Bidding Farewell to a Progressive Paradise

Independent Women's Forum ^ | May 1, 2018 | by Charlotte Hays

[higgmeister]

Another one; the first character, Puggy, introduced in the Dave Barry novel and film "Big Trouble."

Puggy had held down his job at the Jolly Jackal Bar and Grill, which did not have a grill, for almost three weeks. For Puggy, this was a personal employment record. In fact, after a career as a semiprofessional vagrant, he was seriously thinking about settling in Miami, putting down roots, maybe even finding an indoor place to sleep. Although he really liked his tree.

[thecodont]

(Gentle on My Mind)

I never understood the appeal of that song. What sort of woman would think even a second about spending the tiniest amount of time with some fly-by-night bum?

[steve86]

He isn’t leaving Seattle by far, only about 15 miles at the most. Would still be considered “Seattle” in other parts of the country, though vagrancy enforcement tends to be a lot stricter where he’s going.

[higgmeister]

I do not know what is going on with your brother, but he is not representitive of the homeless I am familiar with.

Have you ever tried to determine how any of the homeless you are familiar with became homeless? To claim the whole system fails them is to assume the system had anything to do with their choices in life.

I'll never forget the Sixty Minutes story of the homeless man living in the dead of winter on a NYC subway vent. The found he was a retired Air Force Officer. His retirement check was going to a P.O. Box. All he needed to do was pick it up. He wanted to be where he was.

I myself lived in my car for a month and a half before I seperated from the Air Force so that I could bank my Seperate Rations (housing and meals) while my wife went home to her parents. If I had moved into the barracks I would have lost the extra pay.

Neal Boortz called them "urban outdoorsmen" and in spite of your claim that mental illness put them there, I wish you could understand that those who once had a home were not suddenly put in the streets with no cause.

I look in my own heart and soul and realize that without a wife and family I could easily be enjoying my life in the wide open spaces.

[higgmeister]

Right or Left at Oak Street

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Robert Ringer —

The alarm rang at seven this morning,
The same time it did yesterday.
Seven-thirty is my breakfast time,
And I know what the wife’s gonna say.

The Crawfords next door got a new swimming pool,
The Miller’s got a color TV.
Mr. Wilson’s job is not good as yours,
But his wife dresses better than me.

I get to the school at eight o-five
And drop off the kids at the gate.
Then I drive past the clock outside the bank,
It’s exactly a quarter past eight.

When I reach the stop sign at Oak Street,
The same thought crosses my mind:
Should I turn right like I always have,
Or left and leave it behind?

Right or left at Oak Street,
That’s the choice I face every day.
And I don’t know which takes more courage,
The staying or the running away.

A left turn would take me to somewhere,
Leave alarm clocks and schedules behind.
And the world wouldn’t care if I’m not somewhere
At some particular time.

Where a man can do what he wants to do,
And no one expects him to give
All of his time to the same old routine
In the one life that he has to live.

I’m not sure which way is the best way,
But I’ve always turned right before.
And it might be strange at the end of the day
If they weren’t there at the door.

A man must make his decisions,
But he must consider the stakes.
For every man’s life is a gamble;
It depends on the turn that he takes.

Right or left at Oak Street,
That’s the choice I face every day.
And I don’t know which takes more courage,
The staying or the running away.

By Charlie Williams and Joe Nixon
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

My take:

Some pretty heavy thoughts going on here. One can only guess at how many millions of people have not thought, at one time or another, what it would be like to just take off one day and leave their daily routine behind — the alarm going off in the morning, eating breakfast, dropping the kids off at school, etc. Welcome to suburban America!

Like all good lyrics, those in “Right or Left at Oak Street” are vivid. You can just picture Roy Clark, on the way back from dropping the kids off at school, sitting at the corner of Main and Oak Streets, thinking the unthinkable: “What would happen if, instead of turning right at Oak Street, I turned left and ‘left it all behind?’”

It’s a heck of an interesting question that no doubt has crossed the minds of millions of people over the centuries, particular in modern-day America: Which one takes more courage — staying put or running away from it all? The answer to this question is summed up succinctly in the next-to-the-last stanza of this little ditty with the words:

A man must make his decisions,
But he must consider the stakes.
For every man’s life is a gamble;
It depends on the turn that he takes.

A wise person’s always considers the stakes, but, make no mistake about it, life — with its endless twists and turns — is, indeed, a gamble. And one wrong turn — especially if it’s a major one — can sometimes be fatal. (Let us not forget Marius’ near-fatal left turn in the movie Fanny, when he went to sea in search of the “isles beneath the winds.”)

