Homeless Patriot

Some Homeless Forced to Eat Rats, Live in Sewers

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:51:00 +0000

Welcome to America (photo source: MrConservative)

The America that many of us think of does not include a desperate, daily struggle to survive. Even with the horrid economy that we are enduring, most Americans are getting by, going to work and then going home. Those who are lucky enough to have a job and a place to live tend to look the other way when it comes to those less fortunate than themselves.

"You might not want to read this article if you have a weak stomach," starts a blog post at MrConservative. "Most Americans have absolutely no idea what is going on in the dark corners of America and when people find out the truth it can come as quite a shock. Many of you will not believe some of the things Americans are doing just to survive." Then, as promised, MrConservative get to the shocking grist of his post.

"Some families are living in sewers and drain tunnels, some families are living in tents," MrConservative wrote, "some families are living in their cars, some families will make ketchup soup for dinner tonight and some families are even eating rats."

I do believe it. I've seen this kind of urban survival in practice firsthand, still do nearly every day. At 56, I went homeless briefly in July 2011 and have been living in temporary shelters since. I am still looking for work and wonder where my next meal will come from.

As of this writing, I am down to $120 total and have no income other than the occasional donation or small payments from ads on this and my other blogs. I used to do high level administrative support for Fortune 500 companies in downtown Chicago. Since last July, I have gotten to know quite a few homeless people. Some are living under bridges, in cardboard boxes in alleys, or drifting from shelter to shelter. A surprising number of those I have encountered are ordinary people who had good jobs until 2008, 2009, 2010 when the bad economy finally overwhelmed them.

While none of the homeless folks I've gotten to know have said that they've eaten rats, it's not hard for me to imagine a situation in which somebody would do that.

Consider: You're homeless, you don't qualify for government benefits (or they've run out or you've been denied benefits for various bureaucratic reasons), you have no money with with to buy food, and you desperately need to eat something. There, over in the corner, is a rat. It's meat, after all, isn't it? A can of Sterno and a cheap frying pan pulled from a dumpster and you're cooking dinner. (Is eating a freshly slaughtered, nicely cooked rat really any worse than eating putrid food pulled from a dumpster?)

A tent city in Sacramento CA (obrag.org)

"Some homeless shelters in America are so overloaded that they are actually sending people out to live in the woods," MrConservative continued.

It's unsettling, but I know this to be true. I spent several months in Madison, Wisconsin after becoming homeless last summer. I went there because the streets are cleaner and safer than in Chicago, plus it's my home town and so I didn't have to learn my way around an unfamiliar city. A number of the homeless that I met there had come up from Janesville, just down the highway, where the homeless shelters are overflowing. Some of the Janesville homeless hiked up to Madison, where there are more shelters.

The shelters in Madison, however, were already full, and so the Janesville homeless exodus added to the number of homeless people living on the streets of Madison. Several homeless men I encountered told me that they were living in the woods, pitching tents and unrolling sleeping bags at night rather than returning to the shelters. Sometimes the shelters were already full by the time they would arrive, or the men simply did not feel safe or became too depressed in them. That happened to me: On my first night in Madison, I slept in a shelter in the basement of a church on the Capitol Square. It was depressing in a way that I cannot put into words. I opted to sleep on a bus stop bench the following several nights rather than return there.

"As you read this," wrote MrConservative, "there are close to 50 million Americans that are living below the poverty line, and that number rises a little bit more every single day. America was once known as the greatest nation on earth, but now there is decay and economic despair almost everywhere you look.... As the economy continues to decline, the suffering that we see all around us is going to get a lot worse, and that is a very frightening thing to think about."

The blog is called "MrConservative" for a reason. He gets political, and his February 19 post is no exception. "Yes, I have written many times about how the U.S. government is absolutely drowning in debt and cannot afford to be giving out so much money," he wrote. "There are millions upon millions of Americans that are barely hanging on and there are no jobs for them. The suffering that those families are going through is very real. Millions of other families are trying to get by on the incomes they pull in from part-time jobs. According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans that are working part-time jobs but that would like full-time jobs is now higher than it has been at any other time in the last two years. The number of the “working poor” just continues to increase, but most Americans don’t have much sympathy for them because they 'have jobs'." Also be sure to read MrConservative's post, "18 Statistics That Prove That The Economy Has Not Improved Since Barack Obama Became President."

Here's a news flash for those who have jobs: How many pay checks, or tax increases, are you from considering filet of rat for dinner?

Philly Homeless Get 'Dinner With Dignity' but Health Dept Wants Changes

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:24:00 +0000

Bill Golderer, of Broad Street Ministry (philly.com)

Most of us have seen it: A poor person digging through a trash can or dumpster, hoping to find something to eat. Perhaps some of you have done that. It is humiliating for the hungry person who does it. It is also dangerous, because you don't know what kind of dreadful illness might be contracted.

A non-profit group in Philadelphia is doing its part to help those who are forced to scrounge for food.

The food and kindness are served up at Broad Street Ministry, a "broad-minded Christian community." For those in Philly, they are located at 315 South Broad Street (across from the University of the Arts and the Kimmel Center for Performing arts-between Spruce and Pine). BSM's website says that "Philadelphia is experiencing an alarming upturn in homelessness among men, women and children. Shelters are running beyond capacity and many of the most vulnerable of our city will not brave the existing shelter system out of fear or due to mental illness. There is a need for a creative response to this chronic problem."

Sadly, however, the group's efforts are not without controversy, as we learn in two excellent reports. The first one comes from the Philadelphia Daily News website (philly.com);

"There is nothing dignified about fishing food scraps from the trash," writes Ronnie Polaneczky, Daily News Columnist. "Or lining up with others on Logan Circle hoping that the soup being ladled by Good Samaritans won't run out before everyone's bowl is filled. The search for food is demoralizing and terrifying, as the homeless deal with the fallout of lives in which they belong nowhere and, often, to no one. So it's miraculous that, at least twice a week, hundreds of homeless men and women enjoy a dignified dining experience on South Broad Street, within steps of the gleaming Suzanne Roberts Theatre and the equally shiny Kimmel Center. They sit on comfortable chairs at cloth-covered tables and eat hearty meals served on real plates, with real silverware and real cups. They are offered second and third helpings and are encouraged to take extra fruit and bread when they leave."

Despite that need, there are those who would try to thwart the good efforts of Broad Street Ministry. Polaneczky reports that Philadelphia's Health Commissioner Don Schwarz has proposed "regulations that would require those Good Samaritans to obtain 'outdoor feeding' permits from the city, and to use department-inspected commercial kitchens to prepare the food they serve." You can read more of Polaneczky's February 14, 2012 column at philly.com.

The other, equally informative article is found at NewsWorks.com. Writer Carolyn Beeler notes that the City of Philadelphia "might soon require those who hand out food to the homeless to obtain permits.
A draft regulation adopted by the board of health Thursday evening would require kitchens where food is prepared to be inspected, and for at least one volunteer trained in safe food handling to be on site when food is served." According to Beeler, Commissioner Schwarz "said the board realized after Occupy Philadelphia set up camp near City Hall that it had no authority to ensure the food being passed out there was prepared safely, and wanted to mandate education efforts. Both the permits and training would be free."

I hope that Philadelphia's Department of Health can work out an arrangement that is reasonable and that will not force Broad Street Ministry to stop their outdoor food program. In fairness, though, it must be said that food prepared in an unsanitary manner in somebody's kitchen can be just as dangerous as food found in a dumpster. Under the proposed rule, reports Beeler, "groups would be required to have a hand-washing station on location. They would have to notify the health department when applying for permits where and when they plan to serve food for the next year and what kind of food it might be."

That does not sound unreasonable to me. I'm inclined to think that Commissioner Schwarz has only the best of intentions, and it is no more unreasonable to mandate food safety education for groups such as Broad Street Ministry as it is for licensed restaurants. It would be a terrible irony if dozens of homeless hungry people became seriously ill, perhaps fatally, by food poisoning that could have been easily avoided with a little bit of free training.

Did Marx Really Call Religion 'The Opiate of the People?'

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:13:00 +0000

Many people quote Karl Marx as saying, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” But did he really say that? Well, yes and no. He never used that exact phrase, but that hasn't stopped millions of people from using that "quote" as an argument against religion. But there is more to this, as we'll see here.

Listserve.com tried to set the record straight, but they actually add to the confusion with this entry on their website:

"What he actually said: 'Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.' The bastardized quote makes more sense when it’s placed in context with Marx’s poetic words."

To read that excerpt, you could easily get the incorrect impression that Karl Marx was actually not so anti-religion after all. Listserve.com, ironically, omitted the "context" to which they themselves referred to. They presented only a very small excerpt of what Marx actually wrote in 1844.

