[Gothmog]

Hmm, let's see. You don't think there's a GOP President with an election coming up, do you?

"The findings are from a 2003 survey of 25 cities by the U.S. Conference of Mayors."

A good source, these mayors wouldn't happen to be overwhelmingly liberal Dems, would they? Since they're the mayors where most of the homeless are, why don't they do something about this.

Oh, I forgot, that would ruin the political shot at Bush.

[goodnesswins]

" one of his homeless clients lost his job and is living in his Mercedes, which is paid for, while he seeks employment."

[samuel_adams_us]

Actually the statistics are true, last night in Denver bush only had 350 supporters show up for his benefit, only 1 million raised and there were over 4000 protesters outside with signs that read, "Where is my job?". Open your eyes and your ears and pay attention to your fellow man.

[Joe Bonforte]

Yep, we all know what the solution to this problem is. Elect a Democratic president, and presto! The homeless problem is gone! Or at least it disappears from the newspapers.

[tdadams]

Of, course, the homeless problem only occurs when a Republican administration is in the White House. Otherwise, there's nary a mention of it in the press.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

'But my kids, if they become successful, they won't look down on people who are poor.

I grew up poor - dirt poor, often wondering where the next meal was coming from. This was due to a father who wouldn't keep a job more than 6 weeks and a mother who refused to work. I quickly learned what not to do, and have been successful in my own life being the opposite of my parents. I'm sorry, but I do look down on poor people - most of the time, it's their own poor life choices that put them there.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

"As Americans file for bankruptcy in record numbers and credit card debt explodes, more workers are a paycheck away from losing their homes. Now the frail economy is pushing them over the edge. With 9 million unemployed workers in July, the face of homelessness is changing to include more families shaken by joblessness."

More families with children are homeless. This is not an increase due to more drug addicts. This is an increase due to unemployment. These Americans are not even included in the statistics anymore.

[finnman69]

This article makes it seem there are throng of Americans losing their homes on every corner and selling appcles from carts on street corners.

[Brian S]

I know of three relatives that have just exhausted their unemployment benefits after being laid off last year.

They thought they would just be able to "walk into" another job but are finding that they can, if they want to take a wage cut of up to 75%. Plenty of $6.00 "stop and rob" clerk jobs available...

[tdadams]

"People think we get homeless because we're irresponsible, but it's hard finding jobs," says Brochu, 29, ... Nearly a quarter of Americans would be late on mortgages, rent or other bills if a single paycheck were delayed

And that's not irresponsible? Have you never been introduced to the concept of a savings account?

[KellyAdmirer]

Sounds like what I used to read in the 1980s and early 19902. Then, magically, poof! No more mentions of homelessness until the last couple of years. Now, why could that be?

Btw, any fool who claims that homelessness just suddenly ends during Democrat administrations and resumes under Republican ones clearly has never spent any time in San Francisco.

[ShandaLear]

There was no homelessness during the Clinton administration. Everyone knows this.

[Tribune7]

Here's a thought. Cut the property tax by, say, drastically cutting teacher/administration salaries. Oh. You can't do that? That would be insensitive? Sorry.

[tdadams]

But then they were beset by personal financial problems, which caused them to miss house payments.

How nebulous can this author get? She's almost putting up a neon red flag to the fact that she's deliberating obscuring some facts and mitigating the family's own culpability in their situation.

I'd like to know just what these mysterious "personal financial problems" were.

[jrp]

In San Francisco, the city reports that the homeless population in 2002 was 8,640, an 18% rise over 2001.

In a city of how many millions?? Please.

Nearly a quarter of Americans would be late on mortgages, rent or other bills if a single paycheck were delayed, according to a 2003 poll by Automatic Data Processing

Well then, save some money for a rainy day. If you spend 100% of your paycheck, you are living above your means.

[comnet]

What do you call it went the Governments take 40% to 50% of your income?

[Chewbacca]

I pity the poor fools who spend money on things they don't need.

Why buy a 3000ft^2 home for $250,000, when you can live in a trailer home for $10,000.

Don't pay $30,000 for that sports car when you can get a used car for $2000 and drive it till it breaks in 2-3 yrs and get another used one.

I wonder what these fools will do when the US Fed Notes collapse and hyperinflation takes place.

I laugh at the fools who keep their money in the tech stocks and bonds, when the only bull market in town is happening in the precious metals market. (stealth gold bull market for the last three years)

I pity the poor fool who doesn't even have 5% of his wealth in gold/silver.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

These must be the children of the Reagan Homeless population that was nowhere to be found during the Clinton Administration. Looks like, after a diligent search, the media has found them.

[SamAdams76]

This is a bit off the beaten path but life is supposed to be an adventure. Life should be unpredictable and full of surprises. We only have about 70 years on average to live this life. Who says that life is supposed to be comfortable and uneventful?

Losing your job and being cast out in the street can be an adventure if you have the right mindset. You suddenly find that you are ALIVE and free to take a new path. Your priorities change. You find out who your real friends are. Your options are wide open. You can hitchike to Montana and start a brand new life in those open spaces. Or you can go to a big city and start all over again. The choices are yours. For the first time since you were perhaps a child, your future is an open book.

Hardship? Yes, there will be hardship. But even in the hardest times, you can find peace and contentment within yourself. Sit out in the grass and gaze out at the deep, blue skies. Take a deep breath and listen to the birds around you. You are ALIVE. You are living life to its fullest. Where do you go from here? That is up to you. Maybe this was meant to happen.

[BMiles2112]

As Americans file for bankruptcy in record numbers and credit card debt explodes..
I wonder if there's a connection. Hint #1: Don't buy stuff you can't afford.

Nearly 28 million households -- one in four -- reported spending more than 30% of their income on housing, according to the Millennial Housing Commission.
I wonder if there's a connection. Hint #2: Don't buy a house you can't afford.

The increase in homelessness and hunger is overwhelming some cities and shelters: An average of 30% of the requests for emergency shelter by homeless people -- and 38% of the requests by homeless families -- are estimated to have gone unmet in 2002, according to the Conference of Mayors.
It's not the job of the gov't to provide you with housing and food. I know it's not always the case, but don't most these people have friends or family?

Alfred Thompson, a job trainer at Goodwill Industries of Kentucky in Louisville, says one of his homeless clients lost his job and is living in his Mercedes, which is paid for, while he seeks employment.
Uhh, maybe sell the Mercedes and buy something cheaper. You can get reliable transportation for less than $3000. See Hint #1.

Yup, sounds like the dems are trying to drop this turd in GWB's lap. It is, after all, his responsibility to provide jobs to everyone. Since there were no homeless during Klinton's term, why can't Bush do it?

[RightWhale]

The first thing a Chinese friend of mine looked for when he first stepped foot on the ground here was the homeless, which in Beijing everyone had been told was rampant in America. Instead he had to learn the classes of recreational vehicles and to not stare at fat Americans.