The Homeless Experience (split-off)
Quote: lilredroostertrue, and a little bit funny, but you knew I was referring to writing nasty things about the #1 of the country that you are living in and are a citizen of
It is a play on an old Soviet joke from the 1980s. Good grief, get a life!
Quote: AZDuffmanThose guys were getting a couple bucks over MW when I lived in AZ. Usually it is a weekend side hustle. Saw one thing on it on TV or something and they got a $0.50 bump each time they learned a new "trick" like twirling it. Still shows you live in a great country when you can get paid for that.
In AZ the homeless pissed me off. Economy was booming 2005 to late 2007, even then unemployment was low until the crash. If you wanted to work, you could work. Yet bums all over the place. One looked to be an illegal stood outside Burger King near daily begging for money. Asked me for $1 once, I told him, "all I have is $100s."
Clint Eastwood talked about the Great Depression on some interview once, Barbara Walters maybe. He said how different it was then. Said they had to ask for food, but that you offered labor first. I remember the example that he said he would offer to sweep someone's driveway for a sandwich. This bum outside BK could have offered to sweep out the lot, or anything else. But he was there all the time. I know it was for months because I had lunch there weekly.
At some other place I am eating and minding my own business and some guy asks me to buy him a drink like I had. I never went back to that place again. Is it just me or is this kind of begging more common west of the Rockies?
Clint Eastwood was eleven when Pearl Harbor happened, and evidently lived in a pretty wealthy suburb. I'm sure he has great memories of the Depression and being homeless. Just not sure how really they are.
Quote: SOOPOOThe homeless are often suffering from a variety of mental illnesses. Not all, of course, but some claim it is a majority of the homeless.
As far as getting a job, it must be VERY difficult. I am betting my lawn service company requires an applicant to put down an address, and I'd also bet that 'homeless' is a disqualifier.
Perhaps I am naive on this subject, but I thought that if you presented yourself to your local authority, New York City as an example, and stated you were homeless and jobless and broke, that you would qualify for public assistance which includes money for food and housing? Not lobster and the Ritz-Carlton, but enough to not starve or freeze?
You are both correct and incorrect.
If you go to public assistance office and state you are homeless jobless and broke you will qualify for public assistance AFTER you have safisfied certain criteria.
First they want to see ID. Otherwise someone can go to every PA office in the state and open accounts in multiple names. Like casinos, you only get one account allowed in the system.
You must have a mailing address. It could be a PO box or a friend's address. If you are 100% homeless no address you cannot get PA. This is required because they need a method of contacting you. (The Obama phone was a method of handing people a contact method to help them qualify for public assistance and naturally righties just blew their brains out that cellphones with limited service (200 minutes) would be handed out for free)
If you are using a friend's address you usually are required to hand over a notarized letter from the home owner that says they are willing to let your mail go there. They need this for obvious legal reasons.
At various times they got stricter based on orders from above. The most strict I saw was when they began insisting on proof of income INCLUDING proof you had no income. How the hell can you prove you dont get something. I was asked at one point for a letter from my last employer that I was no longer in his employ and the reason why. For many people fat chance of getting that.
There are other hoops they put you through now too.
Each state is different. That is NYC at least
Quote: billryanClint Eastwood was eleven when Pearl Harbor happened, and evidently lived in a pretty wealthy suburb. I'm sure he has great memories of the Depression and being homeless. Just not sure how really they are.
He never said they were homeless and neither did I. He did say they were often too broke to eat, hence the example.
A general look at the Depression you can see the regular guy wanted a job, not a handout. Even if they had to stand the soup like they would rather have worked.
To qualify you usually have to either be physically disabled or have children under 12 or be able to show a battered womans history and the domicile you have left is where the battery took place (they ask for police reports and court orders usually unless you show up with bruises and contusions but then they are probably going to contact police anyway).
This is one reason the homeless are 98% male adults.
