Archives

"My God, America's heart is bleeding" she tells me. Then tears fill her eyes. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7585696.stm)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Sleeping_in_your_car.jpg Rajesh Mirchandani - BBC News - September 27, 2008

Is this the new middle class? :( - Ed.

Santa Barbara boasts a classic laidback California lifestyle, with uncongested beaches, wholesome cafes and charming Spanish-style architecture. Of course there's a hefty price tag: nestled between the gentle Santa Ynez mountains and the inviting Pacific Ocean are multi-million dollar homes. But in this sun-washed haven of wealth, many live far from the American dream.

In a car park across the street from luxury mansions, the evening brings a strange sight. A few cars arrive and take up spaces in different corners. In each car, a woman, perhaps a few pets, bags of possessions and bedding. Across the street from homes with bedrooms to spare, these are Santa Barbara's car sleepers. Homeless within the last year, they are a direct consequence of America's housing market collapse.

In this woman-only parking lot, Bonnee, who gives only her first name, wears a smart blue dress and has a business-like demeanour. A year ago, she was making a healthy living as, ironically, a real estate agent. But when people stopped buying houses, her commission-based income dried up, and, like many clients, she too was unable to pay her mortgage.

Soon she found herself with nowhere to live but her 4x4. Piles of blankets are in the back of the vehicle. Personal documents are stuffed into seat pockets. Books litter the back seat. A make-up bag and gym membership card (she washes at the gym) are in the front. With her constantly, are photos of her former life. She can't quite believe her situation...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7585696.stm

It is sad and I fear that it will just get worse with the melt down of the financial system. More jobs are to be lost, and there will be more car sleepers. My father once talked passinately and knowledgably about the great depression. There are many similarities. Many of us are at risk, perhaps without really recognizing the risk.

The Prius was pretty comfy to sleep in on my three weeks of actually
being on the road over the summer; I maybe did about four motel-room
nights total and the rest was in the car either in campgrounds or
pulled into some obscure nook off the road.

_H*

This will be the new middle class if they (meaning Republicans) don't greatly expand the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) for people who prefer work to welfare.

That's the hallmark of Bush-Economics. His leadership has transfered, irrevokably, vast sums of wealth out of the middle class and into the hands of the immeasurably rich. Even now, Bush is ready to fork over nearly a trillion dollars to a handfull of billionaires but will do nothing to help the disenfranchised middle class.

The current administration is supposed to be conservative which used to mean frugal and not interested in spending money on foreigh adventures. However ,they have spent like no democratic administration and have even gotten us into a comletely "optional" war.

President Bush will probably be remembered as a bottom 5 president(I actually can't think of any worse presidents, but maybe there were).
Charlie

Hi Charlie:

___This is bad. Real bad and I can only hope it gets better for the people that this story is writing about.

___The $700 Billion is not going to help any of the people in this story but will help keep the large institutions solvent and keep the Billions in Executive pay for those institutions that caused most of this crap collecting at the expense of all of us. Is there any fairness in the American system anymore? Apparently not if you are a Bush supporter and or contributor :(

http://www.mypolls.us/republican.national.debt.jpg

___Good Luck

___Wayne

All of our leaders are corrupt! The Democrats have been in control of both houses and have done nothing either! They are all friends who work to rob us blind.

Don't think Obama/Biden is your savior. In May 2004, Biden urged Republican Senator John McCain to run as vice president with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, saying the cross-party ticket would help heal the “vicious rift” in U.S. politics. Yah right!

http://web.archive.org/web/20040803085719/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4961694/

We are polarized and they are using it against us to rob us blind.

They yell about abortion, and while everyone is in a tizzy, they rob us. They yell about gay marriage, and they rob us some more. Every time they start a controversy, they are passing bills to rob us behind our backs!

700 Billion dollars! Someone should be shot, but don't bring up gun control because then they get everyone worked up and rob us again. Isn't 700 billion enough!

Am I the only one who sees both sides robbing us blind? WAKE UP!

The current administration is supposed to be conservative which used to mean frugal and not interested in spending money on foreigh adventures.

I think with politics, there's a difference between conservative spending, and conservatism. Conservative spending means just that, don't spend the money on crap we don't need. But all other conservatism just seems to mean something like resistance to change. This is like your crazy old aunt/uncle that still uses a rotary phone and bunny ears on the tv.

Yeah it's kind of like how gay used to mean happy but now it just means homosexual.

All of our leaders are corrupt! The Democrats have been in control of both houses and have done nothing either! They are all friends who work to rob us blind.

To be fair, it's hard to push through an agenda when a president vetoes a lot of significant bills, and there are record numbers of Senate filibusters.

Don't think Obama/Biden is your savior. In May 2004, Biden urged Republican Senator John McCain to run as vice president with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, saying the cross-party ticket would help heal the “vicious rift” in U.S. politics. Yah right!

http://web.archive.org/web/20040803085719/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4961694/

We are polarized and they are using it against us to rob us blind.

They yell about abortion, and while everyone is in a tizzy, they rob us. They yell about gay marriage, and they rob us some more. Every time they start a controversy, they are passing bills to rob us behind our backs!

700 Billion dollars! Someone should be shot, but don't bring up gun control because then they get everyone worked up and rob us again. Isn't 700 billion enough!

Am I the only one who sees both sides robbing us blind? WAKE UP!

The question is not, "who is robbing us blind?" The question is not, "is X going to save us all?" The question is, "what are you going to do about it?" Are you just going to sit there and accept it, or complain about it? You can always campaign for ideas, policies, and people that you approve of. At the very least you can write your representatives and senators and let them know how you feel. Even if you fail, at least you'll have tried.