Let's look at the "context" that listserve.com left out.
For that, we turn to the fourth paragraph of the introduction to Marx's "Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right," published as an essay in "Deutsch-Französische Jahrbücher" in Paris, February 1844 (my emphasis added):

Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.

Criticism has plucked the imaginary flowers on the chain not in order that man shall continue to bear that chain without fantasy or consolation, but so that he shall throw off the chain and pluck the living flower. The criticism of religion disillusions man, so that he will think, act, and fashion his reality like a man who has discarded his illusions and regained his senses, so that he will move around himself as his own true Sun. Religion is only the illusory Sun which revolves around man as long as he does not revolve around himself.

It is, therefore, the task of history, once the other-world of truth has vanished, to establish the truth of this world. It is the immediate task of philosophy, which is in the service of history, to unmask self-estrangement in its unholy forms once the holy form of human self-estrangement has been unmasked. Thus, the criticism of Heaven turns into the criticism of Earth, the criticism of religion into the criticism of law, and the criticism of theology into the criticism of politics.

Marx had more to say about religion in his introduction. A little over half-way through, he wrote this (my emphasis added):

To be radical is to grasp the root of the matter. But, for man, the root is man himself. The evident proof of the radicalism of German theory, and hence of its practical energy, is that is proceeds from a resolute positive abolition of religion. The criticism of religion ends with the teaching that man is the highest essence for man – hence, with the categoric imperative to overthrow all relations in which man is a debased, enslaved, abandoned, despicable essence...

Marxism debased, enslaved and abandoned millions

From these passages it is clear that Karl Marx was no friend of religion, organized or otherwise.

Marx made no bones about calling for the abolishing of religion, calling it a "chain" on people, and for the replacement of the worship of God with the worship of Man ("man is the highest essence for man").

Marx said that religion has treated people as "a debased, enslaved, abandoned, despicable essence."

So, Marx did not say or write "Religion is the opiate of the masses," but he did write that it "is the opium of the people." While that's not the same phrase verbatim, it's very close and has exactly the same meaning. Marx essentially said that religion was used to cover up the hurt and pain of reality, and that often the misery was caused by religion itself by causing people to loath themselves ("self-estrangement in its unholy forms") and that religion is "illusory happiness."

Of course, Marx never said or wrote that communism is the hallucinogen of the masses, with its false promise of illusory Utopian happiness in which people are debased, enslaved and abandoned by the despicable essence of collectivist statism. Marx may or may not have been able to anticipate that the philosophy that would be named for him would itself become a religion (watch this video).

Marx had hoped to write a full critical analysis of Hegel's "Philosophy of Right," but that project was never completed. His introduction to his critique is brief (5,614 words, or 8.5 pages), and worth reading (you can read the entire text of Hegel's "Philosophy of Right" as a pdf).

Chicago Is Deadliest City for Children

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:57:00 +0000

Chicago: Not child-friendly

February 2, 2012 - Chicago - "Since 2008, more than 530 youth have been killed in Chicago," says the kicker in a stunning article at the Chicago Reporter, "with nearly 80 percent of the homicides occurring in 22 African-American or Latino community areas on the city’s South, Southwest and West sides."

Chicago's overall murder rate is horrible. Recently, Chicago officials bragged that the local murder rate was down, but that's a bit like a pest control guy bragging that the dozen rats he killed today has reduced the local vermin population.

In fact, according to a recent report at bet.com, Chicago (again) has the highest murder rate in the U.S.

While any death is tragic, it's especially hard to accept when the victim is somebody still in the innocence of youth, caught in the crossfire, while doing no wrong.

This speaks to the lousy cultural values of so many parents in Chicago.

It speaks to the lousy way in which the "leadership" of Chicago (all Democrats, by the way, for many decades now) have mishandled the schools and cynically used children and education as political footballs - without any real regard for their well-being.

This speaks volumes. It speaks in a roar so loud that most Chicagoans have become deaf to it. It tells of a national culture in decay, in which the moral compass cannot find true north. "The city that works" just ain't working like it should.

Killer Cold Wave Europe Hits Homeless Hardest | At Least 60 Dead So Far

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:52:00 +0000

AP photo via Huffinton Post

January 31, 2012 - Europe - Despite the misplaced belief in global warming, cold reality has frozen much of Europe over the past week.

According to a report at Time.com today, a harsh cold spell in Europe "has left at least 58 people dead over the past week, including dozens who were homeless. Hundreds have sought medical help for hypothermia and frostbite, while snow and ice disrupted traffic, cut off power and forced schools to close. Temperatures have plunged to minus minus 17 F [minus 27 C] in some parts of the region, and authorities are urging people to stay indoors or dress warmly." (Watch the AccuWeather Europe weather forecast.)

The United Kingdom was hit by Arctic temperatures, too. "Severe weather alert as snow and freezing temperatures forecast," was a headline on The Telegraph website. The subhead was no less gloomy: "Snow showers and freezing temperatures could cause icy conditions on roads in parts of Britain, forecasters have warned." The Telegraph says that the Met Office warned of temperatures that would drop to "as low as -6C (21.2F) tomorrow and on Thursday, when daytime maximums will be no more than 3C (37.4F). Severe weather warnings for ice were also issued for last night and this morning across eastern parts of England and Scotland, and Northern Ireland, south-west England and south Wales."

Despite public pleas from governments for people to exercise caution in the dangerous cold, says Time, "more than 540 people have been hospitalized with hypothermia and frostbite, Ukrainian health officials said. Ukraine's 1+1 channel broadcast footage of a man being treated for frostbite in his toes, which had turned completely black. "I drank and fell asleep on the bench. I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't feel my feet," the unidentified man said from a hospital bed."

Walgreens Works to Make Prescriptions Affordable for Low-Income Families and Individuals

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:01:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Times are tough these days, and everyone is looking for ways to save money on prescription medications. That's why I like the whole idea of the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreensso much.

According to Walgreens, a full year membership in the program costs only $10.00 and covers "everyone in your immediate family, including a spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets. Individuals may join for $5." Some of the many benefits included are discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions (yes, pets!), nebulizers and diabetic supplies.

In a time when everybody wants to get the most for their money, the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens is good to know about. The low cost of joining is great, of course, but what does the program include? Quite a lot, it turns out. Bot the family membership and the individual membership include discounts on over 8,000 brand name and generic medications commonly prescribed "to treat a wide range of medical conditions" such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol.

The family membership covers all of the people in your immediate family (spouse, dependents under the age of 23, and even pets). If your grandmother is living with you, however, you needn't worry: Walgreens says that " additional adult family members living in the same household, like a parent or grandparent" can enroll separately for only $5.00.

The Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens includes a wide variety of medications, including many preventative and "lifestyle" medications. Most chronic conditions are included, and "all drug classes are represented."

As if the great discounts on medications weren't enough, the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens even lets you get bonuses when you buy Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services.

Walgreens is showing its commitment to providing Americans with low-cost, high quality medications with their Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens. I don't know about you, but I like to support any merchant that goes the extra mile to give that kind of service. Please show your support for Walgreens and stay updated about this and more by "liking" Walgreens on Facebook and following Walgreens on Twitter.

The Forgotten: Elderly Homeless, Poor, Hungry

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:42:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia I wanted to share this post with you. It's from "The Adventures of Homeless Girl" blog, and the information is at once depressing but important. Sorry to spoil you caramel soy mocha latte moment, but this is reality. Look out the window. See that old guy sitting on the park bench? Yah, this is about him and tens of thousand like him.

The post, titled "The Forgotten: The Impoverished Homeless Elderly," is a guest post on "Homeless Girl" by Amber Paley." She "blogs about the elderly homeless and those in poverty, Amber also writes about nursing home abuse."

It is difficult for the government to get a definite count of the homeless in the United States. In order to get a general idea, the government does “single night counts.” In 2008, a single night count indicated 664,000 homeless people in the United States. It is unclear what percentage of people over 65 are homeless, but a 1996 Urban Institute study estimated that about 8 percent of the homeless are elderly; and in 2008, for every 1 elderly homeless person in a shelter, there were 22 severely impoverished elderly people. Continued at The Adventures of Homeless Girl...

Consider this: The numbers cited above are from 1996 and 2008, before the Obama Economy and several years of unemployment hovering around 9%. Since 2008, of course, there are more people who are "elderly," and more people of all ages who have become or are on the verge of homelessness.

First Big Winter Snow Storm of 2012 Hits Midwest

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:22:00 +0000

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/view/nationalwarnings.php?map=on

January 12, 2012 - Today's huge winter snow storm is the piper collecting his pay. We've had a mild winter in the Midwest so far, but today we'll see fluffy white accumulations of 2-3 inches to more than seven inches in some locations.

