The sadness of homelessness

[QuestioningMind]

I’ve always seen some homeless people here in France, but until recently, those living on the streets were isolated cases of people who suffer from addiction and/or mental illness and in some particular areas there are groups of illegal migrants living in tents, waiting to either get their papers or go to another country.

But this year things changed. Now I see camps of homeless people in places where they had never existed before. There is a bunch of tents under the trees of a public park where I like to run. A lot of the people in there are young adults.

Every day I see the financial markets going parabolic on the easy money being created out of nothing, and the people are getting poorer and more desperate.

It’s winter and they are sleeping in tents, without bathrooms and eating whatever the local associations can give them. I’m not surprised this is happening, but it still makes me really sad. No one should have to live in a tent and endure a winter in those conditions.

That's what happens when you base your economy of a game like Monopoly, where the goal is for one person to end up with everything and everyone else ends up with absolutely nothing. It's a stimulating diversion for an afternoon's entertainment, but it's completely unsustainable as an economic model.

 

[Audie]

That's what happens when you base your economy of a game like Monopoly, where the goal is for one person to end up with everything and everyone else ends up with absolutely nothing. It's a stimulating diversion for an afternoon's entertainment, but it's completely unsustainable as an economic model.

It would be if that were ever attempted or possible

 

[Sunstone]

If you guys find that harsh, you cannot even imagine the sadness and despair of homeless/poor people in my part of the world. I've SEEN homeless people dying out of hunger, cold and/or just killing themselves and their families [including children] to end their miseries. We have regular cases of women, children, old people RAPED by a''holes who take advantage of their situation and/or attacked by some feral dogs etc. And things SO messed up that I can't even write them here.

Although, thankfully, I am yet to face homelessness, I have served in military and have been out on the field, and things were incredibly agonizing on me, both physically and mentally. And this is despite of the fact I was healthy and young [early 20's back then]. When I think of how hard it must be for children, women, old people who actually ARE homelessness, a part of me just die a painful death.

May God have Mercy on all of us

I cannot imagine the suffering you witness. It's incomprehensible to me.

 

[Sunstone]

Hell on Earth --- Punkistan.

I'm glad you found this forum. You're a hell of an interesting member. (Pun shamelessly intended)

 

[Sunstone]

Of course I take a profit. Do I turn
it to gold and diamonds that I pour over my head?
(Nope )

Fool! Money is wasted on you!

It goes into the next project that employs
yet more people.

The quality of economics education here is
such it is not widely understood that profits are
as necessary to 'investors' as seed corn is to
farmers. No profits? Good luck with next
year's crop!

Moreover, society needs -- absolutely must have --
some means of concentrating wealth so that it can
be used to undertake 'projects' which would be
impossible to undertake without such concentrations.

The only question is what means is best for that
task and I myself prefer a combination of private
capital and publicly decided 'industrial policies' that
encourage the capital to be invested in areas that
are most beneficial to the society as a whole.

Yeah, call me a dreamer, if you must.

What would you have me do differently?

Does giving away all your wealth and following Jesus
appeal to you? No? Then how about you keep
investing it. Just please -- for the sake of everyone --
keep an eye on 'ethical investments'. No dumping
money into 'Trump Steaks' ever again, ok?

Sure its not fair that I inherited and others did not.
Or that I am short when I wish I am tall and
glamorous.

I have a great idea! Let's all spend our lives wishing
we had been dealt different cards, rather than learning
to play the ones we have! It'll be fun! We'll be winners!

Is there some chance you can see its not
always just evil greed that separates and
characterizes those in the1 percent?

Wait! What do you mean? Things aren't black and white?
The world is not divided between saints and sinners,
humans and demons? Human nature is not straight-
forward but rather messy? There are no simplistic
solutions? Is that what you're getting at?

Cause if you are, my whole worldview lies in torn
rags crumpled at my feet now. I thought the truth
would be easy to grasp!

 

[Audie]

I'm glad you found this forum. You're a hell of an interesting member. (Pun shamelessly intended)

We hear dengue is pretty interesting too

 

[QuestioningMind]

It would be if that were ever attempted or possible

The 'haves' have been attempting it for almost ever and as the increasing disparity between rich and poor indicates, they're doing a pretty good job of making it possible.

 

[oldbadger]

Out of such conditions uprisings might start.

True

 

[Audie]

The 'haves' have been attempting it for almost ever and as the increasing disparity between rich and poor indicates, they're doing a pretty good job of making it possible.

I suppose you'd have to figure me for thE
guillotine then.

