WHY WONT YOU TALK ABOUT THIS!!!

[Aphex]

 When are we going to send troops to Africa to help the people starving? Or are there only people starving next to oil fields? It happens, but its a weak and flimsy effort to make our intentions seem benign. America has no interest in helping other people or the american people. Yes shout that patriotism flag, help the world.... Dude, wheres my oil?

You people need to go to church.  Or at least turn on the Christian channel every once in awhile.  Do you know how many missionaries are currently in other countries battling famine and hunger?  Where do these missionaries come from I wonder.....what country currently has relief workers in Sudan?  We cant save the whole world, but there are people out there trying to make a difference, so dont shoot off at the mouth about Amerika's interests being all about Oil.  I dont see those missionaries coming home with oil barrels strapped to their backs and rolling in money.  They come home like wounded soldiers....most just long enough to dress their wounds, then they are back to the war.  Those people are out there making a difference in a not-so-great world and you as Amerikans should respect them enough not to condemn our country so easily.  Thank you.

while that's all good and all it doenst excuse the fact that our gornement who claims to care about us oh so much, could care less.  And the fact that instead of sending tropps to other counties to aid hunger and to help to stop the spread of aids, they send them to blow up contries and kill innocent men and women.

I love that churches have missionaries to go over to other contries and help, I just wish that our contry would turn things in a different direction and redefine their deffinition of 'helping america'

[Sl_I/\/\s|-|Ady]

I've witnessed Amerika helping Amerikans (food stamp program) and all it has done is make people fat and lazy.  Go to any major store around the first of the month and notice the people with the grocery baskets almost overflowing with stuff.  Most likely these people are on welfare.  Now notice how most of the stuff they have (cookies, cakes, and junk food) should not be there.  I think that this program is being exploited by lazy people who should be working, not collecting a check.

[Aphex]

I've witnessed Amerika helping Amerikans (food stamp program) and all it has done is make people fat and lazy.  Go to any major store around the first of the month and notice the people with the grocery baskets almost overflowing with stuff.  Most likely these people are on welfare.  Now notice how most of the stuff they have (cookies, cakes, and junk food) should not be there.  I think that this program is being exploited by lazy people who should be working, not collecting a check.

I know I used to work at walmart and the 1st of the month was the worst day .
I know all about welfare. I grew up on it. With my mom being a single parent of 2 she needed some help. They implemented a new rule when she was on it. That you have to find a job or they would not provide you with assistance.    And you can only be on it for a certain ammount of time. They litterally force you to get a job. Ever since then my mom has worked 2 jobs everyday for more than half my life.  I still dont know how she does it. But programs like wic are a godsend for new partents. Do you know how much forumla is?? I agree that people spend their foodstamp money on crap but at walmart you can only spend it on food. If you buy something that is not food it wont go through.  Oh and also to get public assistants you have to be 25 or have a baby or a baby on the way. I tried to get assistants when I was homless but they turned me away. now that's gonvernment love </3

[Sl_I/\/\s|-|Ady]

http://www.stormpages.com/snowmann69/steal.htm

This is probably why those programs have so many restrictions.

[12Stones]

When I worked at a grocery store, the only people using welfare were women with babies..  we rarely had a guy come in that used welfare.

[Kendril]

See thats what I don't understand Aphex and maybe you can enlighten me on it a bit. Why do you think the government should take care of all of us with handouts and such? I think the less the government is in our lives the better off we are. (but thats my opinion)
There are a ton of independent groups that help out the homeless why should it be the governments job to supply you with a job or money or health care? To me all this means is that we take more money out of our paychecks to babysit everyone else. I am not saying that there shouldn't be some sort of help for those that actually need it. But 90 percent of those people homeless here could and can find work but choose not to do so because panhandling gets them more money and its tax free for them. So they get the free help and panhandle but yet don't contribute to the economy by paying taxes to the money that is taking care of them.
 Don't get me wrong I think we can and should focus money and effort to cure diseases and such. The food stamp program is a novel idea but its so abused by people that wont do anything for themselves its sad. Plus a ton of these people sell foodstamps for cash to buy drugs.
Just my thoughts!

[Aphex]

But 90 percent of those people homeless here could and can find work but choose not to do so because panhandling gets them more money and its tax free for them.

Im speaking from the point of veiw of a homeless person. I was kicked out of my house the day I turned 18. I slept on the streets, ate out of trashcans for 6 months. I did not once beg people for money and more than 90 percent of the other homless people I saw where teenages and young adults.  Do you know how hard it is to find work when you have no place to live? Hell it's hard enough for me to find work when I have a home!  But do youe expect someone to give a person a job with no expeirience, no residence, no telephone number, and looking like they hanvt showered in weeks. All the money that I did get when I was homless went to buy food and soap.  And my biggest problem was not trying to find food but avoiding the police from giving me a ticket for sleeping in public.  I can say that while I was homless there was a group of christian people that would come once a week ang hand out lunch bags with food and toothbrushes and such, but not once did I ever see anyone come to try and help us. I mean sure it's ok to get food, but what we really needed was help getting our lives back.

I would like to see you be homeless and then get your life back together. It's not as easy as you may think. And despite propular beliefe not all homeless people panhandle for booze...

