Esculating Recession; hunderds line up for assistance

www.kmbc.com...

While hunderds stand in line the police are called. Some of the people are angry and others have expired tags. The police ticket them instead of a warning. For heavens sake they are there to get help how can the afford tickets! I find this very cold. This situation is about to get ugly.
I bet we hear more about police intervention when people are trying to get help. The poor is always treated like s*it! Why can't utlities lower costs so this does not happen. Just in Kansas City this agency gets 4000 people coming to them for help in a week! Thats 16,000 people in a month! Kansas City population is only a half million. It seems like the poor are growing.
I just find it disgusting the way the poor akways suffers the most. I am sick of it. This is going to be what ends america not the swine flu! (rampent poverty.)
Anywhere were there is rampent poverty there is poor medical care,rampent diease and wars. Is america going to disolve into a third world country eventually?
Where there are only poor and rich. Where the rich have everything and the poor have nothing? It makes me want a new government!


[edit on 3-11-2009 by dreamseeker]

I just don't understand why it has to be this way? Does it make any sense?

Yes, it's bad. From the article:



Can you just imagine how much worse it will become if Cap & Trade is passed and they will be paying approximately $1,500 more annually for their utilities? It's going to be a mess.

But I do agree with your anger about ticketing them- that only adds fuel to the fire. Poor form on the police for nickel and diming those who are obviously already struggling.

Not that I don't believe in personal responsibility or feel sorry for those who neglect to pay their bills. I'm sure some in that line are there because they frittered away their cash on silly things then couldn't pay their bills once the time rolled around. But I am also sure there are people in that line who are trying with everything they have to make ends meet. It seems so wrong to crash down on them when they're already struggling. It's going to cause a backlash.

Source: www.kmbc.com...

This is an outrage. Send the police to make more money for the city, when the citizens don't have enough to pay for utilities? I can see sending them for disturbances, but come on!

I think we are going to see ALOT more of this in the times to come.

News last night in San Antonio stated that claims for food stamps in the area have TRIPLED in the past month and that they don't have enough staff to process.They are adding more BUT when they scanned the parking lot to show how full it was,it was full of nothing but brand new cars.
They interviewed 2 women who were "stuck" in the system: bother were in their 20's and had 4 children.One had a iphone in her hand as she talked she fiddled with.

Now...I am ALL FOR helping people,I volunteer and will gladly donate/cook to feed needy people(and considering a "Hunter's Stew" meal as soon as deer season starts.) but if you're chatting on an iphone,driving a new car,and have 4 children before age 30...well...IMO,we've got a MUCH different problem to deal with than simply giving assistance to the "poor."

I worked my fine ass off for years to "have what I have" and again,am more than willing to share as I know I am fortunate in so many ways but wouldn't the "answer" lie more in setting up places to teach trades and service-skills (a friend of mine is taking in teens to teach them woodworking nearby...) so that they might be self-employed or get a steady job (service and skilled-tradesmen sectors continue to hold their own) RATHER than to simply determine they are the "have not's?

Damn...my grandma,who grew up in the Depression took in sewing and ironing her entire LIFE for "pin money" and put several of us through college on it! I have cleaned toilets in office building in my life for a 2nd job...I know,as do many,what you do to "get rich." It isn't as clean-cut as the OP suggests nor is poverty and I totally understand the despair of many who are born into it with little hope.

You get my point? Instead of policing and handing out...why isn't the Big O establishing either paid or volunteer-staffed locations(God KNOWS there are enough abandoned houses and commerical properties that could be put to use???) and setting up workshops for marketable "skills?"
Everyone I know who wants "work donw from fence-painting to roof repair,to new cabinets installed to simply a hand on a ranch is either waiting or can't FIND anyone to do the work???

We recently offered $10.00 cash an hour to pick grapes,a hot lunch,dips in the pool,whenever you wanted,and a really fun few days of work and NO ONE wanted to work.We ended up having to rely on friends.We were told "it isn't enough money" by every teen we tried to enlist!!!

