tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post6239225531002980701..comments2023-08-25T08:48:01.101-04:00Comments on The Pagan Sphinx: Homelessness in the U.S.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17296223961815248113noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-9949894126285707432011-06-08T16:11:15.299-04:002011-06-08T16:11:15.299-04:00JM - volunteering has become a family tradition. Y...JM - volunteering has become a family tradition. You should see my older daughter's list of volunteer service, including two years of Americorps. I wish traffic infractions could only be paid of through hours of community service! A great way to recruit volunteers, as some people don't know what they're missing when they don't contribute. On the other hand, the U.S. conservatives push volunteerism (remember Bush's points of light?) as a panacea for social ills because they don't to pay for it. <br /><br />CR - you can join me at GFI if you want to help! We have a shortage of male volunteers! And thank you. You heap more praise on me than I deserve.<br /><br />Aguja - I would love to return to Spain again. When I do, I will let you know, as I too would love to meet you! <br /><br />Hugs to all!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17296223961815248113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-71627435493478074832011-06-08T09:48:08.880-04:002011-06-08T09:48:08.880-04:00This is for the third time of trying ...
I have vi...This is for the third time of trying ...<br />I have visited all the links in your post and am impressed by the four 'I Believe' statements, also with the video 'Hanging by a thread'.<br />It is so comfortable to just take in what operates on the same level as ourselves and heartrending to look at the existence levels below - because we are all exactly the same - human beings - with some of us having better fortune that others.<br />I am so glad that you are there, working as a volunteer, as I know that interacting with you will be an enriching experience for those children. You may not ever know it, but the experience will be carried by the children and, in some way, will make a difference along the path of their lives.<br /><br />That you posted your thoughts and feelings about homelessness is important for you and for us readers. Thank you again for this post.<br /><br />I hope that, one day, we might meet in Reality, as opposed to Virtual Reality.agujahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15857809123531088629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-89607140089820283902011-06-07T22:40:55.387-04:002011-06-07T22:40:55.387-04:00And so continues what seems like a lifetime of you...And so continues what seems like a lifetime of you awing and educating me.<br /><br />I know that most of our homeless are single mothers with children, people with substance abuse/mental health issues, and veterans with various levels of PTSD, but the specifics in this post have me in tears. It's an ugly and shameful situation, and if my read on current politics is accurate, bound to get much, much worse.<br /><br />Your compassion is exemplary, and the actions you take to make a difference, more so. All of us are concerned, but most of us aren't really that involved.<br /><br />Thanks for being a guiding light and setting the bar up where it ought to be, my dear friend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-29552045082324159692011-06-07T16:26:23.092-04:002011-06-07T16:26:23.092-04:00I congratulate you on the volunteer work. It's...I congratulate you on the volunteer work. It's a shame that homelessness still exists in the 21st century! And do you see an end to it? No way... Life, in a general way, seems to be harder and harder these days.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783877262954668959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-40758578621072189952011-06-07T16:07:56.767-04:002011-06-07T16:07:56.767-04:00Stewart - a feather in my hat from you is an honor...Stewart - a feather in my hat from you is an honor indeed! Thank you!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17296223961815248113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-83873933538856446202011-06-07T15:12:58.953-04:002011-06-07T15:12:58.953-04:00Congratulations my friend on a wonderful - Heartfe...Congratulations my friend on a wonderful - Heartfelt Post.<br /><br />If you email me I will send you my Feather in your cap for an outstanding Post.imachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14533409255215440113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-47778406410134026942011-06-06T16:52:35.469-04:002011-06-06T16:52:35.469-04:00Francisca - it's a persistent myth in the U.S....Francisca - it's a persistent myth in the U.S. that welfare recipients are bleeding our society dry. It's important to note, and I failed to do so in the post, that many of our nation's poor are living *below* the fed's guidelines! Many working poor have to piece together multiple minimum wage jobs with no benefits just to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. <br /><br />Martha - you said about the representative mailings to his constituents doesn't surprise me. Republicrats have been ruthless with welfare reform. <br /><br />While I can see welfare reform as a positive thing, to take away all safety nets and let people fend for themselves without education and training, with poor paying jobs, minimal or no subsidized daycare and take away their housing subsidy, is criminal. It shows a real disdain for the less fortunate.