Snowplows and salt trucks are patrolling streets in many cities big and small. Many airplanes are grounded today because of the storm, including Chicago's O'Hare and Midway, where hundreds of flights have already been cancelled. This is Chicago's first major winter storm this winter. Chicago can expect 4-7 inches over today and tomorrow.

The National Weather Service issued an alert this morning for Chicago that said, "Heavy snowfall rates of around 1 inch per hour may make it difficult for snow removal operations to keep up in some areas late this afternoon and early this evening."

As of 9:00 this morning, there were still no major delays reported at Midway or O'Hare, but the snow began falling in earnest around 10:00 AM. Chicago immediately put half of its snowplow and salt trucks on the streets to keep things running smoothly.

Kansas City, MO got off easy. A winter weather advisory was cancelled before sunrise, but some overnight snow and wind caused slick spots on area roads.

In contrast, Madison, WI can expect 5-6 inches over the course of today and tomorrow. With good salting and plowing abilities, Madison has no snow emergency. Surrounding communities such at Stoughton, however, have declared their own snow emergencies.

In case you're distressing about today's snowy weather in the Midwest, consider the plight of the folks in Cordova, Alaska. The small fishing town has been buried - literally - by winter storms have that have dumped 176 inches of snow and 44 inches of rain on them. Their attempts to dig out have been in vain so far. Even the National Guard has not been successful in trying to clear the town of the white stuff (see story "The Snow-Buried Town of Cordova Is Waiting for Shovels" below).

Angry About Angels: Layaway Crap Versus Food

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:25:00 +0000

December 19, 2011 - By Tom Mannis - By now many of you have heard about the so-called “layaway angels,” also called “Kmart Angels” or “Wal-Mart Angels.” They are kind-hearted secret Santas, who have been anonymously paying of the layaway payments for strangers. An angel recently touched one of my Facebook friends. Warning: This post will upset some of you. I expect that, but it is not my intention.

I am truly happy that my Facebook friend was helped by a layaway angel. I am also happy that she is fortunate enough to have two jobs, a home to live in, and food for her family. Many folks these days cannot make it with only one, and millions do not even have that.

However, I do have a small issue with all of this. No, I am not saying the angels should not do what they are doing. I think it is a wonderful thing. It is people helping people, after all, asking nothing in return except feeling good about what they have done.

They seek no glory and there is no government (taxpayer) money involved. However, I do have one issue with the whole enterprise. Let me very clear that I commend these generous souls for helping out the less fortunate.

The problem I have with the angel activity is not with anything the angels are doing. Rather, it is with what they - and millions of other Americans - are not doing. It is a question of priorities and how we can get them wrong despite our best intentions. A recent story about the layaway angels by the Miami Herald noted that Wal-Mart only allows the use of layaway plans for toys and electronics.

The Miami Herald reported that "at a Hialeah Kmart on Saturday, someone paid for more than $400 dollars in layaway gifts. At an Ocala Wal-Mart, a man bought $2,500 worth of $100 gift cards for customers, and in Winter Garden, according to a Kmart spokesperson, donations have reached $5,000. They have reached as high as $15,000 in Orange County, California." The Miami Herald also noted that Wal-Mart only allows the use of layaway plans for toys and electronics.

The angels look for economically challenged (poor) people to help. That’s great, but let’s remember that in many cases the people whose layaways are being paid off could not afford the toys and electronics and that is why, after all, why they put them on layaway plans to begin with. Furthermore, those people will be taking their newly acquired luxuries to their homes.

This brings us to the misplaced priorities: It comes down to food and rent money versus Video Games and Barbie Dolls. The people being helped, in many cases, apparently felt it was more important to commit their hard-earned money to non-essential items instead of things that are essential for life. Crazy, fun things like, you know, rent and food.

The intentions of the angels are good and admirable, but they are missing an opportunity to do more even more good and to help people in real need by not including the homeless as part of their giving activities. I think it can fairly be said that a gift card to McDonalds is worth more to a hungry homeless kid than even hundreds of dollars worth of soon-to-be-broken-or-forgotten inedible toys are to a child who is not living on the streets or jumping from shelter to shelter every other night. I would include not only those who are already homeless, by the way, but also families struggling to pay the rent.

I’m talking about people who could not even enter into a layaway situation in the first place, because they are out of work completely and do not have enough to eat. The people being helped by the layaway angels, I dare say, are not suffering in that way. If they are, they should not have even considered spending money on disposable, non-edible crap made in China.

The Facebook friend who was anonymously helped with her Christmas shopping posted about it on her Facebook page on Dec. 17.

Here's what she wrote:

"Guess who just got touched by an Angel? You guessed it! MOI! I just got a call from Liz at my local Kmart that my children's Christmas layaway was paid in full and I can pick it up at anytime! I'm stunned! GOD is GOOD! I'm stunned and off to my 2nd job with the biggest grin on my face!"

Nothing here sustains life

One commenter quickly wrote, "Just proves that there still are some truly wonderful people out in the world looking to help out families they don't even know and without wanting anything in return, sooo awesome!!! :)"

My comment on that post was this:

"They're nice, yes. But....... Doesn't it irk you a little to think that those 'angels' are happy to spend hundreds of dollars to help pay for unnecessary crap made in China, yet they'll walk right past a hungry homeless person who's just asking for a buck to get a bite to eat? I find the hypocrisy to be disturbing."

I should point out now that I became homeless for a few days in July, 2011. I was lucky enough to find a room to rent for a month and get off the streets after sleeping in a men’s shelter and bus stop benches. However, that was only a 30-day lease and I was homeless again in late August for two days. Through my network of friends, however, I found a clean, safe basement floor on which to sleep. I am not shelterless at this time, but I have virtually no money because - try as I have - I have not found a steady job in nearly three years. I have survived with the little bit of money I get for freelance writing and graphics, and from the occasional donation from people (some anonymously).

Remember, please, that I agree that these "angels" are doing kind things, and that I am sincerely happy for all of the people who have been helped by them. All I am saying is that our priorities seem out of whack. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to "help out families they don't even know," it should be remembered that those angels are not giving those families desperately needed food. Instead, they're being given beads, baubles and other non-essential trinkets.

What's needed more? Toys? Or food and shelter?

Meanwhile, there are "families they don't even know" who could use that layaway money to pay rent and avoid homelessness. There are entire "families they don't even know" who are already homeless, and the money from one angel's layaway assist could feed that family for a month.

At least one guy, however, became quite upset by the comment that I wrote on Facebook. His name is Tim. Although I said that what the "angels" are doing is nice, and I'm happy for the people they are helping, many to the tune of hundreds of dollars being helped. However, I also expressed dismay that some of those angels (not all, of course) would not give a buck to a hungry homeless person on the street. It's seems sad that they're so willing to help people pay for unnecessary crap made in China when real, dire, life-and-death needs go ignored.

Last time I checked, toys and electronics are fun luxuries and are not necessary for life. Food is essential, however, and while the secret Santa "angels" are doing a nice thing, it would be even nicer if they would include a portion of their generosity for those who don't even have a dwelling in which to put toys or electronics.Agitated by what I wrote, Tim left this comment on the same thread:

"Those 'evil rich' people helped us out!! I'm so thankful to God that people even in this economy are reaching out to those who really need the help. It's proof that we don't need our government to be doing all the 'helping.' I hope I'll be able to one day do the same for someone else."

That comment, and all of Tim’s subsequent comments, indicate that he has a problem with reading comprehension. It also indicates that he jumped to the false conclusion that I am against rich people. I am not. Furthermore, his comment about government is idiotic.

While I am in favor of a safety net for people in trouble, as a fiscal conservative I am opposed to welfare abuse. I agree that government often goes too far with entitlement programs and that waste is rampant, but does Tim really think that the one-week long action of the angels - helping to buy toys - is a substitute for that safety net? In addition, does he think that individuals giving money to homeless people is, somehow, government help? Tim’s thinking is twisted, emotionally blurred, and based on assumptions about things that he imagined I wrote but, in fact, did not.

I wonder if Tim is sincere about wanting to help others. I mean, what’s stopping him? Here is how he can “do the same,” but even more for a lot less dough. Instead of dropping $2,500 for somebody’s toys and electronics, which are not essential to life or health, how about buying a hungry homeless person two McDouble hamburgers for $2.00 plus tax? It might be all they have to eat today, while they wait another day or two for that free meal from a local church.