Is it that "they" don't want to work or is it that "they" have simply made it possible and even attractive to have a new car,an iphone,and 4 kids AND to get assistance???
I have great empathy for people,probably too much sometimes but this is truly mucked-up and getting worse.

Now I wonder if someone wandered through those crowds offering to teach those in line a "skill" they could rely on to make a living or say "$10.00 and hour" for simple outside work how MANY would even CONSIDER the options???

Rant over,soapbox is ruining my stilettos...

Is there any sort of proctection against too many utlity increases? Is there some sort of cap? I pay $83 for minimal electricity usage on a one bedroom 750 sq tf apartment. I am scared that next year that will be me in line. I still have to pay $20 on my electicity for last month. Thank goodness I will be paying it before I am shut off.
I live in $800/month and do as best I can. I am only behind on one or two bills a month.

reply to post by dreamseeker

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I honestly don't know. But if you find out, let me know because my electric bill ranges from $800-$1,000 A MONTH.

reply to post by irishchic

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I hear you and briefly alluded to such people in my post above. My mother in law owns a series of rent houses in our small town. Many of the residents have trouble paying their rent come the first and ask for extensions. But it's their own fault.

For instance, there is one young couple (mid to late 20's) that have three children already. Every single time when the first rolls around, they file a rent extension. However, driving by their house you'll see approximately $750 worth of Halloween decorations in their yard, including a mini fake cemetery and huge balloon creature decorations. Then when I'm on that side of town during the weekends, without fail they're hosting something like a backyard 'Beer and BBQ' party. Then they cry on the first how hard it is that they can't pay their rent.

So I KNOW that kind of stuff happens. And people in the food stamp lines with $250 sneakers and a $300 cell phone. It's madness. Even when watching the video in the article above, I tried looking really closely at the people in line to see what kind of clothes and accessories they owned. On the other hand, I do realize not everyone who needs help is like that. It just seems wrong to fine people who are seeking help of all things because we don't know who is who.

You never know people's circumstances. For example I do not seem poor either. I have middle class parents who help me when they can. My father is paying my car payment as long as I stay in college. My family bought me a nice new TV. Maybe some of those people got these things as gifts or maybe they were middle class before they lost a job.
Many people only have a cell phone as their home phone. There is even pre paid plans where people put minutes on it as they can afford. I know when you get a phone on a contract they give you a phone for less than half the price.
I have a degree and have many skills but what good does learning a new skill do me when I am overqualfied? I am defintely not what you think of when you think of poverty. I have nice clothes only because they are hand me downs.
Instead of teaching people new skills we need to keep more jobs in the country and lowering costs for utlties/rents etc.
I bet if I was in one of those lines someone would probably say the same thing about me she is wearing a nice coat and has a cell phone she can't be poor. I also had to save up a lot of money to get most of what I own. Many things are hand me downs or on sale. I know my dining table I get on a summer clearence for $25.

Did I mention half of my nice clothes are my father's hand me down? I never ask for additional help unless I am very desperate. I work 30 hours per work. I worked 50 hours per week before I had a nervous breakdown and now I can pretty much only work at home or with lots of breaks.

Please don't judge unless you know for sure. Yes there are always ones who don't want to work but that is not always the case.


[edit on 3-11-2009 by dreamseeker]

I live in Benton Harbor Michigan . Look it up poor is the word they like to use when the correct word would be stupid. Can't pay the bills but have 5000$ worth of tires and wheels on a 30000$ Tahoe. They know sooner or later somebody will bail them out.

reply to post by AshleyD

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$800-$1000 per month? How big is your house; what area do you live in. That is outragouse! Did you have someone look at your meter? Ask your neighbors how much their electricity runs. That does not seem right to me.
WHat do you say to your elecricity company?
I would be HOPING mad!!!

Actually, this police game of business-as-usual is a good thing. They are piling on stress on top of an already angry population. What this means in practical terms is that the straw-that-broke-the-camels-back will be happening sooner rather than later.

