Mephisto,
The poor of Oregon are largely invisible. Except for Randy, who live out back behind the barn. Then again, there's me. :)
Not to be too facetious about this, but at least in Central Oregon, we don't have any beggars on the street (I chastised one a couple of years ago when work was plentiful and the scummer was just trying to find a new community to slum in.) and people are not starving. They are not necessarily making ends meet, but there are community shelters, a healthy church charity establishment and overall the situation is not desperate.
In Portland, there is a homeless collective called "Hope City" or something of the sort that is established out near the airport. The people are certainly not welcomed by normal society, so they've formed their own, with articulate leaders and a sense of community. I believe they take care of their own. I am not familiar enough with the rest of the Willamette Valley, the Coast or Southern Oregon to comment. Though poverty has been part of their existence for as long as white trash have invaded the lands of the Coos, Coquilles, Umpquas, Siletz and Klamaths.
Interestingly Latino families don't seen to end up on the six o'clock news as suffering.
I realize not much of what I've just written is politically correct. I'm in a mood, since Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect" is having its final show tonight. Interestingly, he's got Ann-thrax Coulter on opposite Arianna Huffington. Hopefully Arianna is in good form and can smash Coulter in the face like Mike Barnicle did two nights ago on "Harball". Coulter ended her segment like a simpering, whimpering alchoholic. We don't call her "Chardonnay" Annie for nothing.
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I've got a very interesting project for the weekend. A SCOOP.nz piece on why George Bush needs to hung for treason. I'll keep you posted. :)
Cheerio! Ray |
