Over and over again we hear about poverty and people being homeless and how strange it seems that this has happened in our so-called 'rich' countries.

In Vancouver, British Columbia city limits alone, apparently there is close to 3,000 people who are homeless (perhaps not an accurate number as many expects say it's difficult to track people since they are homeless - well, dud!). And it's not just men who are homeless, it's the elderly and entire famiies (approx 20 percent of all homeless within Canada are children).

This is surely not an isolated case applying only to Vancouver, rather it seems to everywhere both with Canada and the United States and other 'rich' countries, as well.

Why went wrong, I wonder? Can the situation be 'fixed'? Should I governments perhaps spend less money 'out of country' and pay more attention to what's happening under their noses?

Oh my, this is a huge question and may wind up going into the speak easy. I've got loads of ideas, but I'm going to have to take a number of days to compose my thoughts and express them without going ballistic.

That said, you might be interested in reading some of Jonathan Kozol's work who addresses inner-city poverty and homelessness in several of his books. Rachel and her Children is, I think, the one most focused on that issue without going too much into the educational issues he usually focuses on. What he writes is absolutely chilling. Savage Inequalities also focuses on the huge divide between the wealthy and the poor and how that is reflected in education and educational opportunities.

An exercise that I think everyone should do: Look at the wage and benefit structures of a lot of the jobs in the service industry: fast food, convenience store clerks, department store clerks, nursing assistants etc. then look at the pricing of housing. How many housing units are available that these workers can afford? Here in Bloomington, Indiana the answer is precious few, and that is if you're single. If you have a family it is practically impossible. Now add in the transportation costs. What, if anything, is left over out of the paycheck after paying for the housing? This right here is a huge part of the problem, but only a part.

Orange Blossom

Here in Hawaii, the government has just recently built a whole strew of houses to help the homeless. Which, although it is a good thing, doesn't seem to have made a dent in the homelessness problem here.

In all honesty, most of the homeless don't want anyone to help them. There is a shelter in town, where they can get a shower, food and a cot, but most refuse to go there. Their biggest gripe with that is the lack of privacy, but how much privacy do they expect sleeping on the streets.


This is something that has been getting worse everywhere. There doesn't seem to be anything to keep rent prices or property taxes from going up.

Believe it or not alot of the homeless choose to be just that homeless.
They are lazy and dont want to work so they live on the street.

This is not all of them though.

With all due respect CGM3,IN 99% of cases,you couldn't be further from the truth.IMHO.
Live in a big city,befriend some of them,hear their sad histories and I am positive
you will change your views.My post is not meant to flame you in the slightest.

My opinion would be that most don't want to live the way they have to live, and some choose to live the way they live, or have given up pursuit of a 'normal' life. Or so it seems.
They do get money, I would have to say that some have more money in their pockets than I do.

Many homeless people have lost their jobs and have had trouble getting back on their feet. One paycheck away from the street is a reality. Also there are homeless people that have physological problems. They are the wandering lost souls of society. So very sad.

Of course most of them don't want to live the way they are living.From my experience,I have found a few of them are what we call "Loners"and a lot of them suffer from depression,and as Scarlett says,Psychological disorders.
Who in their right mind would prefer to live out in the freezing cold under a lump of cardboard box in preference to a home cooked meal and a warm bed.I think they have given on society,and society in the most part has given up on them.It's great that at least some Charities and groups are trying to help these less fortunate.In Sydney we have soup kitchens where they can get a hot meal for free,and now they have mobile soup kitchens as well.

What I forgot to add is a very wealthy retired business man here has bought a large bus,converted into a mobile soup kitchen and with the help of volunteers,is serving 800 meals a day to the homeless.

