redblueamerica.com

I have an offspring (We're US Citizens) who is temporarily working in Canada. He and his wife like most things about being there. They're eligible for the "Free" medical care. After a couple of trips with the kids to the clinic taking half a day, they've resumed crossing the border and paying something for medical and getting in and out in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Robert H. Galloway

Thanks for this, how sad that we send our men to fight in a lost war in Iraq and can't even help our people in need in the homeland!

Conflating notions of biological evolution with sociological process/reality is always a creative and interesting undertaking, however, it is also extremely misguided. In, other words, it's basically wrong or at the least misnamed. This always reminds me of how people use Quantum theories aka Chaos theory etc to talk about social-political situations. Again misguided. Physicists are trying but they still haven't reconciled the standard theory with gravity and here are people taking up a theory pushing a political view with misapplied notions. Next thing some silly goose will be talking of string or twister theory as a metaphor for social process. That will be interesting but again wrong.

Anyway, as one respondent mentioned Canada has problems but remains light years ahead of the "paramount of civilization" aka the United States as it concerns healthcare.
I guess it won't matter much though because pretty soon the US will be sucking all the water from good old Canada plus a few other resources we have tucked up here. (unless good old Obama gets in--go Obama)

By the way it's the Chinese that Americans have to worry about but don't let that stop you from closing up the "Canukistan" border. Oh and by the way remember the 9/11 terrorists were not from Canada.

Anyway, currently through NAFTA, the USA has Canada has in it's sights, they just have to pull the trigger. Some of the regulations are so helpful to the US and so potentially disasterous for Canada you have to wonder if the Canadian negotiators weren't really Americans at the time NAFTA was created.

If NAFTA stays in place Canada is very likely, in pragmatic terms, to lose it's political jurisdiction/freedom and we shall see many of the progressive changes which the US has managed to work out for themselves. Let's see...now...ah! I know healthcare first...gone. Then..hmm...further weakening of environmental laws and regulations meant to protect the health of all. Lots of good union busting tactics...always nice. Next? hmmm....oh..by that time the US will likely be drafting for the 20th year of their 100 year war in Iraq (as BIG JOHN MCCAIN would like)...so the draft should be in full swing. I am sure the state of Canada will be able to provide some good human "fodder" for that.

Of course the US could change their constitution so Arnold Schwarzenager could become president..and some pragmatic social and environmental efforts might occur but I don't think that will happen. Go Arnie..who would have thought.

Again...go Obama go, that way some of the more hard on their luck humans in Canada at least, whether deserving or not of their situation, will actually be in a place that recognizes them as human beings regardless of their "deficiencies" aka "human waste"

Finally, I love the old "rugged individual...I done it all my self...no one gave me squat" argument with all it's bluster and ignorance. Just the people who often come running for help when the crap hits the fan of their usually staid and safe life. People who think this should wake up to the quasi democracies they think are free and the whole notion that some how they are independent of the world around them, biological or social. Just hold your breath to see how "free" you are. Sorry it's all interconnected and it's quite likely neglecting other humans like not breathing will ultimately be not in anyone's best interest.

Regard
tm

I have no idea where you get your information, but we Canadians have just as many homeless people sleeping on our cold, cold streets as you do in the States! You say that our comprehensive health care system has solved the homeless problem. In your dreams! People like me who have worked from 9 to 5 every day of the week for a lifetime wait in looooong lines for our "free" medical treatment. (If you have cancer up here, you can die waiting for treatment. My neighbour did. My father did. My boss did.)

Of course, our system is only free for the freeloaders who don't work and pay exorbitant taxes. (By the way, we working folk pay taxes that you Americans would overthrow your government in all-out rebellion before submitting to.) And what do we get for being taxed to death? Masses of our state-trained doctors and nurses head south to the US where they can earn a proper wage and work with proper equipment. We get to stand in line behind the drunks and addicts hoping that our less urgent problems will finally get some attention.

I went to a doctor's office last Friday (not in a hospital, not in an emergency room) and waited over four hours for a two-minute visit to refill my prescriptions. But the visit was free! I only had to pay thousands of dollars in income tax to earn the right to wait in line.