Better yet, give a homeless person a $20.00 gift card from McDonalds or Subway. You will help them to live, but people like Tim apparently think they do not deserve that. Perhaps Tim thinks that people who knowingly over-extend their budgets for non-essentials items deserve a hundred times or more as much money to help them pay it off.

Would he rather eat food or an Xbox?

That’s the kind of prioritization I am criticizing. Toys and electronics versus food for survival? This is not about class warfare, which Tim seems eager to wage. It is simply about priorities. It’s about people in desperate, life threatening trouble being passed over in favor of people who just want some more toys for their kids.

If Tim really wants to help people, here’s another way. He could contact Tom Cherrington, the owner of Cherrington Design & Building. He is one of Tim’s neighbors in Wheaton, Illinois, an affluent suburb 25 miles west of Chicago. It would be a match made in Heaven, I should think. After all, Tim calls himself as a self-employed commercial, residential painting contractor on his Facebook profile. Cherrington is not only a successful builder who might be able to throw some work Tim’s way, but was in the news last spring.

In April, 2011, as reported by CBS Chicago, Cherrington “held a rally for the homeless at the old Hubble Middle School, hoping to drum up support for his vision to transform the building into a center for the homeless.” (Note: CBS misspelled his name as “Cheerington.”)

Cherrington told CBS that he got to know a homeless man in downtown Chicago. Cherrington learned about homeless people from that man and he started visiting shelters. “These are people’s mothers and sisters,” Cherrington told CBS. “I was amazed at the amount of older women. I was amazed at the amount of kids and families.”

Nice, but will you make the rent?

Therefore, Tim, who wishes he could help people, might consider contacting Mr. Cherrington. They could conspire to get toys donated to kids for Christmas, if not this year then next year. It would cost Tim nothing but a few hours a month to help, I am guessing, and it would be a nice way for him to do some professional networking, too.

Tim is undoubtedly a hard worker who has risen through the ranks to the highest rung of his one-man corporate ladder, and that’s admirable. He is, I believe, one of those people who believe that if he could make, darn it, anybody else can too.It does not matter to Tim if they are too hungry to think straight, don't have bus fare or can't get a bed at one of the local overcrowded shelters.

Tim seems to think that every homeless person should sit down at a computer, print out a stack of resumes, shave, put on a suit and drive around to interviews. Tim doesn't care, apparently, that many of them cannot afford a basic phone, which makes a job hunt difficult.

This is all okay in Tim's world, apparently, where his Social Science degree from an evangelical Christian college and his personal belief system make him believe that toys are more valuable than food, and that anybody who loses their job and home and has to live on the streets because they have no friends or family to help them should just whither and blow away.

Tim's Social Science degree taught him that everybody who is homeless must be drunk or on drugs. I'm not sure what the Social Science curriculum at Tim's alma mater consisted of, but it seems not to have included anything about real life. They seem also to have passed over that whole Christian charity thing that Tim seems so eager to deny to “homeless bums.” His complete ignorance of any knowledge of the reality of homelessness, and his utter lack of compassion for them as a whole, does not speak well of his Social Science diploma.

Tim seems to also believe that if somebody else fails, it’s bad form to ask for help. It is not, I say. Only a fool would not ask for help if he or she is in desperate need. Sometimes, asking for help takes the form of standing on a street corner asking for spare change, and it's often not for drugs or booze. If you suspect it is, buy that person sandwich or granola bar. Even drunks need to eat, and I condemn nobody to death or misery because they have a substance abuse problem. God helps those who help themselves, but God also smiles on those who help others. To not ask for help is tantamount to suicide, which God frowns upon.

I wonder if Tim is aware of the Midwest Shelter For Homeless Veterans. They are located in his affluent neighborhood. I wonder if he considers the homeless vets to be a bunch of bums.

Tim’s “evil rich people” remark was obviously directed at me. Tim apparently has a difficult time with reading comprehension, though, because nowhere in my original comment, or ever anywhere else, did I criticize anybody for being rich. I said that the angels are doing good things (“They're nice, yes.”) What I was criticizing was our screwed up priorities. The angels are helping people in need who have put themselves in debt to Kmart and Wal-Mart for non-essential items. Toys and electronics, for example. There is nothing wrong with private citizens helping those folks.

All I was pointing out was the fact that there are people in far greater need of help. If an angel wants to pay for somebody’s Xbox or Barbie Doll, that's their business. I am just suggesting that they also drop a dollar into the hands of the next homeless person they pass, or into a Salvation Army bucket, or give to your local food pantry.

Tim, with palpable bitterness, decided that he needed to attack me by implying that I was attacking "evil rich people." If Tim knew me anything about me (he does not; we are not Facebook “friends”), he would know that I am a staunch conservative and have no history of attacking anybody for their wealth - or lack thereof. Like Tim, I do not resent wealthy people. To the contrary, I admire them for the sacrifices and hard work and ingenuity that made most of them rich. Unlike Tim, however, I do not resent, nor am I prejudiced against, those who are poor and in desperate need.

Tim then left another comment there:

"What is the problem with providing some toys that would make a child happy? Walking past people on the street, most of which use the money to buy booze or drugs, is actually better than feeding their habit. If they really needed food, there are plenty of legitimate places to go. It's only common sense. Same "angles" [sic] donate plenty to shelters and the like. I don't get what your problem is."

I did not say I had a problem with toys per se, and I certainly have no problem with happy children.

My response to Tim:

No problem whatsoever, Timothy, I am sincerely happy for the people who are helped by those nice people. I just think it's sad that a higher priority is placed on paying for non-necessities than for helping a hungry person. You are obviously under the false impression that all homeless people can just go somewhere and get food whenever they want it. Have you ever been homeless Tim? I have been. Went homeless in July. I'm one of the lucky ones because I quickly found shelter through a network of friends, but I am struggling to find work and I often go hungry. I don't know what planet you live on, Tim, but there are not "plenty of legitimate place to go."

Even in good economic times that is not true, and these days hundreds of stressed shelters and services (public and private) are closing or cutting way back. You wrongly assume that all or most homeless people are drunks or drug addicts. There are certainly those people, Tim, but since July I've gotten to know a lot of homeless people in the Madison WI area. Of the 80 or 90 homeless folks I've become acquainted with, none were ever drunk or seemed on drugs. Most, except for maybe half a dozen, were constantly looking for work. A few took to begging only when they had no choice. Sure, some people donate to shelters, or to United Way or other channels that help shelters, but the number of those people has dropped as economic times have gotten harder.

The number of homeless people is rising, Tim, and I'll bet some of your neighbors are damned close to becoming homeless themselves but you're just not aware of it. Madison has seen an upsurge in homeless people recently because Janesville WI closed its only public shelter. That put more strain on the Madison shelters, public and private. And by the way, shelters are not hotels. They take you in after 7 or 8 pm, then put you out 12 hours later. So there you are, on the street, no job, no money.

"Keep the food, give me some electronics!"

Some churches provide free meals - once a week. What do you do, Tim? Your clothes are wrinkled, maybe dirty, your grooming is not what it could be if you had a private bath and access to a clean bathroom anytime during the day. Your hunger slows your thinking ability. Employers like you, bigoted against the homeless by assuming that they (we) are all shiftless drunks or addicts, won't give us the time of day if we try to apply for work. A lot of people become homeless for a wide variety of reasons, Tim. A spouse abused them and put them out on the street with no money. A job is lost and another not found before the money runs out, and you lose your apartment or house and have nowhere to go but the nearest park bench.

Maybe there's a shelter in your community, but maybe that shelter is more dangerous than the park bench because of violence. Perhaps you had a catastrophic medical situation and the medical bills have drained your resources after the insurance money ran out. There are many other reasons. Do me a favor, Tim: Please let me know where it is that "there are plenty of legitimate places to go" when homeless people really need food and I'll be happy to spread the word.

"By the way, I tried to look up what they teach in Social Science at Trinity. Apparently, they teach only theory and don't bother with real life. Unfortunately, however, when I went to "Social Science Major | Trinity International University" my antivirus program warned me that a "threat has been detected."

I reposted that publicly to the original comment thread. The next morning, Tim responded with another private message to me:

So you want to be provided a free hotel? You want to deny children the gift of toys because you suffer from homelessness? Give me a break. I can see by your attitude why you remain homeless. I can name a church that gives out free food twice a week and there is no income verification necessary, no registration, no questions asked. You make it too easy and you end up with even more homeless bums sitting around with their hands out. It's human nature. You subsidize it and you'll have more. But this is all off the topic really. What do you have against poor children receiving help from strangers so that they can have memories of a Christmas with toys? What do you have against children sir? Who pays for your internet sir? And why are you so angry?

She has nothing on layaway.