How true. I've been on the verge of homelessness myself in the past even working two jobs. Sometimes it would take a full month's wages to make the rent, and sometimes I was late with the rent because I needed a month and a half to make the money for rent. Other land-lords might have kicked me out. I lived in a rooming house, and the rent included electricity, water, and gas - praise be otherwise I'd have lost the utilities for lack of payment. For 5 years I had no phone much less any other tech. stuff. Most of my clothing belonged in a rag bag, and my undergarments wouldn't even have qualified for rags. Meals consisted of what edible weeds I could find plus mulberries, elderberries and whatever else I could forage. Being taunted while gathering and eating mulberries from trees along a road is not fun. I love mulberries by the way. Fortunately in the food department, I could get square meals at a number of functions at my church and was able at times to take home left-overs. Sometimes housemates would invite me to share a meal with them. Another bit of fortune was the fact that there was a small spot to have a garden. I was able to get some seeds and grow some vegetables: tomatoes and beans were the most productive for me. I washed my clothes by hand in the bathtub, wrung them out by hand, and hung them on the clothes-line. Didn't cost any money that way. I walked everywhere I went. No car - such are frightfully expensive to have and maintain. I didn't have a license anyway. My bike was vandalized, and I didn't have the money to get it repaired, even if it could have been repaired. I couldn't even afford bus-fare. Yes, I looked for work - but good paying jobs are not easy to come by even with a degree. It is also not easy to get a job if you don't have a phone. I would gather empty soda bottles that I would find, walk miles to the Coca-cola bottling company to turn them in and get the deposit money for the bottles. I 'donated' blood plasma for 7-10 dollars per donation. I've got big white puncture scars on the inside of both elbows from all the times the needle was inserted for the donations. Was I ever happy when I got a definite full-time job with benefits. I was even happier when I got overtime. Sometimes I put in 80 hour weeks. Good thing I didn't have kids or spouse - they'd never have seen me. I worked for them for 12 years. Too bad the company isn't doing so well anymore. I went back to school and got my master's degree, was relieved of my job in 2002, and I'm looking for work again. I've been looking since May when I completed my graduate studies, and so far nothing except for the occasional paid tutoring or editing job. Fortunately things aren't quite as bad for me as they were 17 years ago as my father and I live in the same house and he has regular social security coming in, but things are still precarious and the longer it take for me to find a job the more precarious things become.

There are families who make just enough to make ends meet, but one emergency or catastrophe puts them on the street.



Yes, and a large part of the reason why so many of these people are homeless in the United States is that the group homes for these people were closed.

Orange Blossom

Well let me tell you a story. I said some not all anyways. That 1% is some.

Anyways, My aunt she ran off at 14 and with some guy and was having a baby at 15. Her parents adopted the Baby because they could not handle it or did not want it.

He died at age 6 of a rare cancer I guess. It was some kind of cancer.

Jump foward year and years until now. She has been married and divorced to 2 men and is now on a 3rd but no kids from him. She has had 6 kids in her lifetime counting my cousin who died.

She has never wanted to work and has never spent her money wisely. She smokes and wastes all her money on smokes and movie rentals. She over the years has had to beg money from her parents even when she was 2 states away. Just call on the phone and ask for money.

She a few years ago moved up here. She had no credit. She had to have her mother put her name on a double wide and then she never payed for it. For a couple of years before she got the double wide she lived for free in a single wide of my grandma's who died.

This 3rd husband she has is a bum. Never has wanted to work. He works on and off when he feels like it and somehow during football and basketball season his GOUT in his foot always acts up. Wonder why hum....ha ha

She provides for him while he does NOTHING. And then she wastes her money on beer for him and smokes for the both of them. Along with the tons of movies and movie rentals. One night on the beer she bough for him he got drunk and stabbed her in the neck.

He went to jail and is now out and he is living with her again or she is paying for him a motel about 2 miles from here.

Her parents keep giving them money. Her 3 kids she takes care of need a house until they can graduate and get a job of there own. Her house if falling apart and the roof is leaking. The floor needs replacing. And she spends her money on smokes and movies.

What I am trying to say is she is lazy and not smart with her money. She would make enough to pay for her stuff if she did not waste it like she does. Without mom and dads money every now and then she and her kids would have no home.

I am not saying all homeless are like this but I see countless times in people even the richer who spend money unwisely. This has a lot to do with what causes people to go homeless. Ask some of the homeless people if they even passed high school. I bet a lot would say no.

