Once-prosperous family struggling on the edge

The Dallas Morning News ^ | Aug. 18, 2003 | SHERRY JACOBSON

[JakeWyld]

yeah, this reads better than most fiction novels. I figured this is a adults "Highlights" magazine clip. You know, 'What's wrong with this article'.

[dfwgator]

You know, if these guys actually had a sign that said "Need money for booze," hell I'd probably give them some money just because they're honest about it.

[laconic]

Your story of Chicago brought to mind my own experience there when I began traveling to the city some twenty years ago. A well-dressed lady approached me near my hotel, told me that her pocketbook had been stolen and she had no way to get home to Indianapolis so could I give her $20 bus fare. I promptly forked it over but noticed that as she walked away she was wearing slippers. Believe it or not, the SAME woman approached me about a year later near the same hotel, gave me the same story and I indignantly responded as to how she could be so stupid as to get trapped in Chicago again. She responded with a four-letter obscenity and marched off in her slippers.

[Sally'sConcerns]

It's the white/yellow pages for the Internet.

Here's the link.

http://www.anywho.com/wp.html

[Phantom Lord]

There was a homeless man that hung out on the sidewalk infront of my building at my last job. He never once asked for anything, seemed reasonably intelligent from the conversations he would try to have with people and seemed to really enjoy himself. I think he was purposefully homeless as it seemed to be a lifestyle he enjoyed. Guy was never a problem and I was always on the ready to give him a buck if he ever asked. But he never did.

[mountaineer]

He watched them as their day came to a close and they walked several blocks away to their new cars and followed them back to their confortable suburban homes

There are panhandlers in downtown Pittsburgh who have signs reading, "Veteran - please help," so my brother-in-law (a veteran himself) asked one of them if he'd like him to accompany him to a veterans' facility where they could help him find work, a place to live, etc. He also offered to take him to a local McD's for a hamburger. The guy almost bit his head off. He didn't actually want help or even food, and he sure as heck didn't want to work. He just wanted the cash (of which he had a rather large wad, my b-i-l noticed).

[Phantom Lord]

It is a common tactic among panhandlers to make a sign "Why lie, I'm gonna buy beer" as it often works.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Sheila Wessenberg's mother and six siblings have tried to be supportive from afar, sending money when they had it, visiting whenever possible.

"We'd love it if Sheila would move back here," says her mother, Sheila Sabbagh, who lives on Staten Island in New York City. "But things have changed since she left here 14 years ago. And we know that Sheila loves being in Texas. She won't give up on what she wants. She is quite a fighter."

These facts nullify the entire story. All she had to do was move home. Probably had a falling out with her mother and was too stubborn to accept the family's help - which hardly qualifies this story as supporting documentation for the "It's All Bush's Fault!" case the newspaper is trying to make.

[new cruelty]

Our office has a strict policy not to offer pan handlers any money. Even with the police patrolling the area, the pan handlers won't leave. And with good reason, I've heard that some of the pan handlers around here take in up to 300.00 per day.

[new cruelty]

Cool. thanks for the link.

[af_vet_1981]

Shame on you. I expect better from you.

[dfwgator]

We need to start teaching our kids the following message, once you reach the age of 40, forget about working for somebody else. Companies will look for any reason to get rid of you, and good luck finding work after that. From the first part-time job to the time you are making six figures, be socking away money so that when the time comes, you are prepared to go out on your own. That means networking and learning entrepreneurial skills even when you may think you have a good steady job. One day, you will need it.

[Protagoras]

I think I've seen her.

[boycott]

A lot of you folks just don't get it. Yes, I know that the liberal media spins. However, there are a lot of people that are down and out. A lot of these people are good hard-working people that just ran into unfortunate circumstances.

The question isn't do these sort of situations exist. Of course they do. Is it the Republicans or the Democrats fault? Both are partially to blame. Both waste our tax dollars for their own special interest projects. Both parties supported NAFTA and GATT. There's plenty of blame to go around.

It's easy for the media to spin because most Amerians are ignorant (many of them just plain stupid). They don't understand that the economy is cyclical. They also don't understand that what our politicans (certainly not leaders or statesmen) did five and ten years ago affects us today.

The media was promoting a bad economy when they helped Clinton get elected in 1992. I remember the media telling us on Bill Clinton's inarguation day that the economy may not be as bad as first thought. They were giving Clinton credit for turning around the economy on his first day in office. This was long before he ever passed his first budget. The media held off telling us how bad the economy had gotten under Clinton's eight years until after the election.

My point is that I realize the media spins. I also know that there's a lot of people that have been through some hard times. A lot of this just because of very unfortunate cirmcumstances. Therefore, you want see me make jokes about their situation.

[mtbopfuyn]

I just hate it when I have to sell my mink coat to feed the kids.

Las Colinas, well, la tee da! On a budgeting board I used to visit, we played games (serious real life games) on feeding a family of 4 on $15 a week (or maybe only M-F). It's amazing the menus that we came up with and it wasn't all beans. Shopping garage sales, kids can have a year's wardrobe of nice clothes for <$30 including new undies and shoes and be in the better dressed group. Toys and books (luv books!) can be had for almost nothing. It's a matter of prioritizing. This woman raking in $15/hr hasn't a clue as she sits whining at her phone.

Yikes - FNC reporting explosion in Jordan...

[laconic]

That's the best advice I've seen in a long time. Save, prepare for the future, adapt to change circumstances and depend on yourself first and your family second; the days of lifetime employment in any organization (except certain parts of the federal government) are over.

[Alberta's Child]

There used to be a guy on the subway in New York who would stand at one end of a subway car during rush hour and regale the passengers with an eloquent discourse on all the various nations of the world . . . "the French nation, the British nation, and of course this wonderful nation of hours. But the greatest nation in the world is the DOE-nation!" He would then walk from one end of the car to the other, collecting his "donations." LOL.

[Ravenstar]

They tried to keep their home and eventually had to sell that they are in debt but have "assets" that have value. You get Government programs when you surrender to be wards of the state and have no real propert. Cars don't count obviously. These people tried to stay in the middle class. That, of course, is an antigovernment attitude which would disqualify them from any help.

Emergency help can't be refused but "routing treatment" can be.

It is interesting that he is in the Computer field I wonder if L-1 or H-1B had anything to do with this,

Ravenstar

[oceanview]

the broad american middle class will not be able to survive based on your proposed model. the political system will break long before that, when enough people don't have a stake in the current economic system, they will vote to radically change it. Either reforms come from the Republicans, or the Dems get a permanent majority in the US and we have a full blown socialism.

[new cruelty]

We need to start teaching our kids...

My brother-in-law's parents are around 60 years old and are both currently unemployed. One was laid off, the other was fired. The one that was laid off knew well in advance that the contract position she held was coming to an end and so she diligently sought work, with no success so far. The one that was fired is a hot-head and argued with his department manager one time too many. He hasn't worked in almost a year and has few prospects. To make matters worse, a little over a year ago, they purchased two new cars, a 60" tv, and a got a second mortgage on their home, which they moved into just two years prior. Now at 60, they are unable to find work and they are looking to my brother-in-law to bail them out.