Posted on 12/28/2013 4:35:06 AM PST by listenhillary
The federal government owns roughly 635-640 million acres, 28% of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Four agencies administer 609 million acres of this land: the Forest Service (USFS) in the Department of Agriculture, and the National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), all in the Department of the Interior (DOI). Most of these lands are in the West and Alaska. In addition, the Department of
Defense administers 19 million acres in military bases, training ranges, and more. Numerous other agencies administer the remaining federal acreage.
It makes no sense at all. They are considering money not spent as money earned.
Where do the “free houses” come from?
You have forgotten to mention zoning and over strict building codes. That have raised the cost and type of home one can build.
“Big Rock Candy Mountain”, first recorded by Harry McClintock in 1928. John Hartford born in 1937.
The song was first recorded by McClintock, also known by his “hobo” name of Haywire Mac. McClintock claimed credit for writing the song, though it was likely partially based on other ballads.
Before recording the song, McClintock cleaned it up considerably from the version he sang as a street busker in the 1890s. Originally the song described a child being recruited into hobo life by tales of the “big rock candy mountain”. In later years, when McClintock appeared in court as part of a copyright dispute, he cited the original words of the song, the last stanza of which was:
The punk rolled up his big blue eyes And said to the jocker, “Sandy, I’ve hiked and hiked and wandered too, But I ain’t seen any candy. I’ve hiked and hiked till my feet are sore And I’ll be damned if I hike any more To be buggered sore like a hobo’s whore In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.”
In the released version this verse did not appear.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rock_Candy_Mountain#History
Quite a history.
In my opinion, Burl Ives sang it better than anybody else.
There are private efforts, like Habitat for Humanity, with similar notions.
In general, private is better than public for charitable efforts. Private has a face. It is funded by voluntary means only. Its agents do not have the temptation of pandering to voters in order to gain sinecures. That’s not saying that public can NOT work. But it takes more than being a bureaucrat in order to care with the kind of care needed to try to turn a beneficiary to the good rather than leaving him or her to be a bum.
Yes, the minimum square feet for a dwelling, minimum lot sizes.
Many of these regulations pushed by homeowners to protect their investments.
I’m not heartless. I’d like to see the homeless given options, but not a no strings attached solution that hands out housing, motel vouchers.
We have able bodied homeless, and able bodied people feeding at the public trough and lots of public land. Why not put them to work building mini apartments? A Bed, bathroom, single burner stove, mini-fridge 250 sq ft apartment. Throw out the zoning laws. Preferably this would be done with private sector supervision.
It would be a great way to experiment with new solutions for housing designs. Non-flammable foam houses, on site pressed waterproof soil/straw bricks. Recycled materials.
Just get the government the ‘el out of the way.
First post to address the biggest cause of long term homelessness. Addicts generally sober up and get a job when the money runs out.
Houses require maintenance and upkeep. They require utilities.
These people have no money and likely will not for who knows how long.
But here is a house, paid by the taxpayer that has a home and has to WORK to keep it and pay for these bums.
Yeah, this will totally work. Really, Utah?
Oooh, oooh, I know this one!
House fairies appear in the middle of the night and build them! You can attract them by leaving out dishes of gumdrops at the building site.
Is homelessness the new “I walked 8 miles to school - uphill both ways?”
Instant slums....The American dream.
My son worked as a social worker with the homeless mentally ill in a nearby city. It would shock you to know how many were veterans Many had alchohol problems and were turned out by family. We are definitely in need of more programs like Salvation Army ARC.in southern Indiana. Their locations are in Indy and the northern cities of the state
Have you noticed that the American Male is virtually eliminated from these so called ‘help’ programs?
You lost your good paying job due to 0 Depression. Hard time finding a new one. You were working 60+ hrs a week sometimes 10 days in a row. You develop type 2 Diabetes because of this live on fast food life style. 0 Depression gets your job.
IND Medicaid has more than 1 program, a general 1 and a Breast and Cervical Cancer one. Neither of the programs cover adult US Males who are sick. And if the male who is working a PT job that pays over a certain amount the woman and children are cut off.
When your wife just had a masectomy stage 3 cancer, and is on her third round of Chemo you do what you have to do, keep working the crappy job that pays to little. Because the minute you make more, her health care is gone! BTW you US MALE who are a type 2 Diabetic are not covered for any health care, and your PT job does not provide health ins. So you face 0’care fines or imprisonment! And the wife with stage 3 breast cancer is left to take care of the 12 year old and provide food, rent and utilities, etc. Her career in health care CNA will not let her go back to work until she is done with the year long chemo. CRAZY
Should have added prisons, as they cost more than a cheap apartment does.
The housing are usually HUD houses. Their coat to the individual is based on “ability to pay”. Tax payer picks up the remainder
FYI in the ninth ward of NOLA most of the houses were HUD papa Landrieu had established HUD under Carter the local paper was doing a series of articles exposing three groups who owned and were abusing the system when Katrina hit. The storm ended the investigation whi h no doubt would have taken down a few politicians involved
My grand dad worked the coal mines with a 8th grade education, until he developed Black Lung. With 8 kids, grandma went to work in the local shirt factory, she could neither read nor write, no schooling what so ever. The kids did the chores from cleaning to cooking to cleaning out the out house and taking care of the chickens. Most had only 5-8th grade educations by the time they were grown, this was during the Great Depression. Yet they never went hungry, they gardened and bartered for what they needed. Next generation had more, college, but they have turned into liberals not worth a spit. With the exceptions of the ones who went into the Military.
I am involved in a ministry to help the homeless. Many of them are employed but do not make enough to afford a home or apartment or pay utilities. Many are elderly and their social security is minimal. Quite a few are in school and we have one who is in college while living in a tent along the river.
You would be surprised at how many show up for a meal, embarrassed that they are out of work for the first time in their lives and wearing the designer clothing they could afford when they had a job.
Don’t be so quick to judge others by their station in life. Life is not always what it seems.
Also, you may want to read Matthew 25-35.
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the peanut farmer’s habitat for humanity I would think. Or rehabed homes that were condemned.
From those that should be “giving back” to their communities.
A record 163 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables grown by Missouri prisoners was donated to local food pantries, shelters, churches, nursing homes and schools this year, shattering last year’s record of 117 tons.
“Instant slums....The American dream.”
With government running the program, I would agree. The government has proved it’s incompetence more than enough times.
Let the people keep their money and keep taxes local so they can be controlled and monitored instead of siphoning off 60% at the federal level and maybe returning 40%.
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