Money for food, not bombs!

It will surprise none of the 0 people who read this blog (I can't even get my boyfriend to read it), that I am a homeless activist of sorts. I do work with a non-profit group which cooks vegetarian food and serves it to the homeless folks who populate the local parks. The group is just a few of us, and we feed the homeless every other weekend. We used to serve on a weekly basis, but work takes its toll during the week, and we just don't have the energy or time to do it every Saturday anymore. I feel badly about this, and yet I realize that in order to keep sane at work, I must rejuvenate my batteries over the weekend.

And anyway, it's not MY responsibily alone to feed the homeless - it's society's, via taxes. We as a society refuse to buy into a more socialized Democracy, and so we reap what we sow. If we bought into a system that served everyone's needs, then we wouldn't have such a problem with homelessness (which is worsening everyday). We would have jobs for everyone, or at least the vast majority, and we would have shelter and financial help for those who were temporarily out of jobs. Societies in Europe do it - why can't we?

Because in Generica we have been conditioned to think that it's everyone for themselves. This is PURE BUNK. Societies subsist on mutual cooperation. Or at least harmonious societies do. Which is why we have a discordant society. Which is why our crimes rates are the worst in the civilized world. Which is why so many are so miserable and existing on 20 types of medication. Yes, even the rich are miserable, because happiness is not about material wealth - it's about spiritual wealth. And our society is spiritually impoverished, and we take our frustrations out on the weak.

My feeling is that people who are callous toward the homeless don't want to face the brutal truth: that it could be THEM out there in the streets. It could be ANY of us. People lose jobs all the time, and not everyone has the financial means to keep afloat in times of unemployment. And with the current rash of outsourcing (hell, they're even starting to outsource JOURNALISTS and BROADCASTERS - WTF?), NONE of us are safe.

There are many reasons for homelessness*, but the main ones include: dearth of jobs, and lack of affordable housing. Here in Atlanta, we are seeing a surge in luxury loft and condo building, and a depressing lack of affordable homes. This affects ALL of us. Who among the middle class can afford a $300,000 mortgage?

Callousness toward homeless people is discouraging, at best. I can barely countenance it, actually, because I don't know why some people must adopt such lofty attitudes toward those less fortunate than themselves. Sure, there is a percentage of homeless who are drug and/or alcohol addicted, but again, why the callousness toward that? If I were homeless, I'd certainly turn to drugs to quell my depression, and there's substantial evidence to show that that drug addiction among homeless was spurred AFTER the homelessness occurred. And even if the drug addiction was a part in enabling the homelessness, I don't understand why people have to be so cruel towards people with the drug problem. We are, none of us, without fault, and so why must we be such a crassly judgemental society? Drug and alcohol addiction is rife in a society that is spiritually bereft, and so in order to heal our wounds, we must begin to work together, as a cohesive unit, for a more harmonious world.

Homelessness is something that could conceivably afflict any of us. Some of the European and Scandanavian countries realize this, and take care to protect their own. Why can't we?

We can find TRILLIONS of dollars to pay for killing and maiming innocent individuals, but we can't fund a society that benevolently exists for everyone?

As Michael Moore says in "Sicko" - "These countries [France, England, Canada, Cuba] understand that it's about WE, not ME."

God bless Michael Moore, and I don't even believe in god.

*Homelessness numbers have soared since the Reagan administration, so yes, it IS ALWAYS about economics, and whether we have a system that either coddles or condemns the masses. It is about whether we have a system that cares more for CEOS, or for real everyday people. I don't care if that sounds like a pedantic liberal cliche - it's the fucking truth.