I hate the homeless

[bloke57]

Those are just the visible homeless.

I know several young people who have no permanent address - but have to resort to "sofa surfing" with friends and family. House prices are ridiculous, rents are ridiculous and Mrs Thatcher stopped building public housing, sold off the stock to balance the books and make herself look good.

Result - huge problem bubbling under the surface and huge inequalities in society. So I don't hate the homeless - I hate the politics that caused homelessness.

That does not mean though that I don't have the natural human response of avoiding these people and wishing they'd go away - as much as I sympathise.

Shame on me I suppose.

[Grouchy]

One of the biggest problems faced is that without an address, you can't get a job.
And without a job, you can't get an address.

We should also bear in mind that not all homeless are there by choice.

Like bloke57 I too am guilty of avoiding these folk on the streets. Not something I am proud of.

[otokonomidori]

Originally Posted by bloke57

Mrs Thatcher stopped building public housing,

So why Labour didn't end the sale of public housing when they came to power in 1997?

[Brecht]

Originally Posted by otokonomidori

So why Labour didn't end the sale of public housing when they came to power in 1997?

Because Tony Blair and his "New Labour" were bigger Thatcherites than Mrs. Thatcher herself.

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by Rogerbh

I can feel sorry for selected ones, but still not want them around me - I hope.

Originally Posted by bloke57

That does not mean though that I don't have the natural human response of avoiding these people and wishing they'd go away - as much as I sympathise.

Shame on me I suppose.

Originally Posted by Grouchy

We should also bear in mind that not all homeless are there by choice.

Like bloke57 I too am guilty of avoiding these folk on the streets. Not something I am proud of.

Well, I have known folks who wound up homeless because they were complete jerks who seemed to think they should be able to get exactly the help they wanted. They also had burned through jobs because they constantly fought with bosses and coworkers. Oh, I guess this is just another form of mental illness.

Folks who have lived off the grid and worked for cash are in real trouble when they get old or sick. The last recession put many families on the street. Parents would lose jobs, Mortgage couldn't be paid. Rents were to high. One can rent a PO box or have mail delivered to a friend or relative and get back in the workforce. But it really is a sticky problem. Folks who are better off don't want low income housing in their neighborhood. But where are the people working in low wage jobs supposed to live? Many can't afford to maintain and fuel a vehicle. I know from my past what a drag it is riding buses an hour or more each way to a minimal wage job.

It is a natural reaction to want to avoid people in need that we cannot help. I don't like having to get aggressive with panhandlers, but late in the month I will have little in my pocket and checking account. When I worked I could be generous; now I can only give a dollar or some change once in awhile. As humans, it hurts us to see a person in need and not be able to help.

Dealing with the winos and crazies is too often dangerous and/or disgusting. Perhaps the folks who hunt and kill the homeless need to be given assistance in choosing appropriate targets so the innocent are spared.

[otokonomidori]

Originally Posted by xyzde69

Rich men are able to spend fortune ... for a blow job made by a superb girl, but not one cent to create centers to take care of people in distress.

Why blame just rich people? Anyone with tuppence worth of sense would rather have a superb blow job than muck out the stinking trousers of some beshitted alcoholic.

[Grouchy]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

Perhaps the folks who hunt and kill the homeless need to be given assistance in choosing appropriate targets so the innocent are spared.

Surely you cannot be serious? Please tell me I'm having an "off day" and I'm failing to see a veiled attempt at humour here?

[Melchior]

I hate everybody

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by Grouchy

Surely you cannot be serious? Please tell me I'm having an "off day" and I'm failing to see a veiled attempt at humour here?

I am trying to be funny today, It's not working. The Mods killed my pedophile joke in another thread.

These problems suck. I like verbally beating up on rich folks as much as the next guy, but sometimes perspective is in order. Point #1, Rich folks have massive amounts of credit. They own a lot of property, bonds, and stocks, most which cannot be be turned into cash overnight. Point #2, if a billionaire bought everybody in the United States a Big Mac, he would then be broke and hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

We are going to have to figure out better ways of doing things if we are going to make it.

[bowlinggreen]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

I am trying to be funny today, It's not working. The Mods killed my pedophile joke in another thread.

These problems suck. I like verbally beating up on rich folks as much as the next guy, but sometimes perspective is in order. Point #1, Rich folks have massive amounts of credit. They own a lot of property, bonds, and stocks, most which cannot be be turned into cash overnight. Point #2, if a billionaire bought everybody in the United States a Big Mac, he would then be broke and hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

We are going to have to figure out better ways of doing things if we are going to make it.

The real problem is we can't just give most of these folks a home and a job, they need to be taken care of in an institution, in many cases. Which costs $$$.

If we cut our military budget by a third we could open some long term psychiatric facilities and make at least a start on some affordable housing. That is not going to happen though.

I like your "messy suicide" idea. if you are old enough, and ill, why not?