It's a national shame, and something the media and even Washington needs to focus more on. While we talk of the economic stimulus and all of the things that have to be done, there are tent cities popping up all over our nation. In the 1930s they were known as Hoovervilles. I don't think I need to explain why. Well, today they are being increasingly referred to as Tent cities because many of it's residents came from a middle class background and actually OWNED a tent before falling out of what was once known as America's safety net. Today we have entire family's living under bridges, in the woods, over by the railroad tracks, in abandoned cars, even in lawfully registered vehicles -- you name it, they are out there living, and they have no roof over there head. They lost their Job, and/or their home and thus any security they may have had. The stories may differ, but ultimately they are the victims of the policies put in place that allowed that to happen. And the person who who was behind the wheel letting this all happen and in charge for the past 8 years: George W. Bush. These are not tent cities, these are Bushvilles -- the 21st century version of Hoovervilles.
In a move to provide greater safety for its residents, the Governor of California is shutting down a tent city in Sacramento and moving its roughly 125 residents to the State Fairgrounds. Cal-Expo will be housing these families. This is a needed step to help address this growing problem. Governors in EVERY state must do more to help provide shelter for these families. Living on the street or even in a shelter is not a solution. We all have heard of the dangers of street living. This is not just a federal issue; states really MUST address this problem.
More must be done. There is a lot of justifiable anger at companies like AIG, but I have to wonder, if the homeless in our nation weren't forced into hiding. If they were actually camped out in front of our city halls and courthouses, in front of our TV stations and newspapers, maybe Americans would finally get outraged enough to force the powers that be to really do something. These families living in tent cities around are nation are the result of what companies like Goldman Sachs, AIG, Citigroup, CountryWide, etc., who played with America's securities, did. They failed, and they don't see the true result of their failure: it's not their paycheck or company that is really suffering... It's in California, or Fresno or Nashville or Atlanta or NY. It's in Arizona and Seattle. It everywhere where Wall street doesn't look. They don't see anything beyond stock prices and their own paychecks. Maybe they should come to Fresno for a day and see the true fruits of their labors.
When you consider that One billion people-- one-sixth of the world's population -- now live in shantytowns, and America has nearly 10% unemployment with the number expected to rise, I wonder how many people are now homeless? I suspect with the number of Bushvilles on the rise, we may find the true number staggering. Maybe it's time for cities to start buying up buildings from the banks and getting people OFF the street. Build apartment complexes and provide shelter beyond a hot and a cot... I don't know. What I do know is that far too many people in this nation are going thru this problem in the shadows of empty foreclosed homes and if most Americans were really aware of how many working poor with children are out there, they might actually be outraged enough to act.
I am angry at the corporations just like many Americans but not because of the bonuses, or dividends or stocks options. I am angry at the real and true results of the non-regulation and thievery by the richest in our country. I am angry at what they are doing to the very fabric of America. They are turning us into a nation of Bushvilles.
Not sure how it happened, but one of the windows was LOCKED OPEN on the bus coming into Providence this morning.. and I was right next to it. Everyone was lookin' at me funny like I opened the damn thing too.
Comment byScoopster on 03/26/2009 13:11:10
Quote by Raine:
eep... this image doesn't sit well with me...
Yikes.. that's one heckuva storm front! Better lock down the yard accessories.
Comment byScoopster on 03/26/2009 13:13:47
Been a while since I did the morning musical interlude.. but here's one for all the mellow folks out there.
Comment byTriSec on 03/26/2009 13:22:01
I'm out of work.
I own a tent.
But I'll sell everything and head south to a warmer climate first. See you in West Palm Beach, when the time comes...
Comment byScoopster on 03/26/2009 13:36:16
Quote by TriSec:
I'm out of work.
I own a tent.
But I'll sell everything and head south to a warmer climate first. See you in West Palm Beach, when the time comes...
If it comes down to it we could get that bloggie commune idea I had a while back goin'.
Comment byvelveeta jones on 03/26/2009 13:49:38
Morning all.
Hey. Ya know what these tent cities need? Corporate sponsorship: "CitiGroup Tent City" or "FedEx Bushville"
Comment byvelveeta jones on 03/26/2009 14:01:07
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by TriSec:
I'm out of work.
I own a tent.
But I'll sell everything and head south to a warmer climate first. See you in West Palm Beach, when the time comes...
If it comes down to it we could get that bloggie commune idea I had a while back goin'.
Great idea Scoop! Question though: would we still live blog with each other even though we could open our tent flaps and talk? :lol:
Comment byRaine on 03/26/2009 14:10:41
Quote by velveeta jones:
Morning all.
Hey. Ya know what these tent cities need? Corporate sponsorship: "CitiGroup Tent City" or "FedEx Bushville"
Amen Velveeta.
Comment byRaine on 03/26/2009 14:11:16
Sadly Velveeta, we probably would -- the entire blog in a hotel room in DC... blogging!