[Disclaimer: 98% is my own personal estimate]
I did have a guy who worked for me for awhile who lived in his van. A self proclaimed poker pro, he used his gym membership for daily showers and would get a discounted $20 rate at Terribles a.nite or two a week. He drove all over town, knowing which soup kitchen was worth going to. I believe he had a drug problem although he denied it. He worked for me for about a month, but as he started getting money, his work suffered. He spoke Spanish very well for a white guy but totally overestimated how valuable that made him.
Quote: AZDuffmanHe never said they were homeless and neither did I. He did say they were often too broke to eat, hence the example.
A general look at the Depression you can see the regular guy wanted a job, not a handout. Even if they had to stand the soup like they would rather have worked.
Of course. You can learn a lot about an era by looking at a photograph.
2 months being homeless 15
years ago, I think, oh well, stuff
happens. They tell me they spent
2 years homeless on the subway,
I think, jeez, what a loser. Why
would I think otherwise.
And they brag about it, like Christians
giving testimony in church. It's a
contest to come up with the most
pitiful story of who was the biggest
F up when god 'found' them. Pathetic.
Quote: billryanOf course. You can learn a lot a out an era by looking at a photograph.
You can indeed. One of my favorites is look at pic of a crowd at a baseball game about 1960. 99% men and 99% wearing a white shirt and a tie. At a baseball game. Pics of the crowd a few years later totally different.
Consider the sixties all those college students shed tons of debt by filing a bankruptcy petition the day after being graduated, it was the chumps who paid off their student debts by clinging to obsolete moral values and a so-called work ethic. Times change but chumps lag behind.
Quote: FleaStiffI'm not sure about this 'beggar' versus low paid animated spruikers.
Consider the sixties all those college students shed tons of debt by filing a bankruptcy petition the day after being graduated, it was the chumps who paid off their student debts by clinging to obsolete moral values and a so-called work ethic. Times change but chumps lag behind.
Then I am proud to have been a chump. As I have often said, my most valuable asset that I have is my word. When I took out those loans I gave my word (that's what signing the loan agreement is) to pay back those loans, not look for a way to screw the bank that loaned me the money. I always thought that while in Med School I technically could have qualified for food stamps as well. But banks were willing to loan me enough money so I didn't need them.
I think my "obsolete moral values and work ethic" have done me well.
I'm sure they have but you would have done better to screw the banks.Quote: SOOPOOI think my "obsolete moral values and work ethic" have done me well.
Quote: FleaStiffI'm sure they have but you would have done better to screw the banks.
Back when SOOPOO and I took out student loans, it was not only a matter of integrity, it was presented as a pay it forward concept. You borrowed so you could afford to go, you repaid your loans, that money was there for the next group of students.
But college was also much more affordable compared to income in the 70s and 80s (can't speak to med school prices, I'm talking undergrad), loan interest was held well under general interest rates of that time, and schools didn't inflate tuition that much, which I believe spiraled up partly in response to the loan availability of those times.
I should say, too, that I had some scholarships, some loans, and a series of jobs - I worked all the way thru college to afford it.
Times change.
Quote: FleaStiffI'm sure they have but you would have done better to screw the banks.
Why would it be a good thing to "screw the banks?" Banks are people. If somebody doesn't want a student loan then they should not take one out.
Quote: AZDuffmanWhy would it be a good thing to "screw the banks?" Banks are people. If somebody doesn't want a student loan then they should not take one out.
Agree. The thought of taking a LOAN (not a gift!) with the PLAN to not pay it back is no different from theft in my opinion.
Full time at the community college where I live is about $2k a semester. Full time at the nearby state school is I believe $5-6k a semester.
The problem with our culture is that people are obsessed with "moving out" at 18 years old, and living on their own or going to college in another state. Just live with your parents while you go to college, get a part-time job, and any student loans you have after college will be easily manageable, if you even have any loans at all.
People are just financially ignorant at that age, don't know how to plan, and don't know how college works.
I love the irony of what appears to be the poorest member telling one of our richest that he is a chump for honoring his word.
Quote: TigerWuEven though it's gotten more expensive in recent years, unless you're going for doctor or lawyer, college is still pretty affordable, despite what a lot of people say.
