Did you see Oprah today??? 2/25/09

[Janet]

I knew things were bad all over, but I have to tell you that I honestly didn't know there were tent cities in America...I didn't know. She had Lisa Ling investigating people that had lost their jobs and it was so sad....and scary! Some of these people were doing really well, but their homes ended up in foreclosure and then ended up homeless. There were some people living in these tents that have grown children that have no idea their parents are homeless yet. Most didn't want to burden their children or have them worry about them.

I wasn't really too worried, I mean we've had to scrape by before, but were never in a position or times were not as bad where we could lose our home. I still don't think we could....but some of those people probably thought the same thing.

The show was just a huge eye opener for me. Can't believe at this age I didn't realize how bad things are in our own country.

[lynne b]

Oh Janet you have no clue how close this really is. The town i work in (Logansport)
has people who live on the streets and under bridges. I see them mostly in the summer time, walking the streets early in the mornings and though i have never seen them under the bridges i have seen them camped out along the river ( all ) summer long. Most of them are young alcoholis, drug users or older people who do not have jobs, not really middles aged people. It is sad and scary and could happen to any one of us.

[Marilyn]

Janet, it is truly getting bad out there. This week alone, 5 people who I know personally have been laid off. One of them is a very well respected engineer who had been with his company for over 20 years. Horrible situation. His wife works for the same plant & fortunately still has her job. They have one young daughter, and the wife had a miscarriage in January. So far, it's not a good year for them. She has no idea what her husband will do. Hopefully someone near them is in need of an outstanding engineer. She and I and another engineer had a 2 hour lunch yesterday. She just needed to get away and talk. Her employer is cutting her some slack right now, thankfully. The bad thing is, if you have to move, you can't get what you should for your home & if you don't sell it, you often can't afford the payment and rent at your new location. It's getting tough out there, and Texas is in much better shape than many states.

For some reason though, I just have a feeling that things will be better soon. There's no logical reason for this feeling, but I've had it for a few days now. By the end of the year, I truly believe we will be in better shape. I think it will take years for the stockmarket to totally rebound, but people will be gaining confidence in the economy once again, and we will be on the mend.

[Blueyes]

My son works with the homeless in Seattle. They have tent cities..in fact the ones that my son has worked closest with live in hot pink tents donated by the Girl Scouts. He leads a Worship Service for them every week...they call it Church Under The Bridge. They also have a program called Night Watch that rides around at night to check on people, hand out blankets, etc. The mayor wants them in a shelter, but the truth is that they are all full.

I think what made it real for me is when Dustin called and said "Mom, there are KIDS here..families with their kids!!" It was a pretty big shock for a young man from Texas! He said families had rather stay on the street because if they do go to a shelter, the wife and kids are separated from the husband...and shelters can be dangerous places.

I have learned so mush about homeless people in the last 6 months. They aren't all drunk or drugged bums that just won't get a job. There are educated, decent people out there that have just lost their jobs. Everybody isn't fortunate enough to have a family to help them through the hard times.

If you would like to, you can Google Nicklesville Seattle. There was alot of press coverage about them not long ago.

[gja1000]

We have many many homeless people here in Austin Texas - because the winters are so mild. Many of the homeless are the mentally ill who can no longer live in state facilities, but cannot maintain a job/home/etc on their own. We also have a huge population of homeless young people, some who have run away from home and others who have been turned out by their families. They have a tent city also.

My husband just watched the Grapes of Wrath last night and he was talking about how people from (mostly) Oklahoma moved to California for work in the depression and dust bowl and how they were treated when they got there. I don't know how my grandpa made enough to pay the taxes on our farm (in Oklahoma) during those times, but he did so my family didn't end up in California. If you read the book or watch the movie, the things those folks went through is amazing, but not unlike what is happening now, I think.

It is very sad and likely to get worse before it gets better. I do think it will get better, but will take some time.

[Janet]

Oprah had a couple on that use to make a 6 figure income. This couple is in their late 50's and now live in their office. The man was a joy to listen to and he said that the difference between his parents going through the depression and people now......is we haven't learned to save and live without like they had to do. We didn't learn the lesson. I believe for most people he is right. We have a rental house investment, but as far as savings....we don't. We just didn't always have enough to put back. I need to find a way to do that, to put money in savings.

[gja1000]

That is so true Janet. Things cost more today than they did back then, comparatively speaking too. But we "buy" more now, cuz there is more to buy. We all know we have too much stuff - but everyone does!!!

This is a good lesson, painful as it is.

[Janet]

Really made me think Gayle. I mean we have three 4 TV's in this house. One goes out so we really are fine. Hubby wants to get it fixed (and we are) but he also wants to buy a cheap one because it's just a matter of time before the one in the bedroom goes out. I think we should wait, but it just isn't worth the argument. So if he has the money saved up some where....more power to him. He has always had his private stash...not sure where he comes up with the money, but he always had some.

[DianaB]

That is so sad. I can't imagine living on the street when I had family that I could live with. So many people live pay check to pay check and when they lose their job they have nothing to fall back on. So there's probably a lot of families that are just a pay check away from being homeless. The thought of a child living on the street really bothers me. I would like to think that in our small community that people would open their homes to others in need but I don't know. In my family we've often talked about that if things were to get bad then the kids would all move in here with us.

[Tiramisu]

I got home in time to catch part of the show. I felt so bad for the couple in their office. It reminded me of the 20 days we had without water and electricity after Hurricane Ike.

Of course, there are lots of homeless people on the streets of downtown Houston and in shelters. I always say, "There, but by the grace of God, go I".

Our house is paid off, but there's still taxes and insurance. I worry about my kids and g-kids.

[gja1000]

My daughter always says that if her hubby loses his job, they'll just move in with us - AND SHE MEANS IT!!! She's a school teacher and they could hardly live on her salary. I suppose we could make it if we all pooled our money (our house is almost paid for). I would never allow her or my granddaughters to live on the street, but there's no worry about that, cuz dd wouldn't do it.

Gary and I spend way too much money, we should save more than we do. But I remember times, not too long ago, when we lived paycheck to paycheck and there was simply no way to save any at all! Now, I am trying to let Gary do some things that he has never gotten to do, espeically travel. That's what we usually spend too much money on is travel.

[Janet]

Our house will be paid off in a few more years and the rental house is already paid for. My husband wastes a lot of money on Scout stuff when I feel the Scout troop should be paying for it. We need things for the house, but he would never want to spend money for that. He's pretty selfish when it comes to 'his' money.

I was really hoping (before the economy got to bad) that I could find a good used motorhome for a little of nothing and spend my summer traveling to meet you all......lol. I could just pack up the dogs and go, but until the house is paid for....it's just not going to happen.

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by Janet

We need things for the house, but he would never want to spend money for that. He's pretty selfish when it comes to 'his' money.

You mentioned earlier that Rick always has "stash" money. So does Gary! How do they do it??? Gary will spend that stash money on me or things for the house, so I am lucky in that respect.

Isn't it funny, I remember my mom talking about how my grandma would "stash" money to pay the taxes on the farm (or pay for other things), because she couldn't depend on grandpa to save enough to pay them. Now, you and I have MEN who stash money. They have taken on grandma's role!!! LOL!

[Tiramisu]

Harold ATMs cash out ($100 to $140) EVERY Sunday. He uses it to pay for his lunch, buys his beer, and "stashes" what's left. Of course, sometimes he "fudges" and pays for his lunch and other extras with the bank card, so he must have a big wad somewhere!

I need to have a yard/garage sale, but we're on a private road so we don't get open traffic. Maybe I can get one of the girls to let me have it at their house. I need to get rid of so much crap!