CGM3,I'm more worried about the plight of the other 99% than 1% to be honest.In your last paragraph you stated words to the affect QUOTE"Ask any of the homeless people if they even passed highschool.I bet a lot would say no"UNQUOTE.And the ones Iv'e asked haven't either.You wouldn't think it would have anything to do with coming from a poor family or a broken home would you?My family was poor and I had no option but to leave school at 14 and work my butt off to try and help my father provide for us.Two years later I went back and finished my schooling,when my father got a better job and could provide for us without my help.Theres many reasons why people don't finish there schooling,and I fail to see what schooling has to do with their plight 40 or 50 yrs later.We have university graduates here that can't even get a job,even with BA degrees.

Well yes and then some just give up. I am not saying I am right but I have seen a lot of people poor because of there own doing.



It has a lot to do with life. People who want to run something dont want lazy dropouts in there labor force. I was looking over one of my choices for maybe going to a college today and in the magazine on the college it said people with a college ed. earn 35 percent more every year than a non college grad. People who dont have a high school diploma make even less.

45 YRS ago education wasn't so important as it is today.I was never asked my education status.Never needed any papers whatsoever to get a job.This,I would guess would have applied to many of the elderly homeless,we see today on the streets,under bridges etc.
Today, an education is of vital importance,infact here you have to be over qualified to get a decent job.
If a person is homeless through no fault of their own,I have sympathy for them.If they are homeless through their own stupidy and laziness,they deserve all the misery that befalls them.IMHO.

Truly am sorry about your Aunt, CGM - not for her perhaps but for all those that have struggled to keep her going all these years and prevented her from ever becoming actually homeless.

DSTM has a great point about education - now it's of vital importance but years ago, education wasn't guaranteed and children often had to drop out of school (many at an incredibly early age) to help support their families. And while many have been very successful in life (book smart is truly seperate from 'being' smart), many more are now in the situation where they barely make it through each month. Many who do still have a home eat canned dog food just to scrap by. And it takes just one financial 'hiccup' in life to put them over the edge and to become homeless on the street. A pretty dismal future for the elderly that helped build our Country. Possible solution: More truly affordable housing for the elderly and a society that thinks the elderly are important, rather than 'disposible'.

And Scarlet mentioned something that has plagued our area for nearly two decades now. Our government in it's infinite wisdom decided it would be cheaper to hundreds of houses to be used as 'group homes' - and then they closed a huge, major hospital that was home to people with various mental disabilities and was 'home and security' for all those with physological problems. The group homes don't seem to be working that well if one judges how many of these same poor souls are now homeless and equally as bad, not taking medication regularly. Possible solution: Re-open the vast hospital and ensure these in such need are truly taken care of and feel safe and secure once again.

And for families, all it takes is one major financial hiccup and poof!, they're homeless and their future in dire straits. Children can't be registered in school if they don't have a 'permanent address'. One can't qualify for welfare nor medical coverage without an address either. And if the reason they've become homeless is because of a death of the financial provider or illness within the family itself, things must be unimaginable.

And poverty can actually be 'caused' by trying so hard to work and support oneself and his or her family, as well. And example of this is a young mother with two little ones that I saw each morning Monday through Friday as she headed off to work in the city. Bus fares increased quite drastically and this increase was just enough to 'tip' her over the line where it became cheaper to stay home and care for her children. And that means social assistance - and anyone struggling to survive on welfare is surely struggling indeed. One more family living on the edge, awaiting a financial 'hiccup' that could make them too homeless.

And when I read your post, Orange Blossom - well, I admire you and your strength so, so much! Gentle hugs! It's people like you who try so incredibly hard that I have the greatest respect for in this age of 'silent struggling' in our affluent society. There are those that simply 'live off society' and then those that, no matter the education level, still may live in fear for financial security each and every month.

Maybe our government should stop spending money on the 'icing on the cake', things like millions being given away to other Countries, millions wasted in government spending on so many things when, in reality, our own people without our own Countries are suffering.

Perhaps take some of these millions and build housing for the truly needy who are trying to mightily in this age of unstable economy. And perhaps re-vamp the welfare system completely. Healthy adults with no children being required to 'work' for their monthly payment (even if it's picking up litter from the side of the streets).

