Michael Moore's Latest Target: Your HMO

[MTK]

I'd like to see some studies or research on this issue. I see a lot of strong assumptions being made and frankly I think people are quite biased in thinking that most homeless people are just lazy drunks or drug addicts looking for handouts.

[70Chip]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I'd like to see some studies or research on this issue. I see a lot of strong assumptions being made and frankly I think people are quite biased in thinking that most homeless people are just lazy drunks or drug addicts looking for handouts.

Even the most bleeding heart liberal on the planet will admit that drugs/alcohol are nearly inseperable from the problem of homelessness. Someone mentioned the Vietnam Vets earlier. Even for them the trauma of combat was probably not enough to make them dysfunctional. You add alcohol or opiates, though, and they go downhill very quickly.

And it's not just homelessness. If you were to remove drug and alcohol abuse (and I mean the severe cases, not the borderline ones on their way to being severe, hmmm, hmmm), you could watch all manner of social ills disappear like that proverbial fart in the wind. Joseph Califano who worked for LBJ and is a Democrat is very strong on this issue. If you are interested in some statistics that will knock your socks off, you might search on him.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by 70Chip

Even the most bleeding heart liberal on the planet will admit that drugs/alcohol are nearly inseperable from the problem of homelessness. Someone mentioned the Vietnam Vets earlier. Even for them the trauma of combat was probably not enough to make them dysfunctional. You add alcohol or opiates, though, and they go downhill very quickly.

And it's not just homelessness. If you were to remove drug and alcohol abuse (and I mean the severe cases, not the borderline ones on their way to being severe, hmmm, hmmm), you could watch all manner of social ills disappear like that proverbial fart in the wind. Joseph Califano who worked for LBJ and is a Democrat is very strong on this issue. If you are interested in some statistics that will knock your socks off, you might search on him.

Unfortunately, we don't live in a vacuum. Even the most capable, the most intellectual, and the strongest among us have felt life's pressure to the extent it has driven us to behave in unseemly ways. What I'm getting at is removing drugs from our society won't elimate homelessness or any other social ill. Drugs and alchohol probably exacerbate homelessness, no doubt, but I don't think it disappears like a fart in the wind.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I'd like to see some studies or research on this issue. I see a lot of strong assumptions being made and frankly I think people are quite biased in thinking that most homeless people are just lazy drunks or drug addicts looking for handouts.

Well, as you can already tell from other people's experiences posted here, many homeless are just looking for one thing...money. Why not food? Why not water? Why ONLY money? Cause they are doing something with that money. Some know that they can get $200-$1000 a day in begging and they will go into the alley, retreive their Mercedes and drive home. Some need the money to afford their alcohol or drugs. Almost all use it in an inappropriate manner. Fact is, you give them what they want, and you are making the situation worse. There are plenty of homeless shelters across this country. Why is it they are too proud to get a warm cup of soup, or nice sandwich, but they aren't too proud to beg on the corner and not work for food or money.
Since when did we become a country of "If you don't want to help yourself, we'll keep helping you over and over again until you realize that you don't need to do anything to deserve help?"