If you've ever witnessed mass riots (like LA in '92), you know just how fast events unfold after a trigger event. I predict that the next trigger will start a nation-wide event. It will take such an event before the government will put an end to the Federal Reserve, stop the looting of the treasury and our Constitution.

Folks, get used to it! I hate to say I told you so, But I DID tell you so - for the past two years. This is still in the early stages. What is coming, I promise you, will make the Great depression look like a teeny little recession by comparison. There has NEVER been a larger transfer of wealth from the lower and middle classes to the wealthy, EVER, in the history of modern economics. This typically leads to revolution. In fact, There have been HUNDREDS of Revolutions throughout history for less!

It is almost as if those in power desire a rebellion or a revolution. We know that we can learn from the mistakes made in history so as to not repeat them. Yet, we are doing EXACTLY what has led to previous revolutions. I advise people to learn about the causes and progression of the French Revolution, The Russian Revolution, The Glorious Revolution and The Chinese Rebellion - the parallels will absoutely astound you!

In every instance the birth of the revolution was caused by growing social inequality and abuses of the rights of the "lower classes" by the elite. We are seeing this today as it was recently announced that many Wall Streeters saw a 50% INCREASE in their income this year over last while millions remain jobless with no prospect for improvement. Meanwhile, the government continues to "Bail-out" these very firms with our tax dollars while doing little, to nothing for mainstreet Americans. Anger is growing. How much longer will the "average" American sit by and allow themselves to be driven from their homes and stripped of their dignity. I predict not for too much longer!

By the same token, the ability to learn from the past has escaped those responsible for this mess. What they failed to gleen from history is the fact that in EVERY revolution, it was the aristocracy and/or ruling class that was massacred and destroyed. Alas, history shall yet again repeat itself.

Have faith in "commoners" such as yourselves. The time will come when THEIR wealth will become as meaningless as the paper it is printed upon. THEIR military and police will no longer do their bidding and will, in fact, turn against them. We will become a closer-knit, more agrarian society who will rely on the unique skills of those that live in our communities for our survival. In time, a NEW social order will emerge and technology will resume - but not until the great correction has taken place. That hour is very close at hand!

That is uncalled for! That is a misconception! I am poor and I have a pretty high IQ. I am working on a master's in Psychology with a 3.6 gpa!
Some of us "poor" became disabled due to an overwhelming soceity.
Read my post above throughly. My grandfather gave me $500 once on one condition if I spend it something other than bills. I went out a bought a laptop. Did I need it" NO. Sometimes it is just nice to have a few nice things.

I admit though I am not one for excesses unless it is a good deal or someone bought it for me. I have a used Kia Rio and live modestly. I had the same coach for 12 years until my family refused to come visit as much until I got a new one. So I saved up my money to buy a new one. I bought it on sale at jcpenney. My point being that sometimes even the poor should have nice new things.

reply to post by dreamseeker

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I have "been poor" and am absolutely not "judging": rather I am presenting a viable "option" for consideration based on quite a few years of "life-experience." I am suggesting that IF there were some "programs" establish by our sainted-government to "assist" people in need the way it SHOULD be done ie,teaching them a viable money-making skill (and yes,in a perfect world,everyone would be able to find a high-paying "job in their field" but those days are dwindling FAST!) but how about a Plan B???? It USED to be many of us took a second job but with child-care and "obligations",I know few who do so.

So....I am saying that perhaps instead of police-manpower to write citations and more hand-outs,how about some concrete "help" in terms of teaching people woodworking,electrical-skills,HVAC,sewing,cooking...you name it!!! DAMN...my guy is a multi-milionaire who MADE his money in the "trades" and NEVER refused hard work of any kind "in his field" or whether he was "overqualified" or not.

What I'm saying doesn't really relate to "appearances" rather to the fact that it's TOTALLY upside-down adn that many of thse able-bodied persons could have an inproved situation if the resources were used differently.

Have you yourself even considered "something else" as you say you are "overqualified?" What in the world does that even mean anymore...

