old soldier homes and other safety nets were defunded also during the Reagan years.

[Newest Reality]

2. I see it too!

I am living it, living in it and coming across dozens of people whose lives are now failing in this current, diseased and failing paradigm.

You will see more of it and so will many of our compatriots here at DU. There is no way to continue to deny this while maintaining a sound and rational mind. The options of apathy and and resorting to the endless, divisive and illusory distractions are becoming less and less viable.

With all the white noise and chatter out there, (thanks to a proliferation of corporate media to create, diffuse and confuse consensus reality) it is extremely difficult to call-out a crises as it really is. The extreme and overwhelming crises we are in and see others experience is both real and severe and it is growing as we speak in great proportions. We are in a major crises. Does that bear repeating? It is a life crises that bears on the ability for large portions of our society to survive. It is a slow, rolling Tsunami that thousands of our people are living out day-to-day. People stare at their corporate media truth machines and many don't see it as a manipulative distortion and a Matrix like Simulation. The truth is a contrast to the mass media game of creating a believable story about what the wealthy who hide behind their corporate veils want those who are not yet affected by this all-consuming wave of neo-Fascist overthrow. Yet, those who are not yet affected and seeing Pleasantville all around them are next in line and will not be spared what those with liquid wealth have to offer their paycheck-to-paycheck, credit-based lives.

Who could ever convince those who are still viable/valuable that they are not secure? Yet, they are in a position that, if they could recognize the veracity of this crises, they could start the process of throwing off the blood-sucking monster that offers us nothing for the future of the survival of our species. In fact, profit as the reason for existence will most certainly bring us, and many species, to our end.

[bobbolink]

3. Write LTTEs, urge "progressive" media to talk about the real facts, facebook the realities, etc.

Yes, you have done what you, personally, can do, and :applause: for what you have done!

What you are now recognizing is that charity CANNOT solve this, and work for Justice must now begin.

Do you facebook or twitter? That is the latest way to create movements, and just what homelessness needs to do in the future.

GreenPartyVoter is compiling important facts to use for these purposes, and your experience with this couple plus facts can help get this issue off the ground.

Putting together your face-to-face connection with facts that are little understood, and your passion, could be a dynamite combination!

[defendandprotect]

4. MEDICARE FOR ALL -- restoring welfare guarantees which Clinton undid --

and I'm not saying don't do anything but the public has to understand that really

ONLY government can amend these problems!! And they have to act as if they know that!!

We should also stop giving taxpayer money to "faith-based" religious organizations ----

but we all know that -- right?

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

5. Sadly, you are right - there is no money in it. The rewards

are intangible.