Full time at the community college where I live is about $2k a semester. Full time at the nearby state school is I believe $5-6k a semester.
The problem with our culture is that people are obsessed with "moving out" at 18 years old, and living on their own or going to college in another state. Just live with your parents while you go to college, get a part-time job, and any student loans you have after college will be easily manageable, if you even have any loans at all.
People are just financially ignorant at that age, don't know how to plan, and don't know how college works.
While I mostly agree, I found that students who lived on campus got much more out of college than the commuters.
A student who lives at home for school with have a very different experience than one who lives on campus. One will graduate without ever living a day on their own while the other will have been away from home most of the last few years.
Commuting students tend to participate in activities less, and tend to keep their high school friends instead of making new circles of friends. On campus students get to live much more diverse circumstances than commuters. I'd never met a Muslim until college. I always thought my Mom made a decent baked ziti until a suite mate whose family owned a restaurant introduced me to the eye of the wolf.
You can do college cheap. Most state schools are fine, but I really recommend a student live on campus for at least a year or two. It's expensive, but worth it.
Quote: TigerWuEven though it's gotten more expensive in recent years, unless you're going for doctor or lawyer, college is still pretty affordable, despite what a lot of people say.
Full time at the community college where I live is about $2k a semester. Full time at the nearby state school is I believe $5-6k a semester.
The problem with our culture is that people are obsessed with "moving out" at 18 years old, and living on their own or going to college in another state. Just live with your parents while you go to college, get a part-time job, and any student loans you have after college will be easily manageable, if you even have any loans at all.
People are just financially ignorant at that age, don't know how to plan, and don't know how college works.
It is not just the cost, it is the ROI. So many people go to college that entry level jobs that have no need for a college degree start requiring one to screen people. Most entry level office work you can do with a high school diploma, at most maybe a short "finishing school" teaching office skills. We used to teach those skills right in high school.
"Free" college will just make college 13th grade and would be a total disaster. Just more kids who "don't know what they want to do" being warehoused. One of the few good things about the military draft is it made men out of all those teenage boys, got them more serious about life. If only we could find a way to let kids "move out" by being government general labor away from home.
Quote: FleaStiffRemember the Gypsy view of theft. A Gypsy father had just instructed his son to take a coat from a laundry line and said to him "You didn't steal it, he gave it to you by not protecting it."
If you watch the cop shows, you
hear this all the time on the reality
shows. In the 'people of color'
neighborhoods if you leave your
door unlocked, or your car, or
leave something unattended in
your yard for longer than 2 min,
it's fair play to be stolen because
you aren't protecting it. They
actually think it's not a crime.
Quote: EvenBobIf you watch the cop shows, you
hear this all the time on the reality
shows. In the 'people of color'
neighborhoods if you leave your
door unlocked, or your car, or
leave something unattended in
your yard for longer than 2 min,
it's fair play to be stolen because
you aren't protecting it. They
actually think it's not a crime.
That's only if you don't get killed or forced into a life of prostitution. Frakin people of color. MAGA.
Quote: EvenBobIf you watch the cop shows, you
hear this all the time on the reality
shows. In the 'people of color'
neighborhoods if you leave your
door unlocked, or your car, or
leave something unattended in
your yard for longer than 2 min,
it's fair play to be stolen because
you aren't protecting it. They
actually think it's not a crime.
The older I get the more I think this is actually the case. The mentality does seem totally different. There is a Black guy has a YT channel who was amazed when he moved to a White neighborhood. Said he had a TV or something delivered and it was still there when he got home, said in his old hood it would have been swiped in no time. Another time he put something out for trash on a wrong day and it was back in his driveway. Said he was ready to scream at the guy or worse until the guys said that it was against code to have it out for trash too early and he didn't want him to get a fine. Took him a bit of time to see people behaving so normal.
Baltimore has some white ghettos
if you think you can leave a brand new just delivered tv on the porch and expect it to remain there you'd be dreamin' - absolutely dreamin'
the same is true in some trailer parks where whites live
Quote: AZDuffmanThe older I get the more I think this is actually the case.
