All Terrain Thinking

A Compendium of things I think are Important

Consequences In Life, Often Unanticipated

 

11. THE HOMELESS

"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home." - J.H. Payne

In America, there may be over 300,000 "homeless." This figure is far less than some estimates, and results from morphing all facts, figures, and surveys I have been able to find, plus throwing in a little common sense. It really doesn't matter how many there are, they are a damned nuisance, generally are lazy, alcoholic, drug addicted, filthy, rude, criminal, mentally deranged, and a pestilence on American society. They invariably have moola for cigarettes and cheap hooch; funds that could easily buy a bath, a room to sleep in, or other activity certain to take them off the streets.

They are everywhere in the big cities, whether it be sleeping in a urine soaked subway station, or living in cardboard boxes placed over steam vents. Always offensive, always panhandling, and in general lousing up any place they may "reside." They are usually male, unshaven, unbathed, and should be locked up or gotten off the streets in any way convenient to law enforcement. In every newspaper, jobs are advertised that go begging. Jobs that require little talent, and pay minimal wages. Any pay is more than these tramps are getting now. One of my daughters, when she was in college, shared an apartment with other girls, made minimum wage, never got a full week's work, and refused help from her parents. She wanted to make it on her own, and did. Unlike the street people, she kept herself clean, her clothes were neat, and she even kept her small VW 'bug' in decent condition. Is that too much to ask of a homeless good-for-nothing? When living in Philly, it was not pleasant to walk down South Broad St., on the way to the Academy of Music, and be accosted by drunken, smelly, loud, profane, panhandling creatures.

Priorities are the secret. The homeless have no priority for cleanliness, a home, a bed, good food, or even a shave. Their priorities are for booze, drugs, panhandling, and their buddies. Those priorities insult decent people, who have to tolerate their living in putrid boxes and sticking filthy hands out for alms. They aren't interested in low cost housing, but rather no cost housing in their squalid "homes" with their grungy rags wrapped around them.

The homeless are the consequences of the Supreme Court's invalidation of vagrancy laws, not enforcing remaining laws that would apply, all under the guise of kindness, humanity, and the general attitude of, 'It must be our fault that these poor souls have no home.' Sorry, it is not our fault. Our cities are bad enough already, without making them worse with thousands of homeless bums littering the streets. I didn’t make them lazy, keep them from working or bathing, nor did I make them alcoholics. I didn’t set their priorities, but have to suffer for them.

The small proportion of the homeless that are mentally disturbed, rather than just bums, are the consequence of literally emptying the mental institutions about thirty years ago, under the specious reasoning that these people weren't really mentally ill. I remember well when Byberry Hospital in Philadelphia had about 75% of its patients released into the big wide world; most of them unequipped to handle it. The hospital was under the direction of Dr. Dan Blaine, a brilliant doctor and friend of mine, long deceased, who was appalled at the instructions given him, with which he was forced to comply.

For every homeless person, there are thousands who have struggled, worked, and gotten out of their mess, however severe it may have been. The media love to play up the few that haven't the resolve to make it. The late Mitch Snyder was their darling. He was always on camera, spouting his exaggerations and lamentations about the homeless. Good riddance to Mitch Snyder, but perhaps the mush headed media and TV cameras will find another photogenic, filthy subject to elevate, continuing the attempt to make us feel sorry for those who do not desire to work, bathe, or be members of a civilized society. At one time or another, most of us have had hideous circumstances or luck, and we may have been tempted to throw in the towel and give up. We didn't give up, but just worked a bit harder till we overcame. We are better for having gone through it, as it made us stronger.

SOLUTIONS

Various states and municipalities are already passing laws prohibiting "camping" on public thoroughfares and property, and hopefully this will not be disallowed by the Supreme Court, as was done when they invalidated vagrancy laws. Obviously, the homeless are mostly frauds, getting in everyone's way, and it must be stopped and stopped quickly. The nut-balls should be re-committed to where they belong, and the rest jailed, or perhaps hauled off to some desert island and left there. I have no sympathy at all for them.

Prior | Contents | Next

Add to Your Social Bookmarks: Del.icio.us Digg Furl Reddit Simpy Spurl Y! MyWeb - Netscape - StumbleUpon StumbleUpon