BUMS

[vwnate1]

ATTN : MODERATOR IF THIS IS A TABOO SUBJECT LET ME KNOW AND I'LL DELETE IT .

Anyone else have thoughts on bums ? .

[barry12345]

Originally Posted by vwnate1

ATTN : MODERATOR IF THIS IS A TABOO SUBJECT LET ME KNOW AND I'LL DELETE IT .

Anyone else have thoughts on bums ? .

Not until you mentioned it. It seems to be a substantial issue in the larger Canadian cities for a fairly long time now.

When out and about in many areas there. Usually many ask you for money. Has been my experience. This was not the situation when we lived there.

I think what I find worse is the people that are essentially living on the streets in large Canadian cities. With the general affluence so obvious around them at the same time.

In my opinion you do not want to be down and out in this economy in Canada. To me it would seem extremely difficult to really get going again. Housing and apartment rental costs have really gotten out of hand currently. Food prices have really taken off as well. For a small family rent and food only can be a thousand a week alone. In a few Major Canadian cities.

Substance abuse seems to lead to a massive amount of problems today. We got a message from a young person we know last week. I asked the wife what she thought. He was looking for help.

She said no as he was involved in the break in of our home some time back. He did not do it but it was obvious he provided details to his brother that did do it. Plus the druggies will do anything to meet their needs. Our helping will not slow him down on his self destructive course at all. In fact his only hope is to hit rock bottom first if he is not already there.

I asked the wife later if she responded at all. She told me apparently someone from his past took him in. For a few days. Couch surfing with no job as in a fit of rage he hit the wall and must have hit a stud. His girlfriend threw him out. Six pins and a plate in his right hand. Probably will be months till he can use that hand easily again to work.

Always the con. I want to go back to school. It will be some time until he can even write. Plus he has gotten to the age it would cost to go and has no money. I know he is doing both booze and drugs.

I can see no reason to label it a taboo subject. The problem may even be growing. The amount of it seems directly proportional to the amount of social programs existing in a country. Their are statistics and north America does not do too well in them.

In Canada's case the all too rapid increase in cost of keeping a roof over your head. Especially in the larger Canadian cities is becoming serious. It would take all your income to rent a minimal apartment at the minumin wage of about 11.00 per hour. Yet there are a lot of people working for just minumin wage in the larger cities. Or not much more.

We have a newer poverty issue erupting in my opinion. People have been using credit to fill the cost of living gap in. This is anything but a solution. In our family we always made a point of living well within our means. I see a current scenario where it just is impossible for many to do so right now even if they tried. Yet rather than attempting to move to areas where they still could. They mentally and perhaps financially are stuck where they are.

Also their general mental state when in those situations is not productive to changing it. I blame a lot of the newer negative changes that resulted from the 2008/2009 event that took place. In managing it they might have just kicked the ball down the road. Easy credit has dried up for the majority of Canadians. By federal mandate. The financial community is becoming very concerned about the now steadily increasing default rates as well. Yet keeping a lid on it so far. It should bring the prices of homes down but not enough to matter to those that cannot pass the financial stress tests. The majority cannot. If the trend continues we will see a lot more people bumming. Where they also have a job such as it is.

So our Canadian economy is also booming with the new job figures as well. The question remains are they paying enough to offset the newer background issues? I think what has really happened is a real fall in the standard of living for the average family has occurred. Especially for the bottom thirty percent or more in Canada. Where those of us with more income than ever seem to be able to keep more of it than ever. It is almost like our system here has broken into a financial class type situation. Many societies outside north America have worked hard at this not becoming the problem it is becoming or already has here. Where we seem to be encouraging more of the same.

[davidmash]

Perhaps I am.just a dirty old man but I was going in a completely different direction when I saw the title.

[tbomachines]

I think lots of us appreciate nice bums.

[barry12345]

Originally Posted by davidmash

Perhaps I am.just a dirty old man but I was going in a completely different direction when I saw the title.

I see where you are coming from though. I did not understand his question about taboos. I have studied bums and boobs on the opposite sex for decades. Mastering the art of not moving my eyes in doing so.

[vwnate1]

There ~ I fixed it .

I live in Southern California and Los Angles right now has the highest concentration of homeless in America, not a pretty thing .

I have empathy and compassion but, as mentioned it seems that most bums / homeless are not interested in getting ahead or doing what they need to get out of the gutter .

When I'm hit up at the entrance to any eatery for food money I almost always offer to buy them something to eat, maybe one in twenty says 'yes please' ~ the rest all say 'oh, no ~ I don't like the food here' or ask to get the highest priced item on the menu ~ since I grew up hungry, cold & wet as often as not I don't tolerate any of this B.S. ~ I was homeless for a short while in my teens, no one's fault but mine, I didn't like it and focused on working and renting a tiny place to live then work towards making a better life for myself .

I've never begged although I've gratefully received a few free meals .

Couch surfing is out for me too .

Just this afternoon my Sweet, our 12YO Foster boy and I went out to dinner, at the stoplight on Crenshaw was a cute looking young woman with Daisy Dukes and a tight shirt begging, her sign said something about 'one dollar for a ticket', her hair looked pretty nasty, my Sweet said 'no handout for her' and off we went .

Anyone who lives in an Urban area has bums, lots and lots of them, I agree with the root causes, a single in L.A. is over $1,000 / month now unless you're in Watts or Compton, not places many want to live .

There's some sort of societal disconnect on both ends here , the bleeding hearts stopped the city from running "flusher" trucks through skid row to wash the streets & sidewalks of endless feces, urine, vomit, used condoms & syringes and so on, not surprisingly now there's a serious typhus epidemic that's spreading out from skid row.....