Been like that for a long time. I
had a Black friend in 1967 and
I picked him up for work. One
time I went inside his house
and left all the windows of
my car rolled down. When I
came back everything in the
car was gone. He got mad at
me for so being stupid as to
leave the windows down, it
was giving permission to help
themselves to whatever was in
the car. He couldn't believe
I didn't know that. I stopped
picking him up.
at that time DC was about 85% black
most of the people were very nice - the houses were all well kept and showed pride in ownership - the inside of virtually all of the houses were neat and clean
about 20% of my deliveries were made when it was dark outside
it was a cash business and that was obvious from the company logo and lettering on the truck I drove
I did this for about 2 years
I never had a problem of any kind - not a single one.
I even loaned small amounts of money to my customers (interest free) - let them pay with on the house credit which I was responsible for - I would have to pay back the money to the company if I couldn't collect back the money that was lent on credit
not one single customer 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 failed to pay me back what was owed
it's not Make America Great Again
it's Make America 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 Again
such a wonderful feeling to share with others that the ethnic group that you are a member of is superior to all other ethnic groups
Quote: lilredrooster
such a wonderful feeling to share with others that the ethnic group that you are a member of is superior to all other ethnic groups
And most of the things mostly likely to bankrupt someone haven't been run by minorities. That's where the big robberies occur, not in the hood.
Quote: rxwineAnd most of the things mostly likely to bankrupt someone haven't been run by minorities. That's where the big robberies occur, not in the hood.
"You're better than them you were born with white skin they explain
But you're only a pawn in their game"
lyrics - Bob Dylan - 𝘖𝘕𝘓𝘠 𝘈 𝘗𝘈𝘞𝘕 𝘐𝘕 𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘐𝘙 𝘎𝘈𝘔𝘌
Quote: TomG
Most people experience some heavy trauma, abuse, neglect, death of a parent or child, medical emergency, homelessness, et cetera. Most of us don't find pride in these events and would never wear it as a badge of honor. We may be proud about overcoming it, and how it helped build who we become, but in the vast majority of these cases there will never be any way for you to know anything about it
I know I speak about addiction about as often as I can, and I guarantee some of it sounds like bragging. Cuz it is. I can't help but marvel at myself, because I... I just shouldn't be here.
But moreover I feel compelled to share and under this light because I feel responsible to be part of the action that removes the taboo from this s#$%. The same goes for mental illness and I can only assume it's the same for darkoz and his homelessness. Usually these labels convey and instant image for most people, all of which I would guess are highly negative. This causes us to act on them in a way that's often completely counteractive to fixing the issue that vexes us, and round and round we go.
We ALL will deal with these things in one form or another at some point in our lives. Why not talk about them? You can't change what you don't understand.
Quote: lilredrooster
such a wonderful feeling to share with others that the ethnic group that you are a member of is superior to all other ethnic groups
People talking about the Irish again?
Quote: billryanWhile I mostly agree, I found that students who lived on campus got much more out of college than the commuters.
A student who lives at home for school with have a very different experience than one who lives on campus.
I am a huge believer that students who move quite a distance from home will benefit the most. They probably won't have friends in the beginning which forces them to concentrate more on school and work on social skills to make friends.
Our family had an unwritten 500 mile rule. My two sisters and myself chose schools more than 500 miles from home. It really made me grow up in a hurry.
Quote: DRichI am a huge believer that students who move quite a distance from home will benefit the most. They probably won't have friends in the beginning which forces them to concentrate more on school and work on social skills to make friends.
Our family had an unwritten 500 mile rule. My two sisters and myself chose schools more than 500 miles from home. It really made me grow up in a hurry.
It does not "force them to concentrate on their studies." Trust me, I have seen too much. It does force people to be more social. Often too social.
Quote: DRichI am a huge believer that students who move quite a distance from home will benefit the most. They probably won't have friends in the beginning which forces them to concentrate more on school and work on social skills to make friends.
Our family had an unwritten 500 mile rule. My two sisters and myself chose schools more than 500 miles from home. It really made me grow up in a hurry.