But enough of my ranting. I hope you Americans who read this will thank providence every day that you do not have our "comprehensive health care." Come and visit if you want to assure yourself that homelessness in not an exclusively American problem. But don't get sick while you're here. You'll get to see what government-operated medical facilities are really like.

Cold Comfort in Canada

What a heartless person. I only hope that this is not the feeling of the majority of my Republican friends on this blog.

Social Darwinism is the survival of the fitest. This is what America is build on, and it's a good thing.
Sorry, you sensitives folks.

I have a heart to help people in need but I'm also tired of getting scammed at every corner by people who make homelessness a profitable profession.

While we're studying homelessness, let's do a few thousand research projects on actual homeless people. Are they just crack adicts or alcoholics who have drank or shot-up everything they and their family ever had?

I have personal experience with adicts and I've read some reports on the homeless and for me the jury is out on who they really are and whether our help is just getting them their next fix or drink or cigarette.

I refuse to support that or laziness. I have encountered healthy young people who beg on the street and probably have more disposable income than I do.

Skeptical

I don't for a moment believe that it is solely Bush or his administration that is responsible for the homeless situation. I do, however, believe that the government, and indeed, the nation as a whole has played a part. By 'as a whole', I mean the fact that Americans turn a blind eye to our problems at home... until those problems directly affect them. It seems that we'd much rather pat ourselves on the back for sending a check to help someone in a third world country than have to look at our neighbour as he asks us for help.

Everyone I know "could" make the choice to live under a bridge; they choose not to do so. The american dream isn't something people stand in line to get; they attack life and use their intelligence and fortitude to gain the best they can.

Are you saying that the homeless choose to be on the streets? Are you saying that we just sit around and let life go on around us, waiting for a handout? I've heard comments about 'slackers', 'don't have kids you can't afford', 'too lazy to work', 'pay your own way'... the list goes on and on. I commented in my post below about stereotypes. The simple fact is this: for many of us who find ourselves homeless, we have done our best to provide. In my case, I worked 16-hour days for most of my adult life, until I was injured in an auto accident when I was in college (I had gone back to school at 29 for a new career) and my life fell apart.

Don't assume that because someone is homeless, s/he hasn't tried and is content with the situation. Lost jobs, layoffs, weak dollar, illness, disability... there are many reasons people are homeless. Perhaps trying to understand why people are homeless, beyond the obvious and stereotypical reasons would be a good place to start when it comes to finding a solution.

Thank you for these images. People in America tend to forget that we exist. Yes, I said 'we'. Currently, my family and I qualify as 'homeless'. We had a beautiful, safe, stable home. So what happened? Government errors. Illegal, regulation-breaking conduct by HUD officials happened.
The housing authority terminated our assistance for not reporting income that didn't exist, after a hearing we requested because they refused to tell us what the 'unreported income' was. When we finally did get info and pointed out the (numerous) errors, they refused to do anything to rectify the situation. I worked my way through HUD offices until I finally spoke to someone in Washington, DC, where I was told that unless they broke regulations, there was nothing that HUD could do. (Um... there is a regulation on HUD's books that deals with making information/evidence available before hearings, not to mention a little thing called the Constitution. Due process, anyone?).
Ultimately, we couldn't properly defend ourselves and they decided to terminate my section 8. We could easily have disproven their allegations, had we known what we supposedly didn't report. All it took for us to lose our home was one person who misread/misinterpreted some paperwork, and then refused to correct the mistake. I know that we aren't the only ones who, for whatever reason, suddenly had the rug yanked from beneath their feet.
There is quite a bit of stereotyping about who the homeless are. Many people seem to believe that we are all drug addicts, alcoholics, layabouts, and any number of other misperceptions. Some of us might be, but many, if not most, of us aren't. We're people who work hard and just cannot afford a home. We're vets who've hit hard times. We're people who were one paycheck away from the street when we got sick and burned through our savings. We're people who are trying to do our best to take care of our families and just can't seem to catch a break.
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to this issue. I truly believe that it is a crisis. I also believe that a safe, decent, affordable home should be a right, not a privilege. Something needs to be done. I just wish I knew what.