Again, Tim’s utter lack of reading comprehension skills clouded his prejudiced thinking. (How did he interpret my statement that “shelters are not hotels” to mean that I want to be provided a free hotel?!?)

My response:

I'm not angry, Tim. You're the one who expressed unfounded anger toward me by venting your hateful prejudices about homeless people. I am not, by the way, homeless as you say in your last message to me. Again, your poor reading comprehension skills prevented you from seeing that I previously wrote that “I quickly found shelter through a network of friends.”

You see Tim, it’s not MY attitude that’s kept me unemployed for three years. Rather, it’s the attitude of employers who are afraid to hire because of uncertain times, but also there is some age discrimination (I’m 56), and the fact that I have no car and am living in an area with no public transportation makes it difficult as well. I’ve got an extensive background as an administrative assistant and executive assistant, some management experience, and was once the Assistant Media Director of the American Conservative Union.

So don’t tell me, Tim, that I have an anti-work attitude. I’ve applied locally at a gas station, a pizzeria, temp agencies and other places but I am not getting called back. A local warehouse just laid off 144 people in this town of 25,000. That does not exactly help my chances. So I spend the day on the Internet, both looking for work and doing some writing that get a little money for now and then. By the grace of God, some friends donate a little money once in a while via PayPal.

As for who pays for my internet, it’s none of your business. I’ll tell you however, that it’s included in the pittance I'm paying to sleep on someone's basement floor.

Tim, I honestly think you're delusional: You read things into what I've written that are simply not there. I wrote that "shelters are not hotels," but from that you concluded that I want to be provided a "free hotel." How strange. Did they not teach reading comprehension at the college you attended? You say you can "name a church that gives out free food twice a week." Well, that's nice, but it does not contradict anything I said, Tim. I wrote that some churches give out food, most once a week. As for the one you know of that gives it out twice weekly, well that's nice, but it only goes to my point. You wrote, "If they really needed food, there are plenty of legitimate places to go." "Plenty?" Really? One church that gives it away twice a week is plenty of places?

As you have seen here, I never suggested that children should be denied the gift of toys. All I suggested was that in addition to helping people buy toys, the homeless should also be considered. Tim asked what I have against poor children get help from strangers. I have nothing against that, of course, but I would ask why Tim is so upset by my suggestion that homeless people - many of whom are children - receive help from strangers so that they have memories of a Christmas with food?

What Tim seems to ignore is the fact that there are plenty of people like him, fellow independent contractors, who have become homeless in the bad economy since 2008. Suddenly, with no business as potential clients dried up, many of them were not able to make ends meet. With no money for rent or mortgage or property taxes, some became homeless. I do not wish that on Tim, but I wonder if he ever considered that as a possible fate for himself. Perhaps not. Perhaps Tim believes that he’s Superman and will never have a major medical experience that breaks his bank. Perhaps he thinks that he will perpetually have a steady stream of new business coming in. Maybe Tim’s contracting business will never be sued by an unhappy customer, and maybe - just maybe - Tim is immune to the countless other misfortunes that can and do befall a lot of people.

Tim’s last message to me before I posted this came as a comment to that thread.

“A little angry sir? Anger management goes a long way to getting a job. But you are wrong to assume that I'm bigoted, or haven't been in need before.”

I don’t know what Tim’s definition of “bigoted” is, but his remarks are those one who is bigoted against the homeless. He wrote that since “most” homeless people “use the money“ given to them “to buy booze or drugs,” never giving them money “is actually better than feeding their habit.”

Mirriam-Webster.com defines bigot as “a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group ... with hatred and intolerance.” That's Tim in a nutshell.

Tim cannot possibly know how every homeless person spends their money. Without knowing what many of the homeless people use their money for, Tim has a narrow-minded bias against them. “Homeless bums,” he said. Nah, that’s not hateful or bigoted.

Perhaps most confusing to me is Tim’s statement that he has “been in need before,” yet he can be so unsympathetic to those who need help the most. He did not specify what that meant, or whether it included living on the street. I am sincerely happy that he pulled through his hard time with absolutely no help from anybody else. However, Tim conveniently ignores the fact that millions of other people are, at this moment, in need, and are not as superhuman as he seems to be.

Many homeless people manage to pull themselves up and off the streets. It can take them years of struggling to do so. Many others just can’t catch a break because of the bigotry - bald faced, unabashed bigotry - that they face from people like Tim every day.

Merry Christmas to you Tim, and to everyone else.

How To Guard Against The Latest Cyber Attacks

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Norton Small Business by Symantec for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I want to make you aware of two new products by Norton, the anti-virus people. They could save your non-profit organization or small business a lot of trouble. Norton 360 Version 5.0 and Norton Internet Security 2012 were introduced in September, 2011. They are part of the great collection of cyber security solutions available at Norton Small Business by Symantec.

My own laptop was hit by a very aggressive virus in late 2010. It got into my system while I was browing the web, and it took me nearly a week just to get my computer started in safe mode. At that point, I realized that the virus had wiped out most of my documents. The anti-virus program I had at the time could not remove it, so the only thing I could do was to reformat my hard drive. That wiped out everything. I was lucky that I had some of my files backed up to DVDs, but I still lost hundreds of items. If I had been using these Norton anti-virus products, it would have saved me almost a week of frustration, not to mention hundreds of lost files.

I don’t want that to happen to you, which is why I hope you give this serious consideration. Avoid losing years of work and potential legal problems by ensuring the security of your customers' information and your valuable data. Don't put yourself in the position of one day saying, "I should have had better protection."

Do you lock up your office or store at night to guard against intruders? Maybe you have an alarm system, perhaps even closed circuit TV and a professional security guard. None of those measures, however, can protect you against an invisible, silent cyber intrusion by hackers. If your computers are not properly protected, the meanest guard dog in the world can only give you a false sense of security. Cyber criminals can invade your business, church, synagogue or non-profit organization without physically entering it. From thousands of miles away, they could steal or destroy your most important data.

This same protection would help your at home, too. If you are like many Americans today, you keep many important files on your home computer. Family photos, banking and credit card information, and other important things are all at risk without the kind of protection that Norton offers.

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My Thanksgiving Day Feast at VFW Post 9362

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 02:51:00 +0000

I hope your Thanksgiving Day was good and you got some food in you today, and you were able so spend some time with people who are dear to you.

I want to say a big "Thank You" to the wonderful folks at VFW Klubertanz Trapp Post 9362 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Post 9362 does a free Thanksgiving Day Feast every year and it's open to the public. In fact, the post is always open to the public and the bar is a great place to watch the Packers score another touchdown. Beautiful facility, wonderful people. Lots of vets and their families and plenty of non-veteran friends too. Huge amounts of food, excellent kitchen work, lots of stuff also donated by local restaurants and grocers. I've got a little slideshow below.

What I'm Thankful For This Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:01:00 +0000

What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? I am thankful for the abilities and blessing that God has given me. Wonderful parents (RIP), a good upbringing, great friends throughout the years, the extraordinary experiences I’ve had in my 56 years, and the privelege of being an American.

I am thankful, too, for those of you who have literally helped me to survive over the 12 months. You have shown that you're not just "Facebook friends," but actual, real friends by donating something to my PayPal account. And, of course, I am thankful for ramen noodles and McDonald’s Dollar menu!

Your generosity has allowed me to eat now and then and to pay a bit of rent. Without that help, added to the little bit I make now and then from online writing, ad sales and graphics work, I might well be dead today. I am thankful to be alive still.

I am thankful that I had a job interview yesterday, by phone, with a department of the State of Wisconsin. It was set up through a temp agency that I registered with back in late July, shortly after relocating back to Madison, WI after becoming homeless in mid-July, 2011. I spoke with the temp agency this afternoon. No decision has been made, and with the holiday tomorrow I won't hear until at least Friday whether I got the job. Please pray that I do.

I've been looking for work now for more than two years, as have a few million other Americans. I've been more fortunate than many. I lost my Chicago apartment in mid-July because I could not make the rent any longer. Unlike many, though, I am not sleeping under a bridge yet, and that's something to be thankful for as well.

In preparation for my new homelessness, I packed what I could into a backpack and slung my laptop over my shoulder. I went up to Madison (where I was born, raised and graduated college), because I did not want to be living on the dirty streets of Chicago.

I spent my first night in Madison in a men's shelter, then a couple of nights on the street. I managed to find a room for $300 for 30 days, but that ended on August 22, when the building reverted to students-only for the start of the new school year. Not able to find another place to stay, I went homeless again, but for only two nights until the brother and sister in law of a friend took me in. They - and I - are in a sleep suburb 15 from Madison. I've been camping in their basement for $300 a month since late August.