It's incredible to watch the clueless freshmen metamorphosis into responsible Resident Assistants. Many of my friends who commuted to school say that is their biggest regret.
Quote: AZDuffmanIt does not "force them to concentrate on their studies." Trust me, I have seen too much. It does force people to be more social. Often too social.
Some people can't handle it, but I think it's better to find out these things at 18 then at 23. I was 17 my freshman year and my Mother insisted I commute. I boarded the last two years and it was much better. Got a much fuller experience. Of course, back then the drinking age was 18, date rape hadn't been invented and Al Gore hadn't perfected the internet.
Quote: billryanSome people can't handle it, but I think it's better to find out these things at 18 then at 23. I was 17 my freshman year and my Mother insisted I commute. I boarded the last two years and it was much better. Got a much fuller experience. Of course, back then the drinking age was 18, date rape hadn't been invented and Al Gore hadn't perfected the internet.
Im pretty certain date rape had been invented long before.
It just wasnt talked about
Quote: billryanSome people can't handle it, but I think it's better to find out these things at 18 then at 23. I was 17 my freshman year and my Mother insisted I commute. I boarded the last two years and it was much better. Got a much fuller experience. Of course, back then the drinking age was 18, date rape hadn't been invented and Al Gore hadn't perfected the internet.
It was kind of understood that I would commute growing up, eventually I moved away because I just wanted to get away from where I grew up and get out on my own, such as it was. I saw so many people drink their way out it was a wake-up call. Few girls got knocked up and out, one who really liked me but I was waiting out her dumping her then-bf. Boy, did I dodge a bullet there!
On the good point when I came back home it was amazing how pathetic the people who stayed around were. Their mentality never got beyond the hills and rivers that isolated their part of town. OTOH, the total waste of money by those that fell by the wayside is sick.
My advice has since been send the kids off for years 3 and 4. Assuming they do not do the smart thing and take a trade or IT cert.
Quote: AZDuffmanIt was kind of understood that I would commute growing up, eventually I moved away because I just wanted to get away from where I grew up and get out on my own, such as it was. I saw so many people drink their way out it was a wake-up call. Few girls got knocked up and out, one who really liked me but I was waiting out her dumping her then-bf. Boy, did I dodge a bullet there!
On the good point when I came back home it was amazing how pathetic the people who stayed around were. Their mentality never got beyond the hills and rivers that isolated their part of town. OTOH, the total waste of money by those that fell by the wayside is sick.
My advice has since been send the kids off for years 3 and 4. Assuming they do not do the smart thing and take a trade or IT cert.
At ages 20 and 21 the kids decide for themselves. You dont get to send them off like its sleepaway camp.
At best you can tell them to get their own place
Quote: darkozAt ages 20 and 21 the kids decide for themselves. You dont get to send them off like its sleepaway camp.
At best you can tell them to get their own place
Ain't the question.
Quote: EvenBobIf you watch the cop shows, you
hear this all the time on the reality
shows. In the 'people of color'
neighborhoods if you leave your
door unlocked, or your car, or
leave something unattended in
your yard for longer than 2 min,
it's fair play to be stolen because
you aren't protecting it. They
actually think it's not a crime.
Easiest way to get rid of junk by some of my rentals. Put it outside with free on it and it sits for days. Put a $100 For Sale sign on it and it’s stolen within hours.
Quote: AZDuffmanAin't the question.
Nor the answer
Existed? Sure, but probably not as common and date rape drugs were rare.Quote: darkozIm pretty certain date rape had been invented long before.
It just wasnt talked about
Quote: FleaStiffExisted? Sure, but probably not as common and date rape drugs were rare.
You dont need drugs for date rape. That is one form.
Another is simply to force a girl on a date.
And prior to drugs they had alcohol intoxication.
As long as women have dated men I am certain there has been a form of date rape.
Social mores were pretty strict so that some places women were married off young and matchmaking took place and young women were highly chaperoned. These may have lowered these instances in the past but men have raped women and on dates for as long as ever
You grow up fast when you have to go over 500 miles away to some fancy college funded by mom and dad with a bunch of money and life lines, no doubt. (-;Quote: DRichI am a huge believer that students who move quite a distance from home will benefit the most. They probably won't have friends in the beginning which forces them to concentrate more on school and work on social skills to make friends.