[KoRo]

Im still lost about Aphex trying tell me that i thought that war was good....

[Kendril]

Now Aphex your putting words in my mouth to provoke an arguement. I never said all they do is buy booze and drugs but many do. I do feel for you and being homeless but how is that the governments responsability? I agree some changes should be made. I never said there shouldn't be. I am sorry you were kicked out of your home at 18. But what was the whole story behind that? I mean did you have an idea it was coming? I only ask these questions because alot of the teeange homeless problems (Not All) are do to the teenager being completely unruley at home. Or they have a drug problem or other issues like abuse and such. That being the case they could and should seek help from abuse clinics drug/sexual! But unfortunately to continue the lifestyle they choose to stay homeless. We have a huge panhandling problem in Texas. I mean its Gigantic! I have given a couple bucks here and there to those I think truely need the money. But whats upsetting is that one day I had some fast food and offered it to a homeless guy on the corner that had a sign that said need money for food. He flat out told me he only wanted money! Well i stuck around at the gas station accross from him and when he got enough cash he came in the station and bought beer! I also watched a guy park his truck in a gas station parking lot and walk to a corner and start panhandling!
 Every state has their own problems with the homeless. I can't say that your state doesn't have different issue than mine. I can only go by what is going on here. I still don't think the Government should be used to fix everyones problems. I think some help should be implemented but the majority has to fall on the individual.

[Aphex]

I know I lived in houston for a year.  The way that I help homeless people is by taking them somwhere and getting them food.  I never give money. they dont need money. they need help. For people that have been homless for years and years its hard for them to even think about getting back into a normal life because being homeless is all they have ever known and for alot of homeless people they feel wortheless lke their lives are never going to get better so it is an escape to drink or do drugs....I dont blame them for drinking. I do blame people for not giving them a second thought. Im not expecting the gonverment to give everyone handouts Im expecting them to acknowledge our problems instead of trying to solve everone elses. The dont need to care about what happens in russia or what happens in iraq. That is their problem. They need to start focusing on suloutions to getting people off the streets and the drug problems etc

and I was kicked out because I did not have a job. And my mother felt that by turning 18 I was all the sudden ready to start taking care of myself. She had already stopped bying me food at 16, and made me sleep on the couch. She felt once I was old enough to have a job, I should support mysef and once I was legally an adult I should move out. And no I didnt know that I would be kicked out. I told her that I would be sleepig onn the streets that night and she slammed the door in my face.

[Kendril]

Well thats a sad attempt at parenting I must say and a little extreme if you ask me! But your ok now.
 Yeah we need to address the problems in the homefront. But I also think we need to keep going like we are out of the country too. But we already discussed that. I think a bit more of an even balnce maybe perhaps. I still think we should be proactive against terrorism. I do also see a problem with our borders. You can contribute some of the homless problems with that. I think all this immigration should be put to a halt. You know that we would have more money for our own if we didnt have to take care of the illegals like we do now. Think of all the money we could have by not allowing illegals to have foodstamps and healthcare. Send them back home and take care of our own.

[Sl_I/\/\s|-|Ady]

In high school me and a friend used to be homeless on the weekends (by choice)  we would try and get free food but that hardly ever worked out.  We tried to get into McDonal's dumpster after they closed because we figured they just threw away all those delicious quarter pounders after closing.  We were wrong.  That dumpster smelled like armpits and the food was rancid.  We usually went hungry or we would go into a grocery store and eat all the little sandwiches that we could get our hands on (stolen of course).  We used to sleep in the cemetary also.  People think its a creepy place, but we loved it....You can get the best sleep ever in a cemetary.  It's so quiet.  I also recommend if you're gonna skip school, hang out at one....the cops rarely go in there for fear of the undead.

[Sl_I/\/\s|-|Ady]

Here is why most homeless dont take food.

Associated Press/July 2, 2003

Beijing -- Police in eastern China have arrested a man suspected of using rat poison to kill 16 homeless people, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

Chen Fuzhou, 29, used Dushuqiang, an illegal poison whose name translates as ``strong rat poisoner'' on his victims between May 25-June 26 in Cangnan county on the outskirts of the port of Wenzhou, Xinhua said. He was captured Tuesday night by police after "five days and night of strenuous effort,'' the report said.

Another of Chen's victims remains in hospital under intensive care, Xinhua said.

The report didn't say how Chen delivered the poison.

However, it said he was a follower of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement and poisoned his victims to "raise their status by ending their lives.''

China's communist government labeled Falun Gong an evil cult in 1999 and has hounded its adherents relentlessly while vilifying it in the entirely state-controlled media. Falun Gong followers have been accused by the government of murdering relatives and committing other violent crimes under the group's influence, claims not verified.

[Aphex]

there was a shopping center close to where I woud sleep and the people there were really nice and would leave there left over food (from a chinesse resturant) ontop of the trashcan, because security would kick us out if we dug in them.

I remember one of the best days ever was when I found a huge botle of gateraid unopened on the sidewalk. hah It seems stupid but I was so happy. I hardly take things for granted anymore.

[KoRo]

Have you studied Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs? The homeless situation vs russian situation kinda goes with that....btw i heard on the radio that the situation was taken care of, but not without an incredibly sad ammount of loss of life..