Tag Archives: Homelessness

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Neel Kashkari goes homeless for a week, and learns all the wrong lessons

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California Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari did a stunt spending a week homeless in Fresno looking for a job, then wrote about it in the Wall Street Journal. It turns out–shock!–that getting a job isn’t as easy as asking for one, and–double shock!–relying on our patchwork safety net doesn’t exactly deliver results or human dignity.

Kashkari supposedly spent six nights sleeping outdoors getting rousted off park benches by cops, and getting his meals from a homeless shelter during his supposedly fruitless job search. His upshot? That California is over-regulated and over-taxed, that he didn’t need government programs, that all he needed was a job, and everything would have been just fine. No, really. He wrote that.


I walked for hours and hours in search of a job, giving me a lot of time to think. Five days into my search, hungry, tired and hot, I asked myself: What would solve my problems? Food stamps? Welfare? An increased minimum wage?

No. I needed a job. Period. Like others, