Posted on 05/01/2011 4:20:26 AM PDT by raybbr
New London — Johnathon Willsey sat back in his chair, having just finished a plate of tuna casserole.
He sat with two friends, Tori Merrill, 17, and Joshua Hayslip, 25, all part of a growing clientele of young adults at the New London Community Meal Center, known to most as the Soup Kitchen.
Faced with homelessness, unemployment and the rigors of a down economy, they turn to the free, twice-a-day meals on Montauk Avenue — especially near the end of each month when various financial and state aid programs run dry.
"I'm extremely grateful that this place exists," said Willsey, 22. "Because otherwise I wouldn't be able to eat a lot. Food stamps only get you so far when that's all you have to live off of."
Ellen Bassuk, founder and president of the National Center on Family Homelessness, said young adults who are homeless have often aged out of the foster care system or left destructive home environments.
"That youth population, by and large, has less services and is relatively neglected," said Bassuk, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Tall, thin and that day wearing tiny baby duck earrings in each earlobe, Willsey was born in the area but moved to live with his father in Oklahoma and Idaho for much of his youth. After he moved out on his own, he said, he had a falling out with his roommates. His mother paid for a plane ticket, and he came back to New London.
(Excerpt) Read more at theday.com ...
But.
These are the people that traditionally would have taken jobs at an industrial facility and made a decent wage.
NAFTA, GATT and other so called "Free Trade" policies have taken the option away. We are now seeing the fruits of the removal of our industrial base from our country.
Not everyone can be a doctor, lawyer, or stock broker. There needs to be a place for people like these kids to find employment.
I am beginning to believe that the destruction of our industrial base was deliberate and part of the plan by the progressives to bring govt. control to all aspects of our lives. That a few super capitalists got in on the beginning and made money in "arbitrage" and skimming profits off the top by brokering the sale of our industries across the seas was good for them but the U.S. of A. is dying because a few saw a way to make quick money.
Add to the mix the illegal aliens allowed to come here and supported by the super-capitalists and we see Americans forced to live like third world peoples - all the amusement of the money changers.
The fruits of “free trade” ping.
They don’t need ‘support’, they need jobs. Which kind of requires an economy and a marketplace.
When all the entry level jobs have migrated overseas there is nothing left for our young to do but cause trouble.
I remember years ago that there would be two markets...one for specialists and the service industry and 90% of the jobs would be in the service industry....aka...government jobs. We are so scr****.
btw, baby duck earrings????????????
Ever call a plumber to your house? Around here they make $75 just walking in the door to tell you that you have a problem.
You’re right - everyone can’t be a doctor, lawyer or stock broker - and you can’t make a living flipping burgers.
But they can get their behinds into a jr college or local community school and get a two year degree in a trade field.
Most schools have programs that will help them along - if they work at it.
I’m glad you said what you did. Too many people seem to almost take joy in others misery. As you said,this is a result of conditions,not necessarily the unemployed’s fault.
Notice the lack of jobs at fast food places. Illegals taking jobs that may not be the best but are part of our safety net.
Free Trade™ has worked out so well. Let see, for theFedGov™ it has worked out well, for the “captains of Industry” it has worked out well, for everyone else, not so much.
My son just got his first job. He is 15. No problem at all getting it.
Did you happen to note the state where he lives?
His state and the politicos made the state uncompetitive and the industry fled. They preferred establishing high cost of living to maintaining their industries.
It goes without saying that I agree with the other posters concerning the loss of our industrial base.
BTW, ever notice that there are no "homeless" with Obama in the White House?
15?
Oh my goodness!! Another sign that I am getting OLD!
Connecticut is a ghost town parade of empty factories
Now taxed out of competition, unionized out of competition, and downsized and offshored out of competition
Not just one cause, but all related initially to liberalism
Sadly, too many conservatives think the outsourcing is a good thing.
Giving away company secrets, giving away manufacturing abilities to our economic competitors is a good thing?!?
That’s like sayin that arming Al Qaeda in Libya is a good thing!
oh, Wait, we’re already doing that...
“But, in general, the protective system of our day is conservative, while the free trade system is destructive. It breaks up old nationalities and pushes the antagonism of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie to the extreme point. In a word, the free trade system hastens the social revolution. It is in this revolutionary sense alone, gentlemen, that I vote in favor of free trade.” ~ Karl Marx, On the Question of Free Trade, January 9, 1848 http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/01/09ft.htm#marx
No. I hope they will understand that electing a man like Obama can only increase their misery. He doesn’t care about them.
Tall, thin and that day wearing tiny baby duck earrings in each earlobe...
-——this is a result of conditions,not necessarily the unemployed’s fault.-——
Actually it is all his fault. He fled Oklahoma for Mom and welfare
The true architects of of our declining manufacturing base are the politicians, both local and national. Consider minimum wage, EPA, health care mandates, poorly educating our students in mandated schooling, our among the highest corporate tax rates, affirmative action programs, silly harassment suits and outrageous malpractice awards are a few of the incentives for transfering our manufacturing base to foreign countries.
I know a 24 year old man-boy who was homeless six months ago. Someone got him a job as an HVAC apprentice for a very good company. Every day, he gets off work and moans about how hard the work is, how the journeymen make him do all the grunt work, etc. He admits that this is the best-paying job he’s ever had and the only one with a future, but then he adds that he wants to do “something more than working on A/C”.
I ask him, “Like what?” He answers, “I don’t know. Something that doesn’t make me so tired at the end of the day.”
I think of how young men used to work until they were bleeding, or coughing up coal dust, or sunburned and dehydrated; but they did it because they had to pay their dues to learn the skills that prepared them for the better job.
When a young man thinks he’s too good to work until he’s “tired”, then there’s really no hope for him.
How’s that hopey changey thing working out for you Obama youts?...
Brainwashed dopes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.