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Tent city? - 12/22/2007 12:18:06 PM

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quote:

Between railroad tracks and beneath the roar of departing planes sits "tent city," a terminus for homeless people. It is not, as might be expected, in a blighted city center, but in the once-booming suburbia of Southern California.

The noisy, dusty camp sprang up in July with 20 residents and now numbers 200 people, including several children, growing as this region east of Los Angeles has been hit by the U.S. housing crisis.

The unraveling of the region known as the Inland Empire reads like a 21st century version of "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck's novel about families driven from their lands by the Great Depression.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071221/us_nm/usa_housing_social_dc

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 12:27:56 PM

DesFIP

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When housing becomes destabilized, people wind up out of work because you need an address to get work and a phone number, suicide rates go up, drug/alcohol rates go up, crime rates go up, child/spousal abuse rates go up, costs on social services go up, etc.

None of this is new.

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 12:33:00 PM

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Very little in the world is new.

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 12:33:36 PM

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But, the congress appropriates $60B so that the "contractors" in Iraq can rip us off.

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 12:45:14 PM

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It would be more expensive for us in the long run if Congress were to abandon Iraq to al-Qaeda.

quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

But, the congress appropriates $60B so that the "contractors" in Iraq can rip us off.

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 1:26:09 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Sanity

It would be more expensive for us in the long run if Congress were to abandon Iraq to al-Qaeda.

quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

But, the congress appropriates $60B so that the "contractors" in Iraq can rip us off.

For Iraq maybe, but I don't think the Iraqi People who are heavily armed would put up with al qeada in their country.
And we don't "need" to be building bridges, highways and hospitals in foreign countries.
I mean who decided to do that shit?
On thing tactically, I would imagine that Generals and Admirals would want to let al qeada accumulate in one area then,...."Ka-BOOM!"
And, just how many al qeada are there anyway?
After Iraqi's kill most of them off I don't imagine they'd want to stick around Iraq anyway.
And, we wouldn't be "abandoning" Iraq to al qeada we'd be handing the keys over to the Iraqis.
Then they can start Waterboarding and TORTURING al qeada like we should have been doing all along!
Like Ron Paul says we shouldn't have 700 bases in 130 different countries.
Now John "Endless War" McCain seems to think that al qeada would,.............."follow us home." lol
Yet, HE sponsors that "Amnesty" Bill!
Ah,.........................anyone see anything wrong with that?
If our borders and coasts are properly secured.................

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 1:37:18 PM

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Iraq will obviously fall to various factions and become a breeding ground for terrorists without us. It's like rearing children, you can't just dump them off on the side of the road at two years of age.

They're just babes in the woods at this point.

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 7:50:48 PM

MzMia

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Thank you for sharing Level!
This is appropriate for the holiday season.
How sad to see how some American citizens are having to live.

Some times you have to scratch your head and just wonder.
WTF?
Like I always say, "Who cares about the American citizens?"

< Message edited by MzMia -- 12/22/2007 8:29:38 PM >

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 8:08:10 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Sanity

Iraq will obviously fall to various factions and become a breeding ground for terrorists without us. It's like rearing children, you can't just dump them off on the side of the road at two years of age.

They're just babes in the woods at this point.

Iraq will obviously fall to various factions and become a breeding ground for terrorists without us.

That`s a bunch of crap.Most Muslims don`t care for those crazy Arabs,and would kick them out if we left.The only reason they`re tolerated is because we are there.The only reason that they are in Iraq,is because we`re there.

This foolish neo-con reasoning is what got us stuck in this deadly mess.They have no clue what to do accept to repeat mistakes,and dig us in deeper.And they`re going to tell us what might happen, if we don`t bless them with our presence in Iraq.

This foolish neo-con reasoning is why we`re blowing trillions in Iraq,and not investing here at home.Their grand experiment has cost us thousands and thousands of needless deaths and injuries.This arrogant un-educated,ignorant reasoning is what cost us trillions of dollars ,as well as priceless respect and the moral high ground.

With all the fuck ups,treachery,lies upon lies,incompetence and careless disregard,why should anyone listen to neo-cons?

< Message edited by Owner59 -- 12/22/2007 8:10:06 PM >

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 8:55:24 PM

MzMia

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Tent cities are beginning to pop up.
One of my favorite movies of all times is "The Grapes of Wrath", written
by John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
This sounds like it is straight out of that movie.