There was a tradeoff involved in that move, however. My choice in late August was this: Remain on the street in Madison which is dangerous even in Madison and where sleeping is very difficult even in good weather, or move to the suburb, where job prospects a bleak. I chose bleak hope over living like a rat. There is no public transportation from here to Madison, and not much hiring going on, which makes finding a job difficult, and makes interviewing virtually impossible.

I've applied to a number of places, such as a pizzeria, a convenience mart, a video store. I've gotten no calls back from those places, but after badgering the pizza place he agreed to let me come in to talk with him. That was three weeks ago. During the interview he asked me if working in the pizza kitchen would be my dream job. I kept a straight face but answered honestly, "No, but right now my only dream is to have job." As I was leaving, he said, "Maybe I'll have you come in a few days next week, see how you like it." He hasn't called. Perhaps he didn't want an old guy. In his mid-30s, he asked me if I would have a problem with a boss who is younger than I am. I told him no, I've had younger bosses and it's not an issue for me. In hindsight I realize the guy was determined to not hire me because I am "over qualified" (a phrase I detest). He didn't actually say that, but the "dream job" question gave it away. Over qualified and under fed, that's me.

With only $46.00 in the bank as I write this, I don't know how much longer I can stay in this basement. I was able to give my hosts only $200 for November so far, a hundred dollars short. In exchange, they've said I could make up the difference by helping with household chores such as laundry, dishes and general cleaning. I've been doing that, of course, and they're very nice people, a young couple, but things are tight for them too. I don't want to become a burden on them. I wonder when and what I will eat next, where I will or can go next, and how I will get there.

Perhaps I made a fatal error in staying in Wisconsin for the winter. Perhaps I should have headed south to the Gulf Coast when I had the money to buy a one-way bus ticket. My only hope now is for another of God's many little miracles, some help from friends, and landing that job with the State.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, then, and I have volunteered to help clean up after the annual free Thanksgiving Feast at a local VFW. There will be free turkey and all the trimmings, for which I am thankful in advance.

A small contribution from you would help me hold on until I (finally) find work. If you're willing to give a buck or two, please find my PayPal donate button at the top of the sidebars here.

God bless you, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Third Time Homeless?

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:57:00 +0000

I am the verge of homelessness - again. I first went homeless, as some of you know, in mid-July. I was lucky to be on the streets of Madison, WI for only few days; I left Chicago the morning that I last left my lost apartment in Rogers Park.

After a month in Madison, I was again briefly homeless for about 48 hours in late August. A kind young couple in nearby Sun Prairie took me in for $300 a month. I just can't find work, however, and being without a car in sleepy Sun Prairie is not helping.

I thank God I was able to bring my laptop with me when I left Chicago. It's been a lifeline to a few donations and a small amount of income from web design, article writing and advertising sales. Not enough to keep me above water long, obviously, or I would not be writing this post. If I was living in a tree, I'd have enough money to survive on. As it is, however, I am not arboreal.

I've been hanging on with a bit of web work and donations from a few friends (the ones who clicked the PayPal button in the sidebar and gave up the cost of a premium cup of coffee), but the rent is due today and I won't get the money I'm owed by Google Adsense for another week. By then, it won't be enough even if I don't spend anything on food.

I don't know what to do. Every day is a battle to fight the urge to give up. After being unemployed for so long I'm becoming very discouraged. I've applied for all kinds of jobs, menial labor and white collar. Two employment agencies have not called me with work, even though I got top office jobs from some of Chicago's top temp agencies for years up to 2005. Honestly, I've had prospective employers see "Executive Assistant" on my resume and just suddenly stop speaking. "You were making $50,000 a year there," one said, "why would you want to work for $9.00 and hour here?" My response was, "Because that's $9.00 an hour more than I'm making now and I need to eat. I would be very grateful for the work." Her eyes just sort of glazed over. I made her uncomfortable. End of interview.

I have even applied at a gas station, convenience store, pizza restaurant, bar, and others. No return calls. There are positions I could take but am unable to get to because I am carless and there is no public transportation between Madison and Sun Prairie (about 12 miles east of Madison). I just want to work, but I suspect a few cases of age discrimination (I'm over 50), and if I hear one more interviewer tell me that I am "overqualified" I'm going to lose my mind.

I'm spending a lot of time looking for gigs on Craigslist, and pumping the monetization of my websites, but it's all dry or just a trickle. I sometimes find it difficult to concentrate. Worry, stress.

Perhaps a one-way bus ticket south, destination undecided at this point, before winter's teeth really sink into Wisconsin.

I'll leave you with an unsettling thought: The only difference between me and a number of you out there is that I simply have a head start. Some of you, I fear, are not far behind me on the path to homelessness. I pray for you and this nation, as I pray for my own situation.

Best Ninjas-Killed-My-Family Homeless Sign Evah

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Hat tip to Windy Citizen for posting this great photo. The man in the photo was panhandling on Chicago street, holding a cardboard sign that said, "Ninjas Killed My Family - Need Money For Kung Fu Lessons."

The photo was submitted by a reader of Windy Citizen.

Straight Talk Can Cut Your Cell Phone Bill In Half!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:05:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Higher Illinois Taxes Hurting Poor, Homeless

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:15:00 +0000

September 20, 2011 - The numbers are disturbing: "The latest census figures show a state poverty rate of 14.1 percent — about 1.8 million of Illinois’ 12.8 million residents. It’s the highest rate since 1992, when it was 15.6 percent, and has been climbing steadily for three years. Poverty is defined as a family that survives on around $22,000 annually. Extreme poverty is half that amount."

That's from a report by the Chicago Sun-Times this week about deep budgetary cuts in Illinois and their tragic impact on those who need help the most.

"But on any given night," the Sun-Times report says, "more than 14,000 people in Illinois are homeless, according to a January report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Advocates say more than half are in Chicago."

The poor and the homeless are hit the hardest. Why? Illinois lawmakers cut the state's Department of Human Services budget "by hundreds of millions of dollars," reports the Sun-Times, "including $4.7 million for homeless services." The DHS cuts total "$669.3 million, a full 17 percent drop. Services feeling the pinch include addiction treatment, which was slashed from $63.5 million to $46.6 million, and the budget for the Department of Children and Family Services, which was cut by $24.5 million, or about 12.5 percent."

There is no doubt that the Illinois state budget needs to be trimmed sharply. The state has spent itself into a fiscal mess that is rivaled only by California and Greece. However, with so much wasteful spending continuing in Illinois - not just by the state but by counties and municipalities statewide - it would seem that the already-stretched DHS might have been spared.

Let's go back a few steps to understand this. People are hurting in Illinois (and, sadly, across the U.S. for similar reasons) in large part because of two simple things: Excessive government spending and increasing taxes. While the exact numbers can never be known, there is no doubt that many of the people who are in poverty and even homeless found themselves in such a condition because of taxation. How's that?

To fuel their high spending and wasteful ways, Illinois needs to maintain a certain level of taxation. So, anyway, goes the conventional thinking. In reality, however, higher taxes hurt everyone. Ironically, those hurt most by high taxes are those who the politicians say will benefit by way of funding for social programs. We see now how well that Democrat modus operandus works: The state has higher taxes than most of its neighboring states, yet poverty is rising and social programs are slashed.

Employers and jobs are leaving Illinois for states with lower taxes. This creates more unemployment. When there are fewer businesses in the state, that lowers the number of taxable entities. When people become unemployed, that means fewer taxpayers. Unemployed people spend less, which means a ripple effect: Other businesses see a drop in their sales, which means less income, which means that they will pay less taxes.

All that causes the state to actually take in LESS tax money even though it has a HIGHER tax rate. It's counterintuitive, but not hard to understand if you give it a moment's thought. The Democrats in Springfield are either so blinded by ideology that they are incapable of seeing this simple truth, or they're purposely trying to do their part to destroy the economy of the United States. I am not certain which it is.

So, the irony: Democrats everywhere have told us for years that higher taxes will help the poor. Make the rich pay up and the wheels will keep turning. Well, the rich are still rich (most of them anyway, and I do not begrudge them that). Meanwhile, higher taxation has served to drive away jobs, lower the intake of tax revenue, and badly hurt the most vulnerable. Sadly, many of the poor being hurt so deeply will again vote for Democrats next time around because they will again fall for the tired old lies.

ALSO SEE:
Illinois Loses Most Jobs in Nation Following Tax Hikes - Illinois Policy Institute
Illinois Employment Plunges After Tax Hikes - Business Insider
The Abusive Nature of Illinois Taxes - Chicago News Bench
Taxburgers and Fee Fries - Chicago News Bench

Don't Panic, It's Street Musician Art Paul Schlosser!

