By Rob Fleming
Not too long ago the idea of homelessness was synonymous with referring to a select minority of society such as wineos, vagrants, bums and other dregs of society. The Inconvenient Truth Of Homelessness to most people was to leave them on skid row or they would surely mingle with the good people of America and infect us all. If that was the truth, then shouldn’t we leave them alone rather than helping those who seemingly didn’t want our help and appeared as if they enjoyed their dismal squalor?
The fact of the matter is this isn’t 1950 or some long gone forgotten era and homelessness isn’t a word used to describe, explain and forget an aspect of America’s least attractive members. In recent years Homelessness has become a vastly growing segment of people from all walks of life who for a multitude of reasons have fallen through the cracks of American decency and into a back alley form of existence while the rest of the world walks on by! As the problem continues to grow with waning financial aid and other forms of governmental support rapidly diminishing, being homeless has rapidly become a class standing of life.
For far too long the world has been sinking in its own vile stew; greed, corruption, and violence are the new age answer to issues that plague the human condition. War is a new means of financial profits for greedy corporations while human suffering is merely an aggregate calculation in the profit/loss equation of big business. The rich get richer on the backs of the poor and middle class as our God given rights and freedoms are further eroded by our government leaders, political extremists, and the media using carefully coined phrases and a slanted view on the truth to push aside the dirty facts and whitewash them in an effort to make these vile truths somehow look less horrendous through the camera’s eye. Sadly, the problems our leaders have created still exist and are not going way on their own and the only way homelessness and our countries other serious problems will ever be cured or at the very least minimized is by throwing away the old playbook created to deal with yesterday’s woe’s and writing a new set of rules, laws, and standards that will heal the core of today’s problems including homelessness!
Click to view slideshow.The Core of the Problem
The main question nearly everyone has asked is where will the money come from to even begin healing the human suffering homelessness has created? One easy answer is to make the multitude of U.S. corporations who have paid little or no federal income taxes financially obligated with special taxes that would be directly used for combating homelessness. According to USA Today in a March 6th, 2016 article there are 27 U.S. corporations that posted yearly profits yet paid absolutely no federal income tax in 2015. The full article can be read here http://usat.ly/2a8mRbt. Five of those companies are:
- United Continental
- American Airlines
- E-Trade
- General Motors
- Hewlett Packard
While these five U.S. based companies represent only a small percentage of the remaining companies who manipulate the tax system to their advantage, it is shocking that General Motors was recently given governmental relief in the form of a sizable financial bailout, and yet was able to avoid paying any federal income tax. Among the other salacious and downright greedy U.S. corporations who received bailouts along with General Motors was Johnson Controls. To further add financial insult to injury shortly after their bailout, Johnson Controls merged with Tyco and moved its headquarters to Ireland in an effort to further eliminate tax exposure and boost profits!
Finding Real Solutions
The immediate question isn’t where to get the money, but rather how can it be accomplished. There are hundreds of public and private think tanks and solutions groups in the United States and I haven’t read about a single group who has studied homelessness in an effort to at the very least clearly document the exact cause, along with potential solutions. Almost all of the so-called “smartest men in the room” are federally funded and have studied a variety of issue, sadly none of them include homelessness. These are the top three federally funded research and development centers based on the amount of money funded:
- Rand Corporation
- Iowa State University of Science and Technology
- University of Chicago
Specifically, these three listed research groups have consistently received the largest portion of public funds from the federal government which means these are our tax dollars at work and clearly a small portion could be allocated for the direct study of the homelessness issue and from there we would be one step closer to bringing relief to the millions currently homeless!
Recently, Aurora, Colorado announced they would initially use $1.5 million from marijuana tax revenues to aid homelessness with a variety of aid packages. Council members also stated that an additional $2 million would be added later. The full story can be found here http://huff.to/2a6DUaX While is a truly wonderful beginning for local homeless in Aurora, Colorado, this encouraging step in the right direction needs to be duplicated at the national level to ensure every homeless person can be helped.
What can I do to help?
There are so many variables that there simply isn’t a “one size fits all” solution for combating homelessness, however, as caring human beings ever little bit we do can help and will provide both immediate relief and send a clear message to the homeless person that we care and are working to make things better. What any individual can do is start by sharing what you have and can afford. If you are unsure how to help or where to start, then go to your local church or visit the National coalition for the homeless at http://nationalhomeless.org/ to find out how you can become part of the solution.
If you are concerned about putting money into the hands of persons with drug & alcohol problems, then donate items or resources directly. You can also purchase low dollar amount gift card from Wal-Mart and just about every major chain fast food restaurant. In cold winter climates used coats, gloves, boots, and blankets that are in good condition are more valuable than you think. The bottom line is working towards the solution and not being afraid to get your hands dirty. There is so much that can be done without shelling out money such as:
- Finding other who are financially able
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Gathering food and other goods
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Contacting food banks & donating time
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Joining ongoing programs dedicated to helping the homeless
Stand up and Be Heard!
In addition to lending a helping hand to those in need with donations, it is absolutely imperative that we make it clear to our political leaders that we need immediate aggressive action to cease homelessness and the only way that can be accomplished is by picking up the phone or sending an email to our local Congressman, Senators, and other elected leaders. Sending a clear message that we require immediate action and following up on those requests is the only way to get the ball rolling and end the suffering of homelessness!
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