We not only have soup kitchens for the homeless but limited shelters for them too (more beds open when the weather becomes icy) but for those that ended up homeless through no fault of their own, what a scary place these shelters must often be. And we have Food Banks that help, too - but imagine the humiliation for those people that must stand in line for hours, often with their little ones, just to get enough to eat each week. While I could be wrong, soup kitchens and food bands are simply a 'bandaid' for what is a huge, huge problem in our Countries.

On a personal level, our local newspaper has a both interesting and heartbreaking article last Fall. A reporter determined to find how many homeless really existed in our little area of suburbea, headed out with the promise to the homeless he found that he would not 'turn them in'. Included in these people he located (usually living in our heavily forested areas just blocks from busy areas), was a grandmother and her grandchild. Homeless, living in a battered old tent and washing in a near-by creek. Apparently the grandmother had raised the little one all by herself since shortly after the baby was born - and when the child was in Grade 2, the teacher (who meant well, I'm sure) reported her to Social Services 'just to check on things'. And after finding the child was sharing the same bedroom as her Grandmother (apparently a child that is not 'naturally yours' must have a seperate bedroom and even the cot that had been added wouldn't do) plus it was determined that the Grandmother wasn't young enough to raise a child alone.

Rather than help the Grandmother with her rent so she could move into a 2-bedroom apartment and rather than simply have a Social Worker pop in every month to see how things were going, the 'rules' state that the child would have to go into foster care. Grandmother and child slipped away one evening and ergo, homeless but still together. The child does continue to go to school each day, but in a different school with Grandmother fibbing that they have a permanent address and they live from the money earned from picking up bottles and cans, with clothing and such provided by Charities.

I know I've been ever so long-winded on this post and I do apologise. Suppose it's just because while getting our government to change things seems unlikely, I wonder what, if anything, can be done.

(Lest everyone consider me a 'bleeding heart' - gentle smile - thought I'd mention that when a pan-handler approaches me on the street I simply ask if they would like me to buy them a meal. Some say yes and it's obvious they are truly hungry and often cold. Others say no, that they just want the money ... these I simply wish a good day to and walk off.

Many things contribute to the homeless psyche. These include but are not limited to mental illness, alcoholism, drug addiction, stress, or physical illness that prevents them from integrating with society. You would be surprised at how many of these homeless individuals have college degrees and actually worked at high level jobs. Some of them were successful and had loving families. For one reason or the other they ended up on the streets sans structure and means of receiving or wanting help.

I look at those statistics regarding that a person with a degree will make 35% more than someone who just graduated from high school and laugh. Many of the jobs requiring those degrees have been outsourced to other countries where the pay is less than that of a minimum wage earner here. Corporate greed is the major cause of this outsourcing.

Another problem with homeless issues lies within our health care policies. Many people cannot afford to receive the necessary help needed to aid their illnesses which can put then out in the streets.

Until we start investing in our own country and provide secure, decent paying jobs plus affordable health care many more will become homeless.

I couldn't agree more about [/b]"Until we start investing in our own country and provide secure, decent paying jobs plus affordable health care many more will become homeless", TheTerrorist_75.

Imagine trying to survive on working 2 or 3 jobs at minimum wage, whether full time or more and more frequently part-time/full time, with no pension plan, no sick pay and no medical coverage. And this seems more and more common in so many of the 'wealthier' countries.

When I bought my new computer, I asked which manufacturer actually had 'help' staff, etc either here in Canada or in the United States and explained why. (Even though the people in India, etc are, I'm sure, perfectly nice people, I want to buy a product that is preferably made here and it's service warranty 'backed' here, as well. Just a tiny little thing, I know, but all the jobs being "outsourced" affects our workers here at home.

And although I understand the drive of business owners to make a healthy profit each year, I'm always astounded that they can't 'see' less wages = less money to spend in stores. A vicious circle. And for our public corporations here in British Columbia, I often wonder if the majority of people realize that when they make their announcements at the end of each fiscal year, and say so-and-so "lost 14 million dollars last year", often they are really saying rather than making 168 million last year, they made 154 million last year. Yes, they 'lost' money, but also made a huge profit.

Outsourcing affects us all yet we let it happen.

Why?

Because we want it now and we want it cheap. If they made these tv's and mp3 players in the USA the prices would double. The chines work for 20 bucks a week!

