The Rising Tide Of Despair

The plight of homelessness in the United States

 They say all good things must end some day but for one Thomas Jones that some day just arrived. It was just yesterday that he lost his job. A job he held for over 20 years. Now, at age 63 still in reasonably good health couldn't understand why the company he worked for would suddenly and without cause just up and showed him the door.  Thomas whose sole earnings were his measly paycheck, just enough to keep a roof over his head, food on the table and gas in his car never really had enough to sock away for that rainy day that just arrived. If this sounds all to familiar it should. All across the country young and old alike are being victimized by an economy that has gone out of their way to perpetuate the 1%. And, as for Thomas who is now a senior citizen will find it almost impossible to land another job. With mortgage due and a refrigerator that is almost empty as the gas tank in his car realizes tough choices have to be made real quick.

 

Within a short span of six months with his unemployment benefits now expired Thomas tried to contact his bank to see if he could make deferred mortgage payments only to be told that they were going to foreclose left Thomas devastated. Not only did he loose his wife a few years ago but his job just recently and now his home is a tragedy no one likes to think about and yet situations like Thomas are all to common place today. After a lifetime of working hard Thomas began thinking that his only income now was going to be his Social Security. Thomas found out that the bank  foreclosed because his mortgage payment was equal to over 65% of his now income. With rents for available apartments being just as high left Thomas with very few options as to where to hang his hat. This is happening all over the United States. Especially hit hard are our seniors who rely on Social Security as their only means of support.

 

As high end real estate developers gobble up land and in turn build expensive homes and condos people like Thomas are displaced. It happened in the Florida Keys some time ago where developers rushed in built high end real estate and consequently forced the long term residents out because they couldn't afford the prices that came about from all that development. This is happening at a record pace all over the country along with companies like the one Thomas worked for are laying off older workers by the thousands either to cut costs, replace with younger less experienced workers or just closing the company to relocate most likely to another country. Think about what is happening to people like Thomas, the economy is booming for the upper class all the while the low wage earner and Seniors are being victimized by policies that continue to favor the wealthy. In reality, what is really happening is having a direct negative economic impact all across the country. With rents being too high where was Thomas going live? People like Thomas are being force into that vicious cycle of poverty that has drastic consequences not only on communities but on the health of all those who are being victimized by an economy and government safety nets that only exasperate the growing number of people who are becoming homeless.

 

With today's Republican mind set in government those Social Security cost of living adjustments nowhere near account for the ever rising cost of housing. And if one is fortunate to qualify for Food Stamps another one of governments safety nets still don't equate to the cost of living increases that never keep pace with the rising cost of food. In counties all across America contrary to what is being reported millions of Americans are facing each and every day in dire circumstances and whose voices have always fallen on the deaf ears of our politicians and policy makers.

 

 Who ever thought that in this 21st century more of our citizens especially our seniors continue to be thrust out in the cold. Sure there are places where the fortunate ones can find shelter but with the rate of people being forced into this vicious cycle of poverty, homelessness and despair there is a very acute shortage of helping hands available to curb the rising surge of people thrust into situations they really don't have much choice of avoiding. Contrary to what many of those in the top income bracket think the growing problem of our seniors being treated like second class citizens is an ever increasing crisis that if left unchecked will have drastic consequences all across this country. Even with all those safety nets that so many of our Republicans keep touting too many have lost their homes at a rate not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930's.

 

This dramatic rise in homelessness especially our Seniors is attributed to many factors starting with the way our economy has shifted from being the most dominate one in the world following World War II to one that is almost totally dependent on imports relative to a service oriented base economy today. The manufacturing economic structure that we had 40 years ago is no longer around. With this change the middle class jobs that created the wealth and stability that once secured the United States as the premier country for the world's goods has steadily evaporated. Slowly and steadily the wages, the types of jobs, and  the middle class that produced the greatest economic expansion in Americas history from 1946-1963 are at the lowest level since the1930's. This shift of the majority of the population from middle income stature to low income and poverty levels just shows how far this nation has gone in reverse. Most of the population today are no longer able to save money or pay down debt. Instead they have created the enormous debt that have contributed to the current economic crisis.

In the first decade of the 21st century more Americans were lurid into the worst housing collapse since the 1930's by way the financial institutions and the banks rewrote the rules on lending practices.  What we now know as the easy qualify only to find out later they couldn't afford to make their mortgage payments. Stagnant wages, loss of jobs, and health problems have all contributed to the rise of homelessness all over the country. People are finding it more difficult everyday to come up with ways to pay rents for apartments or landlords can't afford the upkeep of their properties and are forced to close leaving the occupants with no place to go. With personal savings at record lows these citizens who have been force out of their apartments or homes due to job loss, foreclosure, fire or any other disaster don't have the funds set aside for moving or down payment and are forced out into the cold leaving them with no where to go. As of yet Banks still after receiving all that billions of bailout funds from Uncle Sam the foreclosure rate nation wide is still climbing

While more and more people being swept into this situation cities and towns still look at these persons with scorn and disdain, as it was their fault to begin with. In part some might agree but the bottom line is municipalities have to ban together to help and eliminate this scourge on us all. It is occurring at an alarming rate in every city and town all across America. If the United States citizens and the United States Government don't alleviate this crisis soon every citizen will be affected. Coinciding with the rising homeless population there is a dramatic physical and mental national health concern with the vast numbers of people that are homeless. These people find it almost impossible to find and secure the beneficial food that is so important to maintain ones own physical health and if these people continue to live this way many will succumb to mental and other health problems causing further financial and economic hardship on the rest of the population in the United States.

This problem is so acute that the Government must take action now to avoid a major catastrophe from developing. In many cities it is already happening. The citizens of the United States have to change the perception on the plight of the homeless because today many of us could be swept into this situation at any time. The creation of living wage jobs for all that needs one would make a huge difference. One that would impact the entire economic future of the United States.

 

To vastly reduce the increasing plight of so many only a total reform of governmental policies will be effective. That is the intent of National Economic Reform's Ten Articles of Confederation. The current economic policies to date have only made it far too easy for major business to capitalize on foreign investment rather than domestic investment. Until governmental policies reform business today will only continue to sacrifice the American worker for more profit from foreign investment. This again is a major contributor to the ever increasing numbers of our citizens who are forced out into the cold.

The plight of so many of our citizens today is a major blight on our society in the opinion of the nations of the world. To shift investment away from foreign markets that have been producing huge dividends and profits to the wealthiest few to produce the same or greater return on investments by hiring more Americans to put the unemployment rate under 3.5% nationally with real living wages using more Americans would be one sure way of securing the success of eliminating the plight of homelessness in America.

 That rising tide of despair continues to swell over our nation. As for Thomas Jones who is part of our growing senior population is still trying to survive in a land that has become very hostile toward the situation that so many homeless people have been forced into. Forced into by circumstances that were beyond their control. Yet, our governmental officials many of whom continue to ignore, or just offer token solutions to an ever growing crisis. A crisis that could easily be eliminated.