Of course, for those of us who are happily married and lucky enough to enjoy a good family life, which way to turn on Oak Street never enters the picture. But, even so, it’s not hard to imagine millions of people being able to relate all too well to the clever words in “Right or Left at Oak Street.”

Unfortunately, no video on this one, so you’ll have to enjoy Roy Clark’s audio of these profound, thought-provoking lyrics. As always, if you should locate a video on the Net, please let me know.

+Robert Ringer is an American icon whose unique insights into life have helped millions of readers worldwide. He is also the author of two New York Times #1 bestselling books, both of which have been listed by The New York Times among the 15 best-selling motivational books of all time.

[Lurker]

“That means that the law raises costs for businesses and customers while actually harming employees it was meant to help.“

The premise of this statement is incorrect. These laws weren’t meant to help. So, they haven’t.

L

[higgmeister]

You know wanderlust is a real word with a history.

[Mears]

“Have you ever tried to determine how any of the homeless you are familiar with became homeless? To claim the whole system fails them is to assume the system had anything to do with their choices in life”

---

About 25 years ago The Boston Globe had a lengthy article written by a man from an old New England,fairly wealthy,family.

The author’s brother lived on the streets-—and in spite of everything they tried,refused to leave the streets.

It’s odd to us,but tht’s what he wanted.

I read a book called “The Glass Castle” that was about the author’s quirky mother-—who also lived on the streets.

.

.

[hinckley buzzard]

They used to be known as hoboes, riding the rails, doing a days work here and there, cadging a meal where they could living in settlements known as Hobo jungles. The song “King of the Road” fits here.

[hinckley buzzard]

I have worked with many who choose homelessness. Many veterans, who have ample funds from disability compensationt that many, and could easily afford a livable apartment, want none of it. They know show to survive winters in the North, and want only to be let alone. Anout 15% of homeless are mentally ill or addicted, which is not that many, really.

[LouAvul]

I could not care less about these people who create their own sewers and the problems that follow. I do care about all of them, kalifornicators, orygoners, and the idiots from seattle, who want to move to civilization.

[Lurkinanloomin]

Hungry Heart

Bruce Springsteen

Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don’t know where it’s flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going

[higgmeister]

Yes, exactly right. Popular culture is filled with the drop-out sentiment because it reflects real life.

[FLT-bird]

Exactly. He’s just going to carry the socialist contagion with him wherever he goes. He should be forced to stay and stew in the chit he helped create.

[sheana]

California has beds for the homeless. Most wont use them. Guess why? They come with rules. I have a friend who is big into helping the homeless through our homeless shelter. You have to be in by 10 pm for lock down until the morning. Meals are served at the same time every day. No drinking. No drugs. Etc. etc.
they don’t want to follow the rules that come with the shelter. Our homeless shelter is never full.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Seattle is a “progressive paradise”, said in gest I’m sure.

However, having been to Seattle in the 90’s when druggies lined the streets of university row, and looking at it now, I’d say Seattle has advanced to a “progressive shithole” and keeps on marching on.

I wonder how many blacks and Hispanics own those $800,000 homes in Seattle or are whole neighborhoods “white bread and white rice” domains.

Anyone who can give us the demographics of home ownership by race are welcome to enunciate here.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

#13. Re “NYC has over 60,000 beds for the homeless in the winter”. Are they in DeBlasio’s mayoral mansion, and if so, how many did he take in this past winter?

[elcid1970]

“What sort of woman would think even a second about spending the tiniest amount of time with some fly-by-night bum?”

A lot if not most women are drawn to rogue males. Death Row inmates flooded with marriage proposals. Bill Clinton hit up with more wantons than he can shake a stick at. Testosterone without restraints trumps Mr. Nice Guy every time. Believe me, I know; offer some gals a home & hearth with someone who shows up weekly with a full pay envelope, and get laughed at. Swashbucklers don’t fill out daily time cards. Riverboat gamblers get to sweep Scarlet O’Hara off her feet.

Errol Flynn beats James Stewart hands down. Every time.

[Chickensoup]

that is true drug users and mentally ill do not follow rules. That is why they are mentally ill and homeless.
And they have options because of leftist lawyers and politicians.

Stupid laws that undermine the old vagrancy laws lead to tent cities and street beggars. Strictly enforced vagrancy laws and old fashioned “ mental hospitals” and compulsory commitments would alleviate the homeless problem within a year.

[Chickensoup]

elites punish the rest of us with their moral preening and virtue signaling. And of course Werner wants to take down the country and build a leftist paradise.