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17296223961815248113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-20851764073151669362011-06-06T12:27:49.498-04:002011-06-06T12:27:49.498-04:00Your post spurs my mind to wander in many directio...Your post spurs my mind to wander in many directions:<br /> My mother's stories of coming of age during the depression.<br /> My mother's tales of her work as a clinical social worker when mental hospitals were closed and the ill turned out to fend for themselves.<br /> Neighbors who say "those people" are getting services they don't deserve. When asked where they get their information they say "e-mails from our representative(R)<br /><br />It is a sad commentary on our so-called "Christian" nation.Martha Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15797951661712327698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-470158851840137982011-06-05T18:59:29.473-04:002011-06-05T18:59:29.473-04:00Gina, thanks for writing this. Thanks for having a...Gina, thanks for writing this. Thanks for having a heart and for doing your compassionate part. My view on this subject is close to that of Frances. The (general) American penchant for making the poorest pay for the transgressions of the richest (read: Wall Street tanking the economy, getting bailed out, and still lobbying for tax cuts, while demanding cuts in social programs) - with nobody calling them on it - perplexes me. And the American fixation on the false notion that poor people in need of help are all leaches focused on bleeding the system appalls me. More people with your compassion would change that cultural landscape. Keep doing what you're doing.Franciscahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10733111654769386624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-33183769568488600382011-06-04T17:39:19.009-04:002011-06-04T17:39:19.009-04:00Sandy - our own backyard is always a good place to...Sandy - our own backyard is always a good place to start when we want to help a huge problem but feel overwhelmed by its immensity. Thanks for the comment!<br /><br />Cloudia - yes, I am! I could go for some sand castle building on a sunny Hawaiian beach, too!<br /><br />Spangle - thanks. I do it because it's easy and it doesn't feel like nearly enough.<br /><br />Becky - a lot of people are hanging by a thread, most of them are in poverty but each has different circumstances that have left them in a vulnerable position. There is no excuse for children to be homeless. None. That's why the homeless are themselves blamed, so that the consciences of the rest of us can feel more at ease. It's an ugly problem and no one wants to take a look.<br /><br />Susan - The Declaration of Independence - essentially an American myth. <br /><br />Francis - yeah, you commies over there in Germany really vex a lot of Americans! ;-) Americans love to point their finger at countries who are faring better than we by calling then socialists cuz it's a dirty word. The last national election really brought that point home when Obama was accused of being a socialist! That's when I realized that things will never change here. <br /><br />Regarding housing, people here can wait years for their name to be called for subsidized housing. The welfare reform laws are such that when people find work and are just getting themselves off the ground, they lose benefits that sometimes land them right back where they started from or in an even worse position. <br /><br />I've seen a span of thirty years of poor children who've grown more anxious, violent, more at risk for addiction and mental illness, more often abused and neglected. In part,we can thank welfare reform for that. I don't know the numbers but I wonder how allowing a mother on welfare to remain there until her children are a little more autonomous compares with spending on rehab programs and prison sentences. <br /><br />Oh, and thanks! Since I am awed by your writing, I'm glad that you found my post worthy of reading and commenting.<br /><br />Jams - yes!<br /><br />Kenju - it is a pity, especially in a time when domestic violence is up due to economic stresses and lack of opportunity.<br /><br />Steve - you're welcome but I'm really preaching to the choir, as they say. I guess I needed to get it off my chest.<br /><br />Sending love and peace to everyone.<br /><br />GinaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17296223961815248113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-28233483338976280182011-06-03T13:48:13.918-04:002011-06-03T13:48:13.918-04:00This is an initial comment, so that you know that ...This is an initial comment, so that you know that I am in there reading your words.<br /><br />I shall comment further when I have re-read and absorbed and followed it all through.<br /><br />I am overwhelmed that you have taken the time and trouble to address this.agujahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15857809123531088629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-16157070243196327822011-06-03T09:46:33.855-04:002011-06-03T09:46:33.855-04:00Great post, Gina - you should write more!
