Petunias.
. . . but where will they roost?
Today I read that home foreclosures are up 55% as compared to last year.
I also read today an article from the Orlando Sentinel.
Greed has been the primary cause of job loss in this country. Greed was, in my opinion, the major factor in the “mortgage crisis.” Gordon Gecko was wrong. Greed is not good. Were there foolish buyers? I suppose, but don’t let that distract you from the truth, Amerika wanted foolish buyers, cultivated foolish buyers, and got them.* Foolish buyers did not cause the crisis, but, safe in our nice houses, we can rail against them (if we are so inclined). I can go to my fridge for a nice cold glass of juice, selecting amongst what is stashed in there, and watch my HiD TV, and think what I want, but the heavies in this story are the banks/lenders. The “derivative” security moguls. Don’t worry though, they’ll land on their feet.
Seminole County is one of Florida’s smallest, geographically. It is now, in great part, just another section of the Orlando megalopolis. I have read that one section of the county is (or was) the highest earned-income demographic in Florida (not to be confused with the trust-fund-inherited-wealth of Palm Beach). Wealth and poverty are crammed into and share this corner of America. The wealthy parts consist of gated communities, with shopping and private schools nearby. It’s a very short bike ride to the other side of the equation.
If you haven’t glanced at the link above, here’s a clue: it’s about homelessness, and, in particular homeless families. “Homeless Families” means, largely, single mothers and their children.
The article I linked to is not my first clue that homeless families are numerous. The local media have covered the story before, showing tent “villages” out in the woods (we have lots of woods in Central Florida). They interview mothers, recently ensconced in the “middle class,” crying helplessly and hopelessly. Yeah, it’s all very sad.
I didn’t start out here to preach. Here’s what I meant to say: When I get home in a few weeks, I’m going to find some way to put some energy into helping the homeless. Exactly what direction this will take, I don’t know.
*I think I’ll rant about “foolish buyers” and our country’s cultivation of them in my next post.
SO many people think of homelessness as a ‘city problem,’ but the fact is that my little semi-rural town has quite a lot of homeless people; more now than before because of the housing crisis. I bet a LOT of people are living out of their cars now.
Do let us know how you choose to expend this energy; you might inspire others to take action, too.
By: mrschili on August 14, 2008
at 9:39 pm
I think it’s wonderful that you are turning your attention to this problem. In a way, the very crassness of what’s going on where you live may serve to turn things around.
We have a lot of “soft” homelessness here in Hawaii: people living in shacks, cars, on the beaches, or even on a bench.* There is a lot of public housing downtown, also, and very poor people are a familiar sight there. They shop in the same store I as do, paying for their groceries and snacks with their food stamp cards.
We don’t hassle people here. What I personally think is that it’s hard enough to be poor without being persecuted for it. And most people in Hawaii share that opinion.
I can’t analyze the difference in attitude in Hawaii; climate’s part of it, I suppose, and remnants of the extended family, or ohana, tradition. Maybe a less racist atmosphere. Also the understanding people have here that with the kind of volatile economy we have, people are going to be in trouble.
The hardest hit are those who live in minimal circumstances in Puna, a rural semi-slum to the southeast of us. There is virtually no public transportation or other services out there. It’s hard for people to get to their jobs, etc. (should they have jobs).
One thing that is as true here as everywhere: a man may live on the street, but women and kids must have shelter. There are several hard core guys downtown who are familiar faces, but the women disappear very fast. I hope it’s because they have found a place to live.
*That has been one old fellow’s territory ever since I moved here.
By: Hattie on August 14, 2008
at 11:21 pm
It’s not just the homeless, it’s the barely homed – families crowded into completely inadequate and unhealthy spaces. The high prices of houses in London was making this situation worse and worse… with unbearable strains on the family relationships involved.
By: lirone on August 18, 2008
at 2:16 pm
The other shoe has dropped: we just nationalized Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. I thought those guys were against socialism. Maybe they like privatized profit but socialized risk.
Jim Downey at Unscrewing The Inscrutable has a post of some relevance: Got A Few Trillion To Spare?
(Sorry if this comment comes up twice – there was a glitch)
By: decrepitoldfool on September 7, 2008
at 7:24 pm