Community Chat

[occasionalrain]

The homeless are made up of those released from mental institutions, drug addicts, alcoholics along with displaced families, many of which include parents who are drug addicts, alcoholics, or have mental health issues. Added to those are veterans suffering the effects of their time deployed.

To me the solutions is to place the children in boarding schools, the mentally ill back in institutions, the veterans in group homes that include counseling. Leave the others to fend for themselves.

We already have welfare, WIC, food stamps, Section 8 housing, HUD, homeless shelters, free daycare, food cupboards, Medicaid, and Federal money available to pay for schooling, both college and trade, along with transportation. Is there no end to what we are expected to pay to support those who for whatever reason aren't supporting themselves?

As for starving homeless children, I have never read of any child starving to death other than those who were intentionally starved by their parent or care giver. None starved because there was no food available.

[Shogirl]

On 12/2/2014 happy housewife said: Actually, preds, the county is planning to take over some defunct motels in our town for non payment of taxes and my church is trying to have them used for housing the homeless with children.I hope and pray it comes to be. It is about 2 miles from my house. That does not bother me. It is basically in a commercial area.In one of the 2 motels the rooms have kitchenettes, so our food bank would provide food and, once people get an address they can then get welfare and food stamps and send the kids to school.

How nice to hear, happy housewife! How many Americans are going overseas and/or sending money overseas to help the plights of people in foreign countries? Makes me think we have all but forgotten about those in our very own homeland.

[kittymomNC]

On 12/2/2014 occasional rain said:

The homeless are made up of those released from mental institutions, drug addicts, alcoholics along with displaced families, many of which include parents who are drug addicts, alcoholics, or have mental health issues. Added to those are veterans suffering the effects of their time deployed.

To me the solutions is to place the children in boarding schools, the mentally ill back in institutions, the veterans in group homes that include counseling. Leave the others to fend for themselves.

We already have welfare, WIC, food stamps, Section 8 housing, HUD, homeless shelters, free daycare, food cupboards, Medicaid, and Federal money available to pay for schooling, both college and trade, along with transportation. Is there no end to what we are expected to pay to support those who for whatever reason aren't supporting themselves?

As for starving homeless children, I have never read of any child starving to death other than those who were intentionally starved by their parent or care giver. None starved because there was no food available.

The homeless also includes people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and can't find another one, some of whom have families and no way to support them. The homeless includes people who have been bankrupt and lost everything due to catastrophic medical bills. I could name more circumstances which don't fit your "molds" of who is homeless and why. So for those in those kinds of circumstances, should the children be taken away from their parents and put in "boarding schools" - and who would pay for that?

Some of the things being talked about here could be good solutions, such as the one Happy Housewife talked about, and don't count completely on "welfare programs", but on churches and other donations, etc. As I said, if the local and state PTB in govt would stop wasting money and giving all the breaks to corporations, etc., and if the fed govt would close all the tax loopholes that enable HUGE corps to avoid paying their fair share, maybe there would be funds to do something about this. I'm not interested in a poli*tical debate, but there are ways to help people who deserve it without making you pay for it.

And you seriously don't think there are children in this country who starve to death, other than for the reasons you cite? Just because it's not a big enough story to make the news doesn't mean it never happens. Just one child would be one too many, and I doubt it would make the evening news.

[Qwackertoo]

On 12/2/2014 occasional rain said:

As for starving homeless children, I have never read of any child starving to death other than those who were intentionally starved by their parent or care giver. None starved because there was no food available.

Just ask someone who is dieting how it feels to be hungry. Not necessarily starving. And then transfer that to an innocent child. In a perfect world, all those programs you mention would eliminate this but they don't. IF it did fill the need 100% you wouldn't have people contributing to the backpack program where they send the kids home with food for the weekend and long holidays to make up for the meals they DON'T receive for breakfast & lunch during school sessions.

I'm very against government waste but I'm also against suffering and being hungry, truly hungry, is suffering . . . and of our most innocent and vulnerable citizens aka children . . . just saying tough luck kid, too bad, too sad . . . doesn't quite cut it.

[spindlegirl]

On 12/2/2014 kittymomNC said:

On 12/2/2014 occasional rain said:

The homeless are made up of those released from mental institutions, drug addicts, alcoholics along with displaced families, many of which include parents who are drug addicts, alcoholics, or have mental health issues. Added to those are veterans suffering the effects of their time deployed.

To me the solutions is to place the children in boarding schools, the mentally ill back in institutions, the veterans in group homes that include counseling. Leave the others to fend for themselves.

We already have welfare, WIC, food stamps, Section 8 housing, HUD, homeless shelters, free daycare, food cupboards, Medicaid, and Federal money available to pay for schooling, both college and trade, along with transportation. Is there no end to what we are expected to pay to support those who for whatever reason aren't supporting themselves?