Looking...Great post, Gina - you should write more!<br /><br />Looking from the outside, I am frequently - to put it mildly - bemused by the USA. This is one of the richest countries (certainly the most powerful) in the world, a country where the majority of its citizens seem to be convinced that they are living in the best kind of society ever developed by humanity - so much so that some are prepared to advocate its worldwide spread by missionary or even military means. And, at the same time, in this oh so wonderful society, such stories as you tell (and the background structures they reveal) abound.<br /><br />I live in Germany - in "Old Europe" as Rumsfeld once sneeringly titled it. The level of wealth is comparable to that of the USA. It is not (despite what many right-wingers in the USA claim) a "socialist" country - far from it. And we <i>do</i> have homeless people, most of them people suffering from chronic substance abuse of one sort or another, occasionally people with mental health problems, some single adults who have simply lost their way and can't find it again without help.<br /><br />But we also have a long tradition of social welfare - even if neo-liberal influences have been trying to whittle away at it for the past 20 years or so. No one here <i>has</i> to be homeless, certainly not children. Anyone earning less than the minimum for existence (and that includes, unfortunately, many who are working) has a right to supplementary social welfare. And a right to housing. In a reform a few years ago (one of the few positive aspects of that reform, but that's another story), the option was opened for the social welfare authorities to pay the rent directly to the landlords - and it has had very good consequences. Landlords are now quite willing to rent to welfare recipients because they know the rent is secure.<br /><br />It's not luxurious; welfare will only pay a rent at the average level for the district in question - for around 350 sq. feet for one person, 500 sq. feet for 2 people and so on. Welfare also pays the cost of heating. But no children need be homeless, and hardly any are, apart from shelter residents for victims of domestic abuse, who have fled their homes - and these shelters are short term, because one of the first things the people running them do is to organise permanent rented accomodation for their clients.<br /><br />Housing, like medical care, is a right, not a privilege in any civilized society. It's time the "land of the free" woke up to this fact.Francis Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00422476000328664994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-23427302468292364702011-06-02T22:03:26.931-04:002011-06-02T22:03:26.931-04:00This is a beautiful and heartfelt piece of writing...This is a beautiful and heartfelt piece of writing, Gina. It's a very sad comment that our society is so unequal that homelessness grows more common rather than less. The world would be a better place for everyone if only we could live up to the words of this portion of the preamble for the UN Declaration of Human Rights which was signed in 1948:<br /><br />"...recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world'<br /><br />The US Constitution has similar wording but the 'pursuit of happiness' part has been misconstrued to mean 'grabbing as much as you can'.susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16747450215034568033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-1972791758095278322011-06-02T21:45:31.450-04:002011-06-02T21:45:31.450-04:00Thanks for writing this.Thanks for writing this.Steve Emeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08628329561652344403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-14900120385755841162011-06-02T19:31:59.479-04:002011-06-02T19:31:59.479-04:00I cannot imagine being homeless, and I have great ...I cannot imagine being homeless, and I have great sympathy for those who are. I hate hearing that shelters have been closed for lack of funds.kenjuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342414519714356343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-1418401625215641142011-06-02T19:25:09.748-04:002011-06-02T19:25:09.748-04:00Excellent post sphinx. There but for the grace go ...Excellent post sphinx. There but for the grace go many of usjams o donnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17315325008175184363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-71518058733597795312011-06-02T17:01:52.013-04:002011-06-02T17:01:52.013-04:00I was having a conversation just a few days ago ab...I was having a conversation just a few days ago about homeless people and the why of it. we didn't know if the majority were mentally ill or had gotten there via crises. this post is a real eye-opener. there but for the grace of God go I sort of thing. it can happen to me, to you, to any of us, in the blink of an eye really. the problem is so complex, as are the solutions, that it's easier to pretend it isn't there, or real. thanks for this post Gina. and for your compassion.Ms. Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10775088530495290520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-64904573233697337842011-06-02T11:09:35.856-04:002011-06-02T11:09:35.856-04:00This is a fascinating post. Homelessness (and the ...This is a fascinating post. Homelessness (and the family structure) involves such a wide spectrum of people and it's wonderful to know that someone is trying to help.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03677623973651031381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-88686327739525761422011-06-02T00:04:19.741-04:002011-06-02T00:04:19.741-04:00Bet you are a great player!
Aloha from Honolulu
...Bet you are a great player!<br /><br /><br />Aloha from Honolulu<br /><br /><a href="http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Comfort Spiral</a><br /><br />><}}(°><br /><br /> <br /> ><}}(°><br /><br /><°)}}><Cloudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05853753108637831069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2512858685634922680.post-62740463361893897102011-06-01T22:43:49.816-04:002011-06-01T22:43:49.816-04:00The need in our own backyard is huge. Thanks for ...The need in our own backyard is huge. Thanks for this post.SandyCarlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10752798823532580733noreply@blogger.com