You can ALWAYS find "work"...a "job" is much harder to find. I agree.Good thing parents when parents CAN help their kids: I have friends who've had to take out their 401K' early,sell their homes, and a lot more to "help" their kids thus making their own furtures even more un-certain.I have friends who THOUGHT they'd be "home free" in their 50's and have grown families moving back into their homes because their kids have lost jobs and homes...

What you may take my "judgement" on my part of simply observation based on a LOT of experience and I "see" that it could be different.

I wish you only good things and know that it's truly HARD out there for "young people" currently.

I can tell this much, when it comes to my neck of th woods, We are just noticing with all the unemployment and needy asking for help utilities just keep getting higher, prices are up and nobody seems to take into consideration that the reminding tax payer and employed are the ones been gouged, because the people with needs eventually just stop paying bills and utilities with that, but for the rest of those that still hold a job and are up today on bills are getting gouged.

I can only imagine when the needy are going to start turning against the system.

"Esculating Recession; hunderds line up for assistance"


I'm sorry but its bad enough that the educational system has become so bad that nobody can spell... but there is a spell checker.

"Escalating Recession; hundreds line up for assistance"

I agree the police should have not handed out tickets but it really is too late to try to teach someone a new skill until they are out of desperation. When you are in desperation you almost give up in a way.
I see it differenly only because I am among the poor now and everyone I know is struggling. They are hard working people who are realistic. They dont live beyone their means. Our experiences may be different.
I live on disablity so I can't work part time or lose my health insurance and benefits. I would like to get off disablity but I would have to find a job paying $2000/month to make it without the help.
I am overqualfied because I have a degree, computer skills, type 40 wpm, have worked 20 years. I am considering other options. I thought about starting my own business but that takes money.
Honestly I feel as if there will be no way to catch up ever because prices will keep rising and rising and rising. I am scared for our country and the world and myself.

[edit on 3-11-2009 by dreamseeker]

EXCUSE ME? What does that have to do with anything? I have dsylexia and ADD. THIS IS UNCALLED FOR! Don't insult me. I know I am not the best at spelling but I try. I am in college and it isn't bad!

reply to post by dreamseeker

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I live in Louisiana. A daughter of my husband took in 4 children of her sister, who has a serious drug problem. She already has 3 children of her own.

She took the other children in, last May. She has still not seen any assistance from the state in regards to food stamps. She works, and supports her own children, but needs the assistance of food stamps for the other 4. She has completed a requirement of parenting classes, but still no help. The state is backed up with food stamp requests. When the children first came to her, a case worker took her to Wal-Mart, and let her buy clothing and toiletries for the kids on an emergency basis, but that is all the help she has gotten. She does get WIC for one of the children that falls into the age group qualification.

I feel for her situation, but she is always crying poor. She has 3 horses, 5 dogs, and a rabbit she also feeds. She has a television in every room, including 5 bedrooms that run constantly. She buys every electronic gadget for her children (x-box, wii....etc) and two of her own children have cell phones. One is 8 and the other is 12. She buys them all junk food and soda to eat and drink, but she rarely cooks.

The daughter is currently upset with her father, my husband, and tells him this is his responsibility! Heck, we are having a rough time right now! My husband has MS, and tried to work last year, and was seriously hurt on a job, so, we are living on peanuts and beans. We have a rough time, paying our own bills. Right now, I am using internet, via wireless on a shared plan with a neighbor!

My argument to her, is get rid of the horses, dogs and rabbit, take the cell phones away from the kids, cook some meals, and turn off the televisions. Make your children earn expensive gifts with chores. (The kids are slobs)

People today, just don't seem to get it. They think and expensive car, all the latest gadgets, and keeping up with the Jones, when they can't afford to is the norm. We didn't have any of the things when I was growing up that people consider necessities today.

While there are some people who truely need assistance, there are a heck of a lot of selfish people out there that don't.

I'd be interested in knowing how many people got tickets with relatively new cars in this article.

It disgusts me how some people do take advantage of the system. I lived through Katrina, and let me tell ya, some people went out and purchased designer clothes with their $2,000.00. I didn't get any assistance, and I did't relocate.

This world, or our country has gone freakin mad!