As for starving homeless children, I have never read of any child starving to death other than those who were intentionally starved by their parent or care giver. None starved because there was no food available.

The homeless also includes people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and can't find another one, some of whom have families and no way to support them. The homeless includes people who have been bankrupt and lost everything due to catastrophic medical bills. I could name more circumstances which don't fit your "molds" of who is homeless and why. So for those in those kinds of circumstances, should the children be taken away from their parents and put in "boarding schools" - and who would pay for that?

Some of the things being talked about here could be good solutions, such as the one Happy Housewife talked about, and don't count completely on "welfare programs", but on churches and other donations, etc. As I said, if the local and state PTB in govt would stop wasting money and giving all the breaks to corporations, etc., and if the fed govt would close all the tax loopholes that enable HUGE corps to avoid paying their fair share, maybe there would be funds to do something about this. I'm not interested in a poli*tical debate, but there are ways to help people who deserve it without making you pay for it.

And you seriously don't think there are children in this country who starve to death, other than for the reasons you cite? Just because it's not a big enough story to make the news doesn't mean it never happens. Just one child would be one too many, and I doubt it would make the evening news.

Great post.

[reese2]

On 12/2/2014 Qwackertoo said:

On 12/2/2014 occasional rain said:

As for starving homeless children, I have never read of any child starving to death other than those who were intentionally starved by their parent or care giver. None starved because there was no food available.

Just ask someone who is dieting how it feels to be hungry. Not necessarily starving. And then transfer that to an innocent child. In a perfect world, all those programs you mention would eliminate this but they don't. IF it did fill the need 100% you wouldn't have people contributing to the backpack program where they send the kids home with food for the weekend and long holidays to make up for the meals they DON'T receive for breakfast & lunch during school sessions.

I'm very against government waste but I'm also against suffering and being hungry, truly hungry, is suffering . . . and of our most innocent and vulnerable citizens aka children . . . just saying tough luck kid, too bad, too sad . . . doesn't quite cut it.

I agree, Qwackertoo. Nice post.

[Mj12]

On 12/2/2014 Qwackertoo said:

On 12/2/2014 occasional rain said:

As for starving homeless children, I have never read of any child starving to death other than those who were intentionally starved by their parent or care giver. None starved because there was no food available.

Just ask someone who is dieting how it feels to be hungry. Not necessarily starving. And then transfer that to an innocent child. In a perfect world, all those programs you mention would eliminate this but they don't. IF it did fill the need 100% you wouldn't have people contributing to the backpack program where they send the kids home with food for the weekend and long holidays to make up for the meals they DON'T receive for breakfast & lunch during school sessions.

I'm very against government waste but I'm also against suffering and being hungry, truly hungry, is suffering . . . and of our most innocent and vulnerable citizens aka children . . . just saying tough luck kid, too bad, too sad . . . doesn't quite cut it.

[Free2be]

Imagine an America without Medicaid, food banks, or charities. We would be burying skeletal victims of starvation. There's something very wrong going on in this land of plenty.

[Mominohio]

On 12/1/2014 Qwackertoo said:

I was really surprised at some of the questions on the registration papers I had to fill out for son at the beginning of this school year. Same school district. This was new. I've been filling out paperwork at the beginning of the school year for going on 15 years now. Some of the questions were . . . Do you have a home? Do you live in a car? Do you live with other adults that are related or not related to you? Do you anticipate not having somewhere to live in the next 30 days? Not the exact questions, as I don't remember them word for word. So here, they must be trying to identify which kids may need additional help and they (the students) and their families might be falling through the cracks in the system, but they seem to be trying to identify, locate and hopefully direct them to more assistance and help.

I have noticed similar questions on the 'back to school' papers for a number of years now. I really didn't like the questions and often just didn't answer them. I cannot recall exactly the wording now, but they were phrased in a fashion that made me feel that my privacy was being violated by answering them. IF the real intent is to help find kids who are 'falling through the cracks', I guess it is good, but it never seems good when the government wants to get involved.

[Mominohio]

On 12/1/2014 happy housewife said:

On 12/1/2014 occasional rain said:

There are homeless shelters for people and foster care for children whose parents can't or won't provide care for them.

That this person would take issue with the shelters and care given to animals who are the result of careless, inhumane people and are at least as deserving as any person or child is appalling.

What a grandstander looking for his 15 minutes, donations, and maybe even a shot at a CNN grant.

Shame on you !!! He is simply trying to raise awareness. What is wrong with you?

I don't at all think it wrong to at least consider that he might have other motives. Not everyone who is out there doing "good work" is doing it in a selfless manner. Sometimes people have ulterior motives, and bank on the naive to buy their line of bull. Not saying this guy is, but I applaud OR for not just buying his program, hook, line, and sinker.