I guess we will turn our heads and backs on these people.
While we are so busy "helping" others.

Many people that live in shelters are working, this is a subject I rarely see addressed.
In Northern Virginia, about 40-50% of the homeless are working!

In N.Va., Let Down By a Rising Economy - washingtonpost.com

Shame on us America, we can't even help Americans that are working and can't make it.
shame indeed

< Message edited by MzMia -- 12/22/2007 9:21:56 PM >

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 8:59:47 PM

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First you would need to classify what a Neo-Con is. Yeah Iraq is a cluster fuck, but the areas around Iraq have been areas that Islamic Fascist have used, so why would they not use areas in Iraq to train and such? That makes no sense. Islam needs to have their revolution between the extremist and the moderates, and our interfering is stalling that. There is a large population of foreign Muslims that hate the US, that is a fact. They hate many of the ideals that we have, just look at the Saudi's, and not the royal assfucks. Moderates in Islam can control things, with the proper government in place, look at Turkey as a good example.

If we are going to focus anything overseas, I really believe it should be in Afghanistan, and not just to kill the Taliban, but to help lay the foundation for an economy, and a way their country can grow without opium and thugs. If that is unworkable, then pull out of there and let life take it's course.

The current cluster fuck is from Bush and Co., but the foundation was poured by Clinton and Bush Sr., so the problems are not isolated to a single party. The sooner everyone sees that, and stops the cheerleading, the better our country will be. Now put away the anti-republican pom poms, and just breath.

How long do you think it will take the Democrats to get us out of Iraq? Which one of the Democrat leaders do we believe when told a possible year for withdraw?

Now to the OP: I remember back in the 70's and 80's people becoming homeless suddenly. I mean middle income families that within several months went from doing well, to living on the streets. It may be sad, but maybe some of the suffering will help wake everyone up to the fact that our country is run by the new royalty, and that is the political elite. They only care about this stuff because it is another issue they can use to garner votes with.

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RE: Tent city? - 12/22/2007 9:09:07 PM

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quote:

When housing becomes destabilized, people wind up out of work because you need an address to get work and a phone number

You can rent a mailbox that looks like a real address and one can have cell phone. So, there is a way to get around.

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RE: Tent city? - 12/23/2007 7:08:44 AM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: awmslave

quote:

When housing becomes destabilized, people wind up out of work because you need an address to get work and a phone number

You can rent a mailbox that looks like a real address and one can have cell phone. So, there is a way to get around.

somehow i dont think a person with no home is going to have the extra funds to get a p o box and a cell phone, but thats just me.....

to the op....when i lived in seaside california for a couple of years back in the early 80's. right behind my apt was some old abandoned railroad tracks. on the other side was a kmart and then the beautiful pacific ocean...

anyhow, after a couple of months of seeing this man and woman going through the trash cans regularly(we drank a lot of beer out of the can back then), i went out and talked to the lady. found out they lived on the abandoned tracks behind my house. she actually showed me their "home", which consisted of a tarp spread thru the limbs of a huge tree that had grown up there on the tracks. they had a small dresser, a small grill, and a few more comforts of home. i talked to her and her story was simple, but amazing to me as a 22 year old who had little knowledge of the woes of real life. he lost jobs, she lost jobs, they began to drink and do drugs, eviction, blah blah.

she was one of the nicest folks i have ever met, to this day. they had lived there for about a year she thought. i told her to not bother digging thru the trash any more, we would put the cans in a box out by the back door. i would always leave them extra food out there too when i had it. they didnt want to talk to me a lot, but the things i left out there-food blankets a book, would disappear and she would smile and wave when i saw her.

there were several people i came to know who lived in cars or a bus, parkinig at the beach for 3 days, then moving to the next spot to park. there was a 3 day rule in place back then, and the cops would tell them to move along if they didnt on their own.

i remember thinking how great it was that california was so liberal to allow them to live this way. never occurred to me they may want help to get a better place to live, heck i became friends with a few and they were content as they were...and amazingly self sufficient in so many ways.

when i came back home, i noticed the homeless here. i dont know if they were here before and i never noticed them or what.....and i tried to be nice and help them too. the ones here were rude and acted nuts, and it didnt take long for me to go back to my blind to them mindset.

i dunno if this even applies to the op, but id really like to know what happened to my railroad track neighbors.......i hope they found their way to where ever they were looking to go......

< Message edited by SeeksOnlyOne -- 12/23/2007 7:11:49 AM >

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