Houston, We Have a Problem

Now that those pesky people who insisted on surviving in New Orleans have been saved, there seems to be a HUGE problem brewing. Namely, where do they go, where do they live? Will the healthcare system and local relocation areas be overwhelmed? I can almost see the greedy corporations wringing their hands, wondering how much all this will cut into there "profit bottomline."

WHY WE HAVE THOSE TAXPAYER SOCIAL PROGRAMS

Long ago, back in the 1930s, we had the "Great Depression." I suppose all you youngsters out there MAY have studied it in school, forgot it immediately. But let me refresh your memory by the personal tale told to me by my own grandmother and grandfather, who lived through that era. You see, that was BEFORE there were any social programs like welfare, food stamps, medicare, medicaid...and basically what the government and more importantly, what the rich and middle-class learned is that you cannot simply hope starving, impoverished masses of human beings will disappear. They live among us, mostly unseen, unheard...until we have a horrible crisis like Hurricane Katrina, or the Great Depression. Then you have all these displaced, disgruntled, miserable human beings sort of...well, in your face. And impossible to ignore. My grandmother said hungry begging people used to come to her backdoor, and she always gave them food. Think about that a minute: HUNGRY beggers at your backdoor. Roaming nomads (some of them mentally ill, some criminally violent) in YOUR neighborhood, your safe, quiet suburban home...right there, in your face.

According to Bush's Compassionate Conservative ideology (and daddy Bush's 'Thousand Points of Life' ideology) religious charity and the overwhelming generosity of others will simply take care of those hungry folks. Well, my friends, NOW is the time this kind of thinking is TESTED in reality. How many grand, huge churches are offering to take care of those in need by allowing them shelter, food, and essentials? How many so-called Christians are offering and opening their homes to these people, indefinitely? I don't want to hear about two or three exceptional ones, I want to know that THOUSANDS are doing what Bush has professed to believe they will: Come forward willingly and fix this awful problem without any government assistance.

I mean, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

FDR helped the poor by creating social programs for them. I'm not going to rehash it for you, but I bet you can learn more by googling it on the internet. It has worked for many, many years...until the Republicans gained ALL the political power this time around. If you voted for these stinkers, you'd better take a long, hard look at what you are going to face in the future without social programs -- only the hopeful ideology of religious charity as a safety net.

In the meantime, let me just tell you a wonderful byproduct of the gasoline hike in prices: It is actually somewhat quiet on the busy highway in front of our old house. I told DH last night and again this morning that, as Martha Stewart used to say, "It's a good thing." Before, on weekends this highway was so busy with traffic I didn't think I could live here when we first moved in. Last night it was almost entirely quiet after 10:00, so I guess the teen's allowances for gas has dwindled, since before the gas crunch they spent most of the night racing up and down the highway. Today, there's been some traffic, but nothing like usual. If this is the byproduct of higher gas prices, I don't think I'll mind it too much.

DH is on vacation next week, but like always, we have several property upkeep chores to get done around here, and will not be traveling except for necessity.

And that's it for today.