Health can hurt people. Yet we spend billions each year to send rovers to mars and people to the moon. Think of what just 1 billion dollars would do to roads and even the homeless in africa! If people want it to change they must do it. Call legislators in mass and keep pushing your voice.

Sorry, CGM, but I haven't kept up with some stuff I guess - could you please explain what "The chines " is?
Thanks.

While it may be true the price for most things "would double" if manufactered in the States or Canada, I wonder if the profit margin just needn't be so high. Mind you, getting companies to take less of a profit is, I expect, simpy a dream.

Not that I can do anything but I'd like to see poverty/homelessness/health care/education taken care of within our own countries prior to doing what I referred to earlier as 'icing on the cake' .

Perhaps part of the problem is we, as citizens, have a tendency to be complacent - years of feeling like our voices aren't truly heard by those who are in power anymore. And those that have the power perhaps forgetting that all the citizens aren't so fortunate as they.

We have Winter Olympics 2010 coming to Vancouver. Sounds wonderful at first, until one realizes that literally millions upon millions are being spent to 'impress the world'. Our medical system is in dire distress, and community schools are being closed, etc but 'realities' don't seem to touch our politicians much and, to be honest, nor does it seem to matter to many of the people living in the area either. .Do wonder though how many visitors will be impressed by all the homeless wandering the streets.

I am in complete agreement with your opinion on this subject,The Terrorist 75.So many homeless men,who were once brilliant in what career they once had,have sucumbed to a mental health problem,one of which is common is Schizophrenia,and they are thrown on the rubbish heap of society.

Here we have brilliant people who have gained University degrees, driving taxis simply because the jobs which they studied for have been outsourced to a foreign country.We hear on TV often where 500 or 1000 employees have been laid off from 1 bank alone,and their jobs have gone to India for example.This is not an isolated incident,but happens regular.Absolutely no consideration is given to the poor families who could lose their home etc,as a direct result of the greedy big business.
The Company CEO comes on TV and says how sorry they are that they had to make this decision.They say that the share holders interests are paramount and the company CEO's would be failing in their duty if they didn't try to reap the maximum of profit for shareholders.What they are really saying is,we have got no sympathy for the hardship your families are about to endure.
I am dead against outsourceing when the product can be made here.So what if they are a bit dearer,the Government sets the minimum basic wage rate to compensate for us paying more for goods and services.
Both our Governments should spend our tax dollars fixing up our own backyards first,before elsewhere.IMO.
After all,we voted them in to do what is in our best interests,and to me they are failing in that duty.

Sorry for the spelling error. The chinese work for just 20 bucks a week.

It's scary to realize that 'outsourcing' or 'jobbing to foreign countries' is so, so prevalent - and the wealthy Countries may be inadvertently be the cause of their own economic downfall because of it - sigh.

Although the info at the below site is outdated (March 2004), it raises some interesting concerns such as:

" 2.7 million manufacturing jobs already lost in the United States" by 2004 because of outsourcing" and that state and local governments "need to enact better trade policies to stop the bleeding".

(Source: http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=719)

Government on all levels - in each of our Countries - need to take action now to stop contracting or subcontracting services from foreign countires. If a company wants to pay 'peanuts' and our own citizens can't live on the wages, they simply outsource the work - leaving our countries in more economic danger and more and more poor struggling to survive. Ugh!

I hope Know one minds if I give an opinion, But I,ve worked since the age of 14, Never finished school & never had a job as such . Have allways figured out a way to make cash doing simple thing,s . Then took that little bit of money & turned it into something I could make a living at . But have allways worked for Myself , & payed taxes when i made enough to qualify paying.

I,ve never borrowed money, & dont owe any money , But have allways worked 18 hours 7 days a week trying to survive. & I,m in My Mid 50,s now. Have been married 6 time,s ( Mainly because the first 5 didn,t like Me working all the time & They all had Kids preaviously that I supported ) & have allways taken good care of My responsibilities, & had 5 great house keepers, ( They all kept one ) & Have never Hired a lawyer for Myself Just paid for theyr,es & walked away . I,ve never been to a dentist or docter, but Make sure anyone under my roof had ample insurance & docters care & whatever They need when They need it.