Wonder if you read my defense, earlier.

A detail you may be overlooking
is that IF, say, me and the illuminati had
all the money there would be some problems.

Nobody could buy anything and the world economy would collapse.

The unruly peasants would revolt and there I
am dangling from a lamp post
Rich people get rich because they work
hard and like working. You have to like it
or it won't turn out. Given all the money there's no fun in life.
What do you propose besides private enterprize?
There's more...
Maybe uncle @sundstone can give you
some economics ideas. I've been up all
night and my brain is fried.

 

[Sunstone]

I want to talk to only the relevant members here, that makes you and rest of the mods [maybe], especially Polymath [since he was involved].

Is there any way I can challenge my warning with both of you, and other mods (for the sake of fairness) monitoring it?

Yes. Warnings are challenged all the time, and often enough reversed -- if the challenge is deemed meaningful. We tend to give the benefit of any doubts to the member. But I'll be honest. If someone starts a thread in Site Feedback that is accusatory, vile, abusive, or otherwise uncouth, we tend to ban them -- we're not paid and we don't put up with being punching bags. So, please be polite, state your case, and we'll do our best to be fair to you.

 

[Sunstone]

We hear dengue is pretty interesting too

I prefer STDs. Much more incentive to
work hard acquiring them.

 

[Audie]

I prefer STDs. Much more incentive to
work hard acquiring them.

I tried that, didn't care for it

 

[Sunstone]

I tried that, didn't care for it

Understandable!

A Mennonite woman gave me
chlamydia once some decades ago.
Annoyingly enough, she only let me
get 'close enough' to contract it, then
twisted away. Said she'd changed her
mind. A few days later, I realized it
was possible I'd been 'set up'. But too
late then!

Ah! Learning pains!

 

[Sunstone]

The 'haves' have been attempting it for almost ever...

I can't read the minds of the 'haves', so I don't know
for certain all the many diverse views, motives, etc. of our
glorious nation's 600 (is it 600 now?) billionaires. I only
ever have known one of them personally - someone I
hung out with on rare occasions when she and I were
both in our twenties. She at least was a compassionate
individual concerned with 'the plight of the have nots', and
willing to put money where her mouth was. The sort of
rich person Rush Limbaugh hates, and has riled against.

The Kochs, on the other hand... never met them personally,
but apparently what passes for an education with them is
they at least once each managed to read Atlas Shrugged.
Can't say they were smart enough to see through Rand.

The growing gap between rich and poor will soon amount
to an existential crisis if history is any indication. Perhaps
it has already, but that doesn't change the fact the super-
rich come in as many different flavors and colors as any
other group of people.

 

[Audie]

I can't read the minds of the 'haves', so I don't know
for certain all the many diverse views, motives, etc. of our
glorious nation's 600 (is it 600 now?) billionaires. I only
ever have known one of them personally - someone I
hung out with on rare occasions when she and I were
both in our twenties. She at least was a compassionate
individual concerned with 'the plight of the have nots', and
willing to put money where her mouth was. The sort of
rich person Rush Limbaugh hates, and has riled against.

The Kochs, on the other hand... never met them personally,
but apparently what passes for an education with them is
they at least once each managed to read Atlas Shrugged.
Can't say they were smart enough to see through Rand.

The growing gap between rich and poor will soon amount
to an existential crisis if history is any indication. Perhaps
it has already, but that doesn't change the fact the super-
rich come in as many different flavors and colors as any
other group of people.

New Yorker cartoon-

Farmer by his field of corn, instructing
his son.
The corn plants all have books!

He says, "The ones reading Ayn Rand
are not mature yet."

 

[Sunstone]

New Yorker cartoon-

Farmer by his field of corn, instructing
his son.
The corn plants all have books!

He says, "The ones reading Ayn Rand
are not mature yet."

There is so much truth in that! I think I
was 15 when I began reading Rand,
and at that age, she made near total
sense. Just four or five years later,
I knew so much more about the world
that I'd become aware of how simplistic
her views are.

 

[Vee]

Sure its not fair that I inherited and others did not.
Or that I am short when I wish I am tall and
glamorous.

Is there some chance you can see its not
always just evil greed that separates and
characterizes those in the1 percent?

Hi Audie,
I's so true that some tend to see rich people like some kind of evil, and that's unfair too. Many have money because they work very hard, they're good investors and they create jobs. Being rich doesn't make anyone a bad person and being poor doesn't mean being good, or a victim. There are all kinds of people in every situation.
If you were lucky to inherit, good for you. I'm glad you chose to invest and be productive.