Well said, as always, Mercy Man
Thank YOU for your well thought out, beautifully photographed and WELL WRITTEN blogs.
Barrie Church

I guess "Not Very Moved" is a pull yourself up by the bootstraps kinda guy. I can't image, Mercy Man, looking at your images of people who live on the streets of my country and coming away with a thought like "a pack of cigarettes costs $5 a day". That this gentleman looked at those images and all he saw was a cigarette in somebody's mouth astounds me. Please, fellow readers, go to Mercy Man's website and tell me what YOU see. Are we a compasionate country, or do we just say we are? Do we care about others or do we just say we will in church every Sunday?
Barrie Church

Dear Jim,

First of all, thanks for taking a look at my photographs. Some people are " moved" by them others( like yourself) are not. Oh, well.

Let me try to respond to you in more details:

On your first point you are correct, most photographs of homeless on my site are from the mid 80's and jumping past 2000. Not to worry, I am editing some circa the " Clinton years". If you read the text that I have on my site concerning the issue during the Clinton era, you will see that I am quite critical of his lack of action in the matter. Clinton did not do what he should have done.

Any org. ( faith based or others) dealing with homeless people are talking about between 80,000 to 120,000 for LA county. In New-Orleans it is about 12,000.

As far as the cigarettes issues: I have no answer, but I am assuming that people give cigarettes away.

In terms of mental illness, a journalist like yourself should remember that various programs were cut in the 80's by Reagan, including fundings for County Hospitals. I do not have a solution, I am just saying that it is not acceptable to have mentally ills folks in the streets fending for themselves. You don't see that in Canada or Europe...why,because they do have a comprehensive health care system. Bottom line, how can anyone not being against the cruel concept of " Open air Asylum"? You tell me.

Homeless Vet: First of all, this is a bit of a personal issue for me. One of my closest friend is a Vietnam Vet and was homeless for 3 years. Are you familiar with PTSD? Well, he had post traumatic stress disorder after 2 years in Nam and eventualy ended up on skid row. I went to feed homeless for Thanksgiving and in the line 3 of the guys were vets from Afghanistan.

Mercyphotography

Thank's for your kind words.

How ironic, indeed, that Bush Jr was elected as a " Compassionate Conservative" and ended up being neither.

Bush did indeed, make a mockery of the great value of Compassion.

Thank you, in advance, for your pledge to help Habitat ( they can build a house with $50,000) and so far in the New-Orleans area they have build more than a 1000 houses.

You will find a direct link for Habitat on my sites.

Mercyphotography

Thanks for the mention of the lack of social safety net.

If our public education and health care system ( specially for mental illness) were appropriate the homeless population would decrease.

We like to hear from you, please join the debate on redblueamerica.com

Mercyphotography

i know it is hard not to have cancer.But how do you get cancer?

'Brush admministration'?? Gee, where have I been that I missed the President's new name..and an added 'n' in 'administration' (that the spell checker immediately picked up...).

"To see photos of Homeless people": 'Homeless' is a common noun and needs no capital letter, unless starting a sentence.

'The number are staggering'...the verb needs to agree with the subject. 'Number' is singular; therefore, it should read 'The numbers ARE staggering', or 'The number IS staggering'.

'Epidemy'??? Try 'epidemic'.

"and the one still living in FEMA trailers are suffering from formaldahyde poisoining." Either one still living in trailers IS suffering, or, what you probably meant, 'and the ONES still living...and it's 'formaldehyde', and 'poisoning'.

"It is peculiar, that a group of people ( Bush and his Evangelists friends),while putting in question the validity of Evolution could apply the principle of Social Darwinism so well." No comma is needed in the first sentence, and the word is 'Evangelistic'.
Evolution is but a theory, as is Social Darwinism. But assuming there is a nugget of truth in the theory of evolution (and that is a rather large assumption), survival of the fittest, as applied to humans, could quite possibly mean that the hurricane victims need to get off their butts and start helping themselves, instead of relying on the government. Then again, programs such as welfare seem to have spawned several generations that only know how to get a handout.

And Habitat for Humanity? Wonderful, wonderful organization, run and led by the very evangelists you proclaim to despise.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my photojournalist web site.

Best Regards,

Mercyphotography.

Dear Joel,

Thank you so much for looking at my photojournalist web site. I think your blog is a fantastic idea to try establishing bridges of communication between Blue & Red in a divided country and blog landscape. Bravo

Sincerely,

Mercyphotography.