"Some in the media actually participated in not so much the 'who-what-where-when-why' objective reporting on candidates and positions, those five W's that I learned when I had a journalism degree so many years ago in college, when the world of journalism was quite different than it is today," she said.
"No, things have changed," she continued. "But complaining? Or whining? Absolutely not. But I am going to call it like I see it. It doesn't do any good to whine about any of this. But I can call it like I see it. Sometimes it gets me in a lot of trouble when I speak candidly, and I speak from the heart and I do such a thing. But I am going to."
"And there was that media slant this go round," she said. "And unless things change, the GOP had really better can stand together, 'cause we got that on the battlefield also. I call it like I see it and like I lived it on the campaign trail. Not complaining, but dealing with reality."
"Those are the cards that are dealt us," she said, "and we had better learn to play that hand and do things right and do things better."
Comment byRaine on 03/26/2009 15:11:20
Dan Seals, half of England Dan and John Ford Coley, has died of cancer, AP reports
Picked hell of a day to come back...Shanty Towns? geez...
That and more cutbacks at work, co-worker was axed.
Sorry to hear that Random.
sucks, now there's only two salary employees back here. (Random's hourly).
Even more suck, is co-worker just became an american citizen like a week ago.
Comment bylivingonli on 03/26/2009 15:44:15
Good morning all.
Reading this blog and listening to Frangela this morning remind me of how bad things have gotten thanks to Bush's policies. And my own financial situation is a reflection of how things have gone down under the Bush Administration because I strangely enough am worse off now than when I was unemployed back in 2005.
Comment bylivingonli on 03/26/2009 15:46:40
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by TriSec:
I'm out of work.
I own a tent.
But I'll sell everything and head south to a warmer climate first. See you in West Palm Beach, when the time comes...
If it comes down to it we could get that bloggie commune idea I had a while back goin'.
I would be down with that. It's getting to where I can't afford to live here in New York anymore.
Comment bylivingonli on 03/26/2009 15:47:56
Quote by velveeta jones:
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by TriSec:
I'm out of work.
I own a tent.
But I'll sell everything and head south to a warmer climate first. See you in West Palm Beach, when the time comes...
If it comes down to it we could get that bloggie commune idea I had a while back goin'.
Great idea Scoop! Question though: would we still live blog with each other even though we could open our tent flaps and talk? :lol:
Well we would still need to update our facebook statuses.
Comment bylivingonli on 03/26/2009 15:49:04
Quote by wickedpam:
Don't we have a pix of Liv doing just that? :D
That's the pic on my facebook profile.
Comment byRandom on 03/26/2009 15:56:21
Idiot of the day...has to be the fake check guys.
Comment bywickedpam on 03/26/2009 16:08:37
jeez - just checked in with my cousin - she has 3 kids in expensive sports leagues, her hubby is working his butt off for overtime and she has a part time job and after the house payment and bills and stuff they still can go on one or two trips a year. WTH?
I can't even afford train tickets and I have a roommate and a low mortgage...... what am I doing wrong?
I just jumped on here to listen.. has he started taking questions from the list yet?
Comment byScoopster on 03/26/2009 16:14:51
Never mind.. I just got my answer when they put those lovely ladies from Ohio on the screen.
Comment byRaine on 03/26/2009 16:20:31
Quote by Scoopster:
Never mind.. I just got my answer when they put those lovely ladies from Ohio on the screen.
I believe that was the last online question.
you may have missed the pot question scoop! TOO FUNNY!
Comment byRaine on 03/26/2009 16:23:42
Did Obama REALLY almost say Mickey D's?
Comment byRandom on 03/26/2009 16:37:09
Quote by Raine:
Did Obama REALLY almost say Mickey D's?
Cool...I knew i was in love wit him.
Comment byScoopster on 03/26/2009 16:40:19
"I dont think that is a good strategy to grow our economy."
Well OK he's probably right. You can't just focus on growing weed. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be decriminalized at least to the same level as alcohol or tobacco, and it doesn't mean it wouldn't be a sizeable factor in moving the economy.
Comment bylivingonli on 03/26/2009 16:43:18
Quote by Scoopster:
"I dont think that is a good strategy to grow our economy."
Well OK he's probably right. You can't just focus on growing weed. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be decriminalized at least to the same level as alcohol or tobacco.
Was this Obama? Must admit I am not catching the town hall since I already have Democracy Now! and Thom Hartmann on. I am already media multi-tasking.
"I dont think that is a good strategy to grow our economy."
Well OK he's probably right. You can't just focus on growing weed. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be decriminalized at least to the same level as alcohol or tobacco.
Was this Obama? Must admit I am not catching the town hall since I already have Democracy Now! and Thom Hartmann on. I am already media multi-tasking.
I may be parsing his words... but I don't think he is saying that he is against legalization...