Our family had an unwritten 500 mile rule. My two sisters and myself chose schools more than 500 miles from home. It really made me grow up in a hurry.
The same guy was at the same corner so I rolled down the window to hand him a couple bucks. He hesitated and was likely thinking "is this bank robber giving me some cash he just stole?"...but he took it. I got a good laugh out of his reaction.
Quote: darkozIm pretty certain date rape had been invented long before.
What this has to being homeless (the non PC term is just a bum) is beyond me.
Way back, many moons ago, I spent a piece of my life living on an Aircraft carrier. My "home" was about 6 feet long and 18 inches high. Sleeping in a craps table would have been roomier, but I digress...
A fair number of my shipmates came from homes and backgrounds that I woulldn't wish on my worst enemy. Still, rather than hanging out a sign with a BS story on the corner and be bums they found a better thing to do with themselves. Now, I can already hear some of you saying that the military just picks up the poor to use as cannon fodder for the politicians , but it doesn't change the fact that they bettered themselves by picking up discipline and some steadiness rather than being "homeless."
By the way, I grew up in a big city and there are the homeless, and there are bums. The homeless is the person on the evening news whose house burned down. What you see in the street are just bums but it's not PC to call them that any more.
Quote: AZDuffmanIt does not "force them to concentrate on their studies." Trust me, I have seen too much. It does force people to be more social. Often too social.
Trust you? Why? Because you have no cogent argument to make? Your opinion is just that, and no more.
If a person can afford to go away for school, they should go away. It's a critical step towards self-reliance and independence. Living at home while in college night be financially the only way some folks can attend at all. But dorm living is a useful learning experience. So is having an apartment, even if your parents are in the same town.
I agree that going away to school is far preferable to staying at home. All that responsibility stuff is true. But I wouldn't dismiss the fact that it is extremely fun, either. You only live once. That could easily be the best time of your life.
Quote: LovecompsWhat this has to being homeless (the non PC term is just a bum) is beyond me.
Way back, many moons ago, I spent a piece of my life living on an Aircraft carrier. My "home" was about 6 feet long and 18 inches high. Sleeping in a craps table would have been roomier, but I digress...
A fair number of my shipmates came from homes and backgrounds that I woulldn't wish on my worst enemy. Still, rather than hanging out a sign with a BS story on the corner and be bums they found a better thing to do with themselves. Now, I can already hear some of you saying that the military just picks up the poor to use as cannon fodder for the politicians , but it doesn't change the fact that they bettered themselves by picking up discipline and some steadiness rather than being "homeless."
By the way, I grew up in a big city and there are the homeless, and there are bums. The homeless is the person on the evening news whose house burned down. What you see in the street are just bums but it's not PC to call them that any more.
The military is def. a big part of America's version of the welfare state. That's one reason we keep a giant standing army when faced with no threats. I agree, it's cool that kids without direction, or support from home, can join up and be taught discipline and job skills.
It also sucks that politicians use them for cannon fodder and to create destruction and instability (not the soldier's fault). I don't see much contradiction between those sentiments.
It also sucks that if they are used for cannon fodder, and become mentally ill as a result, the politicians will dump them on the streets. Looping back around, certainly, a lot of people initially joined the military because they were vulnerable and/or came from bad backgrounds. Killing civilians, and even soldiers, watching their friends die, being wounded, etc... gonna mess a lot of them up.
It would be cool if there were more military-like options open to more people (like older people). Especially if they could do something productive, rather than be used as cannon fodder. IDK what, precisely, off the top of my head. Say something like build a desalinization plant. Sign up, live in a dorm, etc. for a couple years. Get striaghtened out, make some friends, learn some skills, get some benies, have a nice chunk of change when you get out.
We'd rather pay $50k a year to put people in jail. It's pretty dumb, from our POV. Makes sense from the goldman sachs/clinton/bush POV though and they call the shots.
