And we fail to account for those that simply do not want to work. As well as the underground travelling bands of humanity that are often mistaken as unfortunate homeless young people.
When my girlfriend and I first moved to Houston several years ago, she worked at a restaurant. She met a middle aged man there, a clean, decent man, who would come in and get a drink and spend some time there chatting with the staff. It happened that he was homeless, but claimed to have just lost his business in a divorce, and produced the papers to prove it. In any case, she would give him her free shift meal feeling sorry for him and wishing to help out until he got a place to stay and a job. After several days, he dropped the pretension and admitted he didn't want to work and had no intention of doing so. So she kicked him out of the restaurant. That man is still wandering Westheimer, pulling his port-a-luggage with all his wordly possessions, looking to all the world like a bearded gentleman that just got off the plane.
Some people aren't unfortunate, or the victim of social injustice, they are simply lazy.
Derek |