The other thing is, how did those in power get into power? They were elected, chosen by people. It means that they owe us for their jobs. Why don't we start exercising that power? I support Obama/Biden, and I hope that they will do their best to enact better policies, but I don't believe that they're saviors. If they start implementing bad policy, you better believe I'll do what I can to make my voice of opposition heard.

We can't always control what happens, but we can control what we do in response to it.

It would appear there is no hope.

The woman in the article should have been making pretty good commissions on those million dollar homes for the past decade.

The lack of hope is defined as despair. Despair leads to some bad places -- I don't recommend it.

the woman should of given or sold her dogs in a time like this. i have a good friend who was in a bad situation already, bought a dog, loved it and now he lost his job but still has to feed himself and the dog. he dont want to give it away or sell it because he love the dog. its just bad decisions sometimes, gotta be very stable first, then buy someting that you need to feed it.

I feel bad for the people in these stories, living in CA is very expensive, and people have to live in cars while still making middle class money.

if i was the woman, i would of bought a condo or a small house, pay it off asap when she was making alot of money selling million dollar homes

living within means will help alot, most americans will buy the biggest house, car, boat that they can afford (to show off) once they have some cash/good job in their hands, once gas prices go up or they lose their jobs, they lose everything

Wayne,

Great chart/graph - discouraging- but certainly an eye opener. The Iraq War-ALL REPUBLICAN/BUSH - is at the bottom of our current financial troubles.They-Bush &Company- are borrowing &spending 100's of $ billions of $$ to wage it ,AND THE WAR IS WHAT TRIPLED/DOUBLED THE PRICE OF OIL!

Bomber- Republicans used to be big on balanced budgets ,and many of them were opposed to FDR getting us involved in WW2 via lend/lease.Now Republicans talk big in respect to a balanced budget, but whenever they get in power they spend like drunken sailors-Bush and Reagan for example.-One gave us Osama Bin Laden(the misbegotten arming of mujahaddin) the other gave us this current mess.

I will never vote for another Rep for president - no matter how bad the dem candidate is.

B. Clinton looks more and more like Thomas Jefferson/Abe Lincoln/G Washington compared to this president. I would have loved to have voted for H Clinton despite not "liking" her because I figured it would be 8 years of Bill. Who would have ever thought they would absolutely long for Bill Clinton??

Oh well,
Charlie

@phoebeisis

Voting for democrats no matter what, is just as bad as voting for republicans. Learn as much as you can about the canidates and vote for the one who will make the changes you want them to make, reguardless of party. Voting for someone just because of party is a cop out. That is what is wrong with the system. The voters vote for their favorite party and the parties stick together and don't get anything done, all at the expense of the voters.

Hi Koreberg:

___By the looks of the past few Republican and Democratic administrations strictly in terms of budget deficits, the Democrats appear to be fixing the mess of the Republicans time and time again :(

___Personally, I am just sick of the $60,000 extra I now owe because of this Republican administrations shenanigans and giving away the store. This includes you, I and every other family in the US with such a debt burden we may never get out from underneath it. My family is crushed under AMT and far less than 1% of my income comes from Capital gains charged out at 15%. What lower to upper middle income family earns most of their income via capital gains through Stock options set at such ridiculously low prices that the Exec’s will see a profit in almost ever circumstance except bankruptcy. Even than, the Golden Parachutes will protect them from any harm vs. the average Joe who is out on the street yet still has to pay for the mess created by said execs.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne - sorry to hear you got hit by the AMT. It's an evil tax, and although I have escaped it so far I am furious that it still hasn't been repealed or adjusted upward. The Republicans always speak of progressive taxation as a disincentive to work. I don't buy that, but at its current thresholds the AMT is playing that role for million families because of the abrupt way it kicks in. I personally know people whose spouses have quit their jobs so they wouldn't trigger the AMT. Sickening. I'm also ticked that they got away with lowering or repealing taxes on money coming in the door from activities other than working. Those of us who work for a living are carrying a greater share of the burden than ever, and recent events go to show that there's no shortage of investment capital to go around (the usual argument for taxing investment at a lower rate).

Back to sleeping in cars. Hey, I slept in my car on Friday night. Who knew I was part of a trend? [Of course that was at a campground, and I spent Saturday night in a tent out on the trail, like a proper citizen.]

Koreberg: I can't speak for phoebeisis, but I think you maybe misunderstanding where he's coming from. I know that for my own sake, I have almost always voted for Democrats the last couple decades, but that doesn't mean that I don't also strongly believe in being an informed, critical and independent voter. It's just that it is very difficult for me right now to envision a scenario under which I would ever vote for a Republican again. The party has strayed so far from what I used to believe it stood for (and I'm saying that as a former Republican who has voted for Republicans in the past) that I can't even imagine it.

Well, sometimes it's fun to armchair-quarterback into forums --
helps get things off the chest sometimes and if a good discussion
starts up, it may provide good feedback within a limited circle
of people that helps solidify some of the ideas, and then that
might lead to some of those people taking the improved ideas into
a wider field. I know that bouncing the occasional piece of
writeup off the folks here has helped it take final form, and
then it goes up on the net and/or out to shows and events as a
handout or even just a more solidly fact-backed thing to rant
about in other social/professional circles. It could all start
with someone saying "hey, I'm sick of XXX" and sparking a
discussion.
.
_H*