In Pomona this week there was a guy living in a tree house, he had a wood stove, BBQ, saxophone and furniture etc., etc. and no one noticed nor cared until he stupidly began robbing the houses all around him, one was only 100' away, what the hell did he expect to happen ? .

I keep hearing about the 'booming economy' but only the 1%'ers are doing well, everyone can easily find jobs as long as they want minimum wages and are willing to live with six others in a two bedroom apartment or house, that's -not- the American Dream I remember .

Critical thinking was taken out of the public schools curriculum in the late 1970's and this is the inevitable result .

I don't have the answers, why I started this thread ~ I have two grand children I worry about .

[vwnate1]

Agreed, nice butts are to die for .

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by vwnate1

ATTN : MODERATOR IF THIS IS A TABOO SUBJECT LET ME KNOW AND I'LL DELETE IT .

Anyone else have thoughts on bums ? .

I'm more of a tits man myself but to each his own.

[oldsinner111]

back in the hitch hiking days, I stay on the road,traveled 43 states,and mexico. I had a tent,pots,pans,and bedroll. Never panhandled.I could find work anywhere,pass car lots,and pick out nasty cars,find painting.washed dishes.My dad taught me never to beg,but find work.

[vwnate1]

That's it Nate ~

My father couldn't be bothered but quite a few along my life path could and did, teach me to be self sufficient like you were .

[pj67coll]

They're all over the place in Phoenix as well. Used to be 20 years ago you'd see a lot of traditional, obvious lazy assed no goods. Now you see a lot who have obvious mental issues, possibly drugs as well. And increasingly plenty who you'd think really shouldn't be on the streets. Seems they just recently wandered off the path.

- Peter.

[cmac2012]

Originally Posted by barry12345

In my opinion you do not want to be down and out in this economy in Canada. To me it would seem extremely difficult to really get going again. Housing and apartment rental costs have really gotten out of hand currently. Food prices have really taken off as well. For a small family rent and food only can be a thousand a week alone. In a few Major Canadian cities.

I think this is a lot of it. If you make enough mistakes and don’t have family to back you up, you can wind up in a place hard to crawl back up from. Not saying it’s OK or admirable to give up, but I think when people’s self respect goes down far enough they lose the spirit to try to recover.

[t walgamuth]

I rarely give out money now, though I used to.

Today I look at people pan handling or living rough on the streets and think that if they need a place to sleep and basic nutritious food it is available for free several places around town.

They just have to show up sober and stay sober.

[barry12345]

Employers for some time have been substantially screening people that want employment in Canada. More bodies than jobs really is the pressure people face. Far too many people have really nothing to offer an employer either. At one time they got a living wage in the system. When in that condition. Today less often. The wage gap is truly massive today.

I have warned endless young people not to get a criminal conviction or even a conviction for pot. Having an existing record is one of the first things employers check for now.

If your self esteem has hit rock bottom and your self confidence as well. It probably is a pretty dead end.

I do not want this to sound wrong. Poverty is also a state of mind. I could be reduced to no funds at all but my drive and perhaps some abilities would overcome it . It is just what some seem able to do. Some have this characteristic while some lack it.

Now for those with an entitlement mentality today and no sellable skills. I have no ideal of what is out there for jobs.

What got my attention was many years ago when the auto plants started to collapse in places like Detroit. Even though the wage and benefit programs combined may have been 50.00 an hour back then. The majority of workers had put nothing aside over all their years there.

There were auto plants and suppliers located in the Canadian region we lived in. So I saw some of the early carnage but it was mild to what it eventually became in places like Detroit.
.
Another thought is our kids did well because of many things us parents did with them both when growing up and teaching them by example. The wife and myself still deal with a lot of people that will fall through the cracks unfortunately. Or already have.

I also believe some adversary or struggle early in life is better than none. Today including our own children and grand children we meet many people that have experienced none. So their coping skills may suffer if their apple carts ever get overturned. Not having the ability to restore or maintain their situation.

My dear departed mother once told me. It was her hope that my generation never experienced anything like she saw during the early 1930s. She claimed you had to live through it to really understand the consequences for so many people.

I have never been asked for money where we live now from people on the streets. Other than the time at a seven eleven when a young lady approached me. Telling me she was working her way through college. The wife was sitting in the car as I was coming back with the widows down only a few feet away and found it amusing.

[vwnate1]

Thank you for the various considered replies .

You alls are better at voicing the thoughts and concerns .

I highly agree that adversity and challenges are important in life early on ~ not grinding poverty but not just getting life handed to you on a platter either .

I didn't have much of anything in spite of being born into a middle class family that had as far as I can tell, plenty of money yet I was always hungry and wore hand me down's, that wasn't bad but going to be hungry most of the time when there was plenty of food in the house sucked so off I went on my own when I was 8 Y.O. ~ stupid in retrospect but unlike the false Conservatives and Christians here, I have compassion because of the things I enured and saw in my chaotic young life .

It's true, there are many more crazies out roaming around, they used to be taken in & care of however poorly but the 1%'ers figured out how to steal that $ and now we suffer with the crazies bothering us, taking dumps on the sidewalk, scaring little children so on and so forth .

I'm pretty sure there were more "boot strap " opportunities 50 ~ 60 years ago than there are now .

We used to have hobos at traffic signals offering to wash your windows for $1 ~ I let no one touch my vehicles but I always gave them some $ simply because they were willing to work instead of begging .