Posted on 05/06/2005 5:49:32 AM PDT by marylandrepub1
EUSTACE "SHANE" Thornton was a colorful character who spoke with a poetic flourish and endeared himself to others with his winning smile. He once attended college and held a steady job. After years of struggling with alcoholism and mental illness, Mr. Thornton died from liver disease last fall and became one of 80 homeless people to die in the city last year, each a tragic story of addiction or mental illness, poor health and hard luck, lost jobs and raised rents, and the toll of life on the streets.
The federal government has increased funding for homeless programs while slashing public and affordable housing programs.
More than half of the nation's 3.5 million homeless are single people, mostly men like Mr. Thornton. But more and more working poor families are ending up on the streets as well, unable to keep up with rising rents, or broke from paying huge medical expenses because they lack health insurance.
Ending homelessness will be a large and difficult undertaking, but Mr. Thornton's experience should remind city officials that one of the basic needs is, simply, permanent and affordable housing. It can make the difference between life and death
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
I don't know about where you live, but in Maryland, section 8 housing has devastated sections of our suburbs. Once nice neighborhoods with working poor and good schools now have drugs businesses, crime, and businesses fleeing along with the middle class. This rag, the Baltimore Sun, blames the middle class/whites for the problems in those areas.
In 1995 the ACLU sued Baltimore City and HUD (who lost) in federal courts for having built housing projects where the poor were concentrated. In a settlement Baltimore City built 30 houses for 30 families for 7 million dollars in other areas of the city. Then they ran out of money. How was it discrimination to build free public housing?? What if we just provided no free housing?
Dang, I left my violin at home.
"EUSTACE "SHANE" Thornton was a colorful character who spoke with a poetic flourish."
Liberal to English translation: He was drunk off his ass 24/7 on dry gas and screamed in incromprehensible gibberish at rocks, trash cans and car doors. He urinated in the streets and scared little children.
This will sound bad, but I find it hard to pity some people. To many of the people in this country that have a lousy lot in life have such because they made bad, stupid chooses they knew were bad and stupid. Yes there are people who have made the right decisions and still fall on hard times, but these usually will get up again. And of course I pity the children of these people.
Good example I know a man who had a good job paid over $45000 a year. He kept getting drunk and not showing and got fired. He now had another job but keeps drinking. His phone was turned off but he still has money for beer. Good Lord forgive me, but I find it hard to feel sorry for someone who screws up their life and knew better.
That many parasites, huh?
What percentage of the population is that?
Are they breeding?
I supposed that folks who had homes didn't die last year.
Ah, our old friends The Homeless. Always a good photo op and a tearjerker story when one wants to show how callous the Republicans are toward the weak and downtrodden. Just wait a week and, if this story gets any play, suddenly homelessness will blossom into a full-fledged epidemic, a devastating social plague that has exploded since Bush took office.
That works for me.
More than half of the nation's 3.5 million homeless are single people, mostly men like Mr. Thornton [mentally ill and an alcoholic].
No amount of "affordable housing" can help if the mentally ill aren't treated and the addicts don't get clean.
But more and more working poor families are ending up on the streets as well, unable to keep up with rising rents, or broke from paying huge medical expenses because they lack health insurance.
As for the "working poor", how about families sharing a house with a roommate[s]? It may not be ideal, but it beats being on the streets or having me subsidize you.
For those with large medical bills, declare bankruptcy and start over.
Ending homelessness will be a large and difficult undertaking,
It'll be an impossibility as long as the government's involved in it.
Does affordable housing mean I get to pay for it? Just wondering............
Remember the Maryland Walmart's bill that raises the cost of lower paid workers. Well, who is going to hire the unskilled workers that MD government won't let Walmart's hire?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1384204/posts
Health (8% payroll tax) Bill marks Union's first victory against Wal-Mart in MD
Hey, look at me--I made it to the third sentence!
-Are they breeding?-
Unfortunately...yes.
OH FOR THE LOVE OF..!
Colorful and poetic, indeed. Why, then, did the paper not offer him a job? I don't see THAT in the article anywhere.
It's not the job of government to fund these types of programs. It is up to me, and you and the author of this piece to help those in need.
Cut these programs out, and give back our money so we can help those in need more efficiently and effectively.
A great tagline that I saw this morning: "The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money."
Or at the least, don't spend our money to make our lives worse.
Reminds me of the situation a friend of mine is in. His once beautiful wife began drinking in her mid to late 30's. I mean drinking to the point of passing out nearly every night for no reason he can understand. He's done everything he could think of to try to help her. He's searched for the alcohol and threw it out, he's taken her to rehab nearly a dozen times. Insurance won't pay for it so he's out about $10,000-12,000 each time he takes her. She has yet to complete one program. She gets angry and walks out. The staff can't make her stay so she gets out and starts drinking again.
He stayed and raised the children in spite of the fact that she took money from his business, she's embezzeled funds from her employers and pawned anything of value from the home including stealing her children's things. He even woke one night recently to find her pointing a pistol at him, but was too drunk to remember to take the safety off. People in their neighborhood have found her passed out on the streets.
The last child left home last year. He is in the process of packing his things up and he plans to leave. He will not divorce her because he said that he made a vow and will honor that vow. He will leave her in their home, pay the rent, utilities and provide for groceries to be delivered to her. He plans to live in the back of his business. He said that there is simply nothing he can do for her until she realizes she has a problem. She doesn't believe she has a problem with alcohol.
Same thing with these folks. Until they realize they have a problem and they want to do something about it, there's nothing anyone can do to really help them.
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