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:06:00 +0000

My friend Art Paul Schlosser is a very fun street musician in Madison, Wisconsin. He can often be seen singing along State Street and the Capitol Square, where students frequently stop and insist that he play one of their favorites. Art has been mentioned by Stephen Colbert and was one of the favorite "failed" tryouts for "America's Got Talent" when they auditioned in Chicago in 2010 (second video below). In the first video here, Art warms up a crowd with jokes before singing a song from his current CD "If I Was Governor," which is available at Apple iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, and, of course at cdbaby.com. In the third video, Art stunned the WGN TV morning crew in late 2007 with some snippets of his music. Art is also known his writing in Street Pulse, a newspaper written and sold by homeless people in Madison. He's not homeless, but he enjoys writing and helping those who live in the streets.

Hurricane Irene Will Increase Homelessness

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:17:00 +0000

HURRICANE IRENE - August 26, 2011 - Officials are scrambling along the Atlantic coast of the United States to deal with a sudden increase of homelessness.

With the monster Hurricane Irene churning things up on the East Coast of the U.S., you can bet that a lot of people will be left homeless.

Tidal surges and high winds will make many homes unlivable, causing many to seek temporary shelter. Some, who were not in good financial shape before the storm hit, may wind up homeless for a long time until they can get back on their feet. Of course, there are many on the East Coast who are already homeless.

Many homeless shelters, already overburdened, will have to accommodate many left shelterless by Hurricane Irene. Keep in mind that a number of existing homeless shelters will likely be damaged by the hurricane. Churches, schools and other institutions will be converting their facilities into homeless shelters to help those left without a place to live.

RELATED:
Officials help homeless prepare for Hurricane Irene - PilotOnline
Hurricane Irene Leaves Bahamas In Ruins Leaving Many With Tarps For Shelter - MarketWatch
Homeless Men at Bellevue Shelter Being Evacuated to Brooklyn - Village Voice

Status Update: I'm Off The Street (Again)

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:18:00 +0000

August 26, 2011 - Thursday - Well, I'm in a furnished basement just outside of Madison. The bad news is that I'm in town where nothing's going on. The good news, of course, is that I have a roof over my head and the couple I'm boarding with are very nice. I paid them $300 to stay until September 24.

If I haven't found work and/or a place of my own by then, I'll have to seriously consider heading south for the winter (I lost all of my winter clothing when I left my Chicago apartment for the last time in July). The $300 rent has nearly killed my checking account, but I was not able to find anything else. Being on the street would quickly mean losing my laptop, which is a tool that I use to (a) make a little income and (b) look for work.

I was connected to the couple through my network. I'll leave it there, but suffice it to say that the network includes a very well known blogger in New York City and a political operative in Wisconsin. (If I tell you more that this I will have to kill you, and I don't want to lose any readers.)

I've been remiss in posting an update of my status, and I apologize for that. In my last post, I wrote that the room I'd been renting temporarily had expired. "The room I was renting for a few weeks at a frat house in Madison," I said, "had to be vacated at Noon on Saturday, August 20. That's when the frat members would start moving into the building. The new semester starts on September 3."

I left the frat house last Saturday, and went to a hostel in Madison for the night. The room was a bargain at $25, but on my limited budget even that was an extravagance. I slept well, but I spent Sunday night walking around looking for a safe place to sleep, a relatively clean spot where I would not be bothered by drunks, criminals, police or rain.

That's not as easy as it sounds, and it was not until 3:00 AM that I settled onto a metal lawn chair in front of the UW Memorial Union at 800 Langdon Street. There are chairs and tables in a little patio area, partially hidden behind a wall and shrubbery. Butt in one chair, feet propped in another, backpack next to me and umbrella at the ready. Nobody bothered me. It did not rain.

A crow woke me up with its cries at around 5:45 AM. I chuckled as I saw the "No Loitering" sign posted near the chairs and tables. Those chairs and tables are meant for people to loiter at, aren't they? Well, I was wide awake and needed to stretch my legs, so I watched a beautiful sunrise on the Union's Terrace, overlooking Lake Mendota. At 6:15, I walked two blocks to Starbucks for coffee, something I normally would not do but I was getting a caffeine withdrawal headache and needed the java right away.

I returned to the Memorial Union at 8:15 AM and intended to set up my laptop and use the free wifi there as usual. As a life member of the Union, I have that privilege. However, I sat down in a plush chair just outside of the study room I was about to use -- and fell asleep. That's when I had my first confrontation with an officer of the law, albeit with a University of Wisconsin cop. (That's another post, soon.)

That evening, I got a phone call from the couple who took me in. They were good enough to pick me up in front of the Union and take me to their home in a neighboring town, just outside of Madison.

The town I'm in (I'd rather not say which one yet) is clean, quiet and extremely boring. I've seen no homeless people in their "downtown." While it's good for any city to not have homeless people, it's sad to think that the reasons for this probably include the fact that there are no services here to help homeless people and the attitude toward homeless people here is unsympathetic. I have no doubt that some residents of this town have become homeless over the past few years, but they were either taken in by relatives and friends or, lacking that, were smart enough to go into Madison.

I continue to look for work and freelance assignments. I'm looking for just about anything that's legal and not unreasonably dangerous. In fact, I'll be dropping off application to a pizzeria here this afternoon. I am concernced that my decision to leave Madison may hurt my chances of finding better employment. However, faced with living on the street (with a laptop computer), the choice to take the shelter was irresistible.

After a Night in a Hostel, I'm Back on the Street

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:47:00 +0000

My search for housing has not paid off. The room I was renting for a few weeks at a frat house in Madison, WI had to be vacated at Noon on Saturday, August 20. That's when the frat members would start moving into the building. The new semester starts on September 3. I have not been able to find another place within my limited budget.

I left the frat house at Noon, as required. That evening, I checked into a local hostel for one night. My decision to stay at the hostel wasn't so much a desire to put off what now seems my inevitable return to the street as it was an attempt to buy time, just another 24 hours.

There are/were a couple of people who responded to my Craigslist ad, in which I said that I was seeking a place for four weeks and would pay $300 for the privilege. I've not heard back from them.

I stayed in hostels in Austria, Italy and Germany back when I studied in Munich. I was 19, and I hadn't been in a hostel since. I was pleasantly surprised: The hostel I stayed in last night was very nice. Clean, sunny, friendly. They have a few private rooms available, but I chose a communal room with three bunk beds and a private bath. That cost me $25.00, a bargain for clean, safe lodging. My roommates were five Chinese guys two from Nanjing and three from Beijing. In their early 20s, the English they learned in China was nearly perfect.

The hostel I stayed at is part of Hostelling International USA. The HI website is well done and very informative. There, you can find a hostel and book your stay just as you would with a hotel chain's website. They even have links to

The experience was very nice, and I would recommend it. It's not right for everybody, of course, but staying at a hostel is a great way to get decent lodging for dirt cheap prices. Think about it: I paid $25 for a night in a very comfortable setting. That's one fourth or one fifth what a hotel would charge in the same neighborhood. For people who don't mind (or even enjoy) sharing a room with others, hostelling is a budget friendly alternative.

There was one guest, for example, who was from Japan and she was staying for a total of 10 nights. That would cost her $250, which would not have gotten her three nights at any hotel nearby. Why pay for the swimming pool, spa, and other amenities that you just don't need? The experience got me thinking about a cross-country tour that combines camping and staying in hostels.

Sadly, none of my single, childless friends with spare bedrooms have been able to reach me by email, Facebook or phone. I'm sure at least one would offer to let me stay with them for $300 cash, if only they knew how to reach me.

Couch Surfing and Bed Bugs

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:02:00 +0000

I currently have an ad on Craigslist because I'm seeking a room to rent in Madison, Wisconsin. A nice lady sent me a note suggesting that I check a web site called "Couch Surfing." She wrote:

"Hi Tom, I just rented my upstairs apt....but have you tried couchsurfing.org? Just an idea... good luck!"

I responded, "Thanks for the link, but I can't help wondering if couchsurfing.org is related to igotbedbugsonacouchthathundredsofstrangersslepton.org."

What is "couch surfing?" As they explain it, "CouchSurfing is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. Since 2004, members have been using our system to come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share hospitality and cultural understanding."

Couchsurfing.org is brilliantly set up, I have to say, and it connects people and couches around the world. Now, I've known for years that it's risky to pick up any kind of upholstered furniture or any bedding from an alley because it could be infested with bed bugs or lice, not to mention have fungus or mold that might make you sick or trigger an allergic reaction. Some of the best hotels in big cities have a bed bug problem.

