Yes, night thoughts they are!! Since you are not quite giving an opinion, I am not sure what to make of your stream of consciousness ideas. I am as confused about compassion and society as you are, though. I think a few years ago people were more compassionate with the homeless, but have since deduced that they are paying for alcohol and drugs to feed susbstance abuse. Not many people really want to do that once they ponder the situation. And after that really nasty recession in 1989-90, even many of the rich are tighter with their dollars than they were. Do you remember the eighties, when it seemed very easy to make money, and like it would last forever? Not so, and most of us are probably just more conservative in general with money.
We have also learned the "tricks" the homeless use, like adopting cats, dogs, puppies and kittens to get more donations, or using their small children for sympathy, which is illegal because it is harmful and dangerous to them. I think most people do believe that somewhere in the government, some provision should be made for innovative programs to help them recover from substance abuse, and for long-term housing. This society has just priced housing out of the range of the very poor, even some of the working poor. It is a little unfair and insane when you think about it carefully.
Here in San Francisco, someone wrote a letter to the editor of the paper, suggesting that the SOLUTION to the homeless problem (pause and a drum roll here, please) was to take away their shopping carts so that they couldn't function. Well, the carts are the property of stores after all, and a climate that inhospitable to the homeless would tend to at least encourage the more able-bodied to move to a place where someone cares, and there are good programs, like Seattle. But it is certainly no solution.
Well Alex, I guess you are saying that maybe whatever we manage to create for ourselves is what we deserve. Is that right? |