I,ve been fairly successfull & up & down many times, 3 of the downs I was homeless ( But just considered it camping ) Bottom line is I knew I could pick Myself back up & allways did. Anyway I guess I,m just trying to say You Can choose You,re way of life if You,re not afraid to work for it. Or never give up.

Plus I,ve been happily married for 10 years now, moved to the boonies bought a cheap piece of land ( 14 acres ) Built ( by Myself ) a metal building with The house inside & shop area for Me to work in & Make a little money on about any kind of fix it project You can think of . The Wifes got a good job She really enjoys & travels all over the world because of it, & We,ve never been happier . We dont have much or near what i,ve had in the past. & I haven,t left My property for 3 years.

I Dont know why I,m sharing this & dont mean to bore You, But things have changed. Most dont want to work, Or just enough to get a paycheck, But still want they,re fancy gadgets & what They want when They want it. Everyone is living above they,re means & most on plastic. The thing is If everyone one knew just how close they were to being homeless They might think different.

But instead, lets blame it on everyone else, Yes health care sucks. & is one of the major reasons Why many people become homeless , But basiclly It,s Our own greed & what,s everyone gonna do for Me & not the way it should be. What Can I do For someone else & Me. At least it gives You a purpose in life.

Allmost Everyone, mostly the younger generations were brought up spoiled & think the world owes them something. & thats how They were raised.

Someday it might change, but I doubt it, Because People have to much time on they,re hands bleeping about, religion, polotic,s , abortion, Saving the whales, Or tree,s global warming, What Have You, I Say get off You,re butt,s & do something to make a difference Instead of devoting so much time on the negative,s & how bad things are.

Oh Yea, quit sendin money to polititions You,re just gonna bleep about anyway, Save it For the late night preachers & Get rich quick schemes. Oh & Your,re lottery tickets.

Sorry Folk,s, I very seldom post here & Think You,re all great, & it,s such a great site & very helpfull, this is the fanciest gadget I have & perty much My only connection with the outside world. So thankyou, For letting Me vent a little bit. You All Have a great day.

Sincerely Cowboy

CGM3, MARAM & DSTM,

This is a huge and complicated subject. The "outsourcing" is a popular fad with big businesses today. It's all part of being a global community.

Unfortunately, where I work we have been victim's with outsourcing. The last few years I think I could honestly say we have been halved and our jobs have gone to India.
The thing is - it wouldn't be so bad if they could actually do the job!! Our customers complain daily and beg us not to have to speak with them again! Some blatantly refuse to speak with them. Some customers ask us if we are in Australia or India - when we say Australia you can actually hear them relax! Some of our customers are sick of the harassment and rudeness and so are we for that matter.

We have less people, more work and the staff in India are unable to do their work so we are dumped with more work/fixing their stuff ups!
Not saying all organizations are experiencing the same difficulties as we are, but no wonder our countries are going down the poop chute! (sorry about the language).

(To any people from India, please don't take this as a personal bashing as I know that there are some wonderful and hardworking people in India)

We are losing our skilled, our independence, DSTM is right - the majority of our Taxi drivers/ security guards etc, are doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, professors etc and are unable to practice over here.

The homeless is heartbreaking, it's easy to become homeless but a huge battle to come back.

Cowboy357 - I applaud you - your an inspiration!

Yes, I too applaud you, cowboy 357 - and you are far from boring!! I was fascinated to read all the hiccups in life you've undergone, yet battled through and are now happy and well - yipee!! And venting is just fine , too!

It is hard to understand the few that simply won't get off their bums and work and I often wonder if there is a solution. If we stop their welfare payments, then I would hope they wouldn't turn to illegal endeavors. And yet, why should they sit on their duffs and take money from people who work so darn hard for the money that is then shared by these people.


And for the ones that pan-handle on our streets, I'm truly divided. For the ones that truly want that lunch or dinner that's offered, they have my greatest sympathy and I only wish I had a job to offer them, etc. But the others, some we've seen on the same streets for literally years and always with the same 'line', I must admit I often silently grind the enamel on my teeth. I don't of course (I'm a coward when it comes to physical violence - gentle grin!), but I'd love to tell them to get some pride and pick bottles up or cut grass or simply do something, anything to work towards being self-sufficient.

