General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAmerican Paradox: 18.5 Million Vacant Homes and 3.5 Million Homeless :-(
This is horrible!
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/287-124/9218-american-paradox-185-million-vacant-homes-and-35-million-homeless
his is usually one of my favorite times of the year - the holidays are approaching, the aromas of cinnamon, orange and cranberry are in the air and it's time to rest and watch old movies on TV. One of those old movies invariably on at this time of year still resonates today - It's a Wonderful Life. In this 1946 Jimmy Stewart film, a small town in crisis comes together to prevent George Bailey, the benevolent loan man, from being imprisoned at the behest of the millionaire slum landlord Mr. Potter.
In the last few days, the US government census figures have revealed that 1 in 2 Americans have fallen into poverty or are struggling to live on low incomes. And we know that the financial hardships faced by our neighbors, colleagues, and others in our communities will be all the more acutely felt over the holiday season.
Along with poverty and low incomes, the foreclosure rate has created its own crisis situation as the number of families removed from their homes has skyrocketed.
Since 2007, banks have foreclosed around eight million homes. It is estimated that another eight to ten million homes will be foreclosed before the financial crisis is over. This approach to resolving one part of the financial crisis means many, many families are living without adequate and secure housing. In addition, approximately 3.5 million people in the U.S. are homeless, many of them veterans. It is worth noting that, at the same time, there are 18.5 million vacant homes in the country.
tabatha
(18,795 posts)(Actually, maybe the fighting on this board is a symptom of the unhealthy state of the nation.)
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)Pragmatism vs Idealism beween us on the left
and corporatism vs. the 99% in terms of traditional left-right politics.
Those issues are pulling the country apart. We cannot have any solutions until we find a way to resolve those issues.
tabatha
(18,795 posts)guthenson
(8 posts)A lot of homeless people are squatting in these vacant homes - I guess economist could refer to this squatting as an "efficient allocation of resources." It would be a shame to let these vacant homes go to waste.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)Give those folks the homes.
TheKentuckian
(25,658 posts)for rents an property. Homelessness also keeps us "small people" in line, we know how close we are.
chowder66
(9,634 posts)Lil Missy
(17,865 posts)Enjoy the pizza.
joshcryer
(62,326 posts)TheWraith
(24,331 posts)That number almost certainly doesn't count people who are staying with family or friends, which is going to be a very large number.
Tsiyu
(18,186 posts)Many many years from now, we will be judged one of the cruelest, most unfair, most wasteful cultures that ever called itself civilized.
SixthSense
(829 posts)people make a hell of a lot of money off of it
3500 banksters are more important to the government than are 3.5 million poor citizens.
just1voice
(1,362 posts)Pass a debt act that grants 4% govt backed loans to pay off all debt, credit cards and mortgages.
Put banking criminals in jail for real estate fraud, derivatives fraud, securities fraud, money laundering.
Universal health care -- that'd put 100s and in many cases 1000s of dollars in people's pockets immediately.
Get corporate money out of politics so the peoples' interests are represented.
NONE of this will occur in the current society of propaganda fools, partisan hacks and corporate govt.