With that in mind, is it really a good idea to willingly sleep on couches that are in a network of people from around the world who make a lifestyle of sleeping on networked couches? Do these couches get certified to be vermin free by couchsurfing.org? To be fair, the couches in the network get less of a workout by strangers than the average hotel bed, but then again the average hotel bed's linens are changed daily and inspected by local health department officials now and then.

Would you sleep with another person who slept with as many strangers as some of those networked couches do? There's a name for couches like that, you know.

Hoping to Find a Room, I Ponder Plan B

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:19:00 +0000

I'm in a desperate race against time to find another room. You see, I've been lucky to have had a room for the past few weeks here in Madison. After sleeping in a shelter and on the streets, I was able to get a space in a fraternity house just off of the U.W. campus. Frat houses take boarders in the summer. Summer leases begin just after school lets out in the spring, of course, but I did not arrive until mid-July.

The fraternity agreed, however, to pro-rate my rent. That was good because it got me of the street for not much money. But - and there's always a but - school starts soon and anybody who is not a member of the fraternity must leave by noon on Saturday, August 20. I'm looking for a month-to-month rental. Efficiencies, rooms to share, sublets: I've searched for all of those.

So far, no luck. On this campus of over 30,000 students, moving week is crazy. I have no idea why thousands of people decided to all move at the same time this past Monday, but it was amusing to watch them hurry to move in. Most of them will leave Madison to return home for two weeks because classes don't start until September 3.

Nevertheless, people were moving out, moving in, moving over, just moving. Along with that came the piles of unwanted stuff, from furniture to carpet rolls, lamps and computers to TVs, all lining the streets in mounds along the curbs. The local around here get into a kind of dumpster diving, garbage pile feeding frenzy, going around campus to find one man's junk because it's their new treaure. A lot of the stuff that was thrown out is actually in good shape, but wouldn't fit in their car or would have cost more to ship than to replace. The smart scavengers carefully avoided mattresses, box springs, sofas and anything else that's upholstered or might have bed bugs. Even the homeless guys avoided those items.

I went off on a tangent there, but it relates to my hunt for shelter. With all those students coming into the city in a mad rush, it's a landlord's market for the season. Rents near campus are comparable to rents in some of Chicago's nicer neighborhoods. Many renters discriminate against non-students, making it all the more difficult for an old fart like me to find a place.

With dwindling time and low cash reserves, this has been a mad scramble for me. It's not made any easier by the fact that I have no car and, although the Madison Metro buses are fine, they're slow and don't cover large swaths of the city. Additionally, I need to take into account the fact that most of the places I've seen advertised that are in my price range (I could go as high as $300 for a month) are not close enough to any potential employers. The rest specify conditions such as "prefer someone in their 20s" or "female only." One jerk actually specified in his Craigslist ad that he would only tolerate a politically liberal roommate. Well, fine, he won't get any of my (quickly disappearing) conservative cash.

I'll keep looking, but time is very short now. It's just past noon on Wednesday, August17. If I don't have a place by noon this coming Saturday, I'll have to go to Plan B. I should probably figure out what Plan B is before Saturday.

EXCLUSIVE: Homeless Man Drowns In Madison's Lake Mendota (UPDATED)

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:07:00 +0000

August 15, 2011 - Madison WI - EXCLUSIVE - A homeless man, 37, drowned in Lake Mendota this afternoon. The man, who went by the name of "Teddy," was swimming about 100 feet off shore at the end of the 600 block of N. Henry Street when he "just disappeared." Witnesses who were swimming with Teddy told Homeless Patriot that Teddy was naked and had "been drinking."

Update, August 17: The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office has identified "Teddy" as Nathan Eugene Russell, 37, of Charleston, South Carolina.

At the time of this writing (4:00 p.m.), two police SCUBA divers were searching the murky water where Teddy was last seen. The first vehicle to respond was a U.W. Rescue boat, which was floating about 100 feet off shore when police and fire units arrived at 3:35 p.m.

Teddy was with six or seven other homeless people, who appeared to be in their early to mid-twenties. One of the homeless swimmers said that they did not know Teddy's real name, but he had told them he was from ~~Charlotte~~ Charleston, South Carolina*. He took off all of his clothing before getting into the water. This made is possible for the police to retrieve any wallet and identification that Teddy might have had with him. (HP did not learn whether his ID was in his clothing.)

"He just disappeared in the water," one of his swimming mates told HP. Madison Fire Department and Police arrived at approximately 3:25 p.m., with two boats in tow. One was pulled by a MFD ambulance. The scene of the drowning is at the end of N. Henry Street, which is just north of Langdon Street. Langdon is known as "Fraternity Row" because it is lined with fraternity and sorority houses. Henry Street ends at a steep downgrade just before the water. Rescue personnel had to lower light equipment, including a gurney and SCUBA gear, down a winding wooden stairway to the lake's edge.

A badly flawed report by JSOnline.com quoted Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Wirth as saying that "After 10 minutes, a victim was pulled from the water." This is very inaccurate. Homeless Patriot watched the rescue personnel for at least 20 minutes after they arrived on the scene. The actual time it took to pull "the victim" from the water was close to 30 minutes. JSOnline also incorrectly reported that there is "no information on the victim was available at this time." As reported here, he is in his late 30s, went by the name of Teddy, was homeless and said he was from South Carolina. Additionally, JSOnline incorrectly said that "Divers searched the lake off the Lake Street ramp," when in fact they were about a quarter of a mile away on N. Henry Street (see map).

WISC TV had a better report, "Divers Pull Man's Body From Lake Mendota Off North Henry Street." They posted 43 minutes after Homeless Patriot broke the story here.

This is the second time within a month that Homeless Patriot has scooped Madison's media on local stories.

* I get it wrong too, sometimes. "SignPainterGuy" left a comment telling me this: "Just to pick a nit, I know you want all your info to be correct, not placing blame, but Charlotte is in NORTH Carolina." SignPainterGuy is absolutely correct. The error has been corrected and I humbly apologize for any confusion this might have caused.

Post Script: This post was reprinted in the September 2011 paper edition of Street Pulse.

One Man March For The Homeless, From Montana to California

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:36:00 +0000

August 12, 2011 - His boots were made for walking, and that's just what he's doing. Stephen T. Millhouse, 52, is walking alone from Montana to Southern California. He is making the arduous journey to raise money and awareness for the homeless and hungry.

His walk will take him nearly 1,500 miles over some rough terraine.

The former U.S. Marine set out on foot on August 3, and is documenting his journey with written stories and videos on his website and on YouTube. Yesterday morning, Millhouse tweeted, "I'M HEADED UP LOST TRAIL PASS. HOPE 2 B IN SALMON ID."

He is asking people to make individual donations of $14.60, which equals one cent for each of the 1,460 miles that he plans to walk. You can see a nice video below, which explains his background and his reasons for wanting to help homeless people. Millhouse will be posting more videos on his YouTube channel "myonemanmarch."

"My name is Stephen T. Millhouse," he writes on his website, "and I am walking 1,460 miles (from Missoula, MT to Los Angeles, CA) in order to raise $1 million for successful programs addressing hunger and homelessness in America." Millhouse's blog can be seen at http://myonemanmarch.org/. He does not seem to have updated the website since July 18, but he seems to be posting regularly on his Facebook page. He also has a Twitter page (myonemanmarch), and I'm proud to say that the Homeless Patriot is one of his first three followers!

Viral Video: Homeless Man Has 3 Degrees, No Job

noreply@blogger.com (T. Mannis) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:38:00 +0000

"55 year old Maurice Johnston lives in Boston," wrote YouTuber 60Days60Nights, "He has a Masters Degree in Plasma Physics from Dartmouth College, and a masters in Electrical Engineering and acoustics from Purdue University." Trouble is, Mr. Johnston just can't get work. A video posted to YouTube (below) on May 22, 2011 has had a whopping 183,428 views (as of 7:30 PM CDT, August 11, 2011).

According to 60Days60Nights, Mr. Johnston has "worked over 10 years at Lockheed Aerospace & Aerodyne Research Corp." 60Days60Nights asks, "So why is Maurice homeless?"

I'm guessing that his age has something to do with it. I am 56 and I no longer get the responses from sending my resume out that I would have 10 or 15 years ago. There is plenty of age discrimination out there, but it's very hard to prove.

Another problem for Mr. Johnston: "People who have been out of work for a while typically have a more difficult time getting a job. With 9.1% of the country and 17.2% of African-Americans out of work, Johnson's not the only one who is suffering due to the lack of opportunity," writes Zachary Cohen at Time's Newsfeed. Another factor, of course, is his homelessness. Employers are generally adverse to hiring homeless people because they automatically - and unfairly - assume there is something wrong with them.

Another video from 60Days60Nights:

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