And you're right, Ghostwriter - "The homeless is heartbreaking, it's easy to become homeless but a huge battle to come back". And all the more reason for me to be sitting here mentally clapping just reading cowboy357's success story against so many odds!

Am ever so sad that half of your company's jobs have been sourced out and I suspect even for the employees still holding jobs, any sense of 'security' must be shaky indeed - heavy sigh.

And I have friends who have the unhappy job of having to phone 'overseas' to get even the simpliest help from a manufacturer - and over and over again we hear the same complaint. Kept waiting for line forever, sudden disconnections, rudeness - and I often wonder if part of it is those that hold these sourced out jobs are earning a pittance too and have little reason to care.

It must be so frustrating for you to have people complain without being able to do a single thing about it and I laughed when I read your words, "no wonder our countries are going down the poop chute!" - personally, I think that says it well - huge grin!

When TheTerrorist_75 said, " Until we start investing in our own country and provide secure, decent paying jobs plus affordable health care many more will become homeless" and DSTM, " Both our Governments should spend our tax dollars fixing up our own backyards first,before elsewhere", I agree completely. And until that time, I think it's going to be up to us, the 'little people' who are the ones to make changes.

Does anyone remember years ago when one of the chocolate bar companies raised it's prices - and most of the kids in the United States boycotted them? And the price went back down! Maybe if we all are a bit more careful where we shop, what we buy and where that's product's servicing is covered, etc , we could be like those little kids that brought a chocolate manufacturer to their knees. Gentle smile.

Well Maram, unfortunately, we were advised on 31.12.06, via email (while the majority of people were on hols) that we all look forward to another 100 positions going sometime this year!! Merry Xmas & Happy New Year - sarcasm.
So there are alot of staff who are sweating out again. Myself - I'm not at all bothered, if it happens, it happens - it obviously was mean't to be and so will start another chapter in my life. I've been through 3 redundancies - personally, and 3 more, where I wasn't affected plus this one - in a matter of 8-9 years, so I'm over the whole panic/freakout stage.

I agree with the Terrorist_75 & DSTM - we all need to look in our own backyards and helping ourselves a little more than we are currently.

"and I often wonder if part of it is those that hold these sourced out jobs are earning a pittance too and have little reason to care."
Well they do earn a pittance compared to us - but they are earning double or even triple what they would normally be earning - I think it comes down to training, experience and an understanding of the business. Which is pretty lacking.

In regards to the homeless - we have a couple in Sydney, who won the lotto - a couple of million dollars a few years ago now, and they used their money to setup a soup kitchen for the homeless, unfortunately the name escapes me, but they are such lovely people and are still going strong today.

I've heard that some celebrities earn the most rediculous amounts of money per year and I can only wonder why they are not contributing more to education, hospitals, welfare etc.
Surely if they were to do so we would be so much more closer to having a better life?? Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that some do donate a hell of a lot of their earnings already and bless them for it, but if I were earning 20, 30, 40 million a movie I would have no qualms in donating my whole earnings for that movie to whatever!!

Your thoughts??

Here,it is not uncommon to have a 400,000 dollar morgage on just an average house.That equates to around 3ooo dollars a month in repayments.Add a car,children and all the other expenses and it must be stressfull,not having job security anymore.Last year there were a record no of house reposessions by the banks,and it's not hard to work out why.Companies don't realise or don't care what damage outsourceing is doing to our economy.I would dread just starting out now and raising a family,and not knowing when you could be retrenched,and if you cant find employment,lose the roof over your head,and everything you have worked so dam hard for.
As far as film stars go,you read that some of them have their own charities,but the bulk of them are so into their own egos,and couldn't careless how anybody else struggles to survive.I read somewhere that a lot of celebs will give to charities, but the amount of money given depends on what publicity they recieve in doing so.To me no one is worth 30 or 40 million a movie which doesn't take many weeks to film.
Bill Gates gives away hundreds of millions of dollars.Pity these filthy rich film stars wouldn't follow suit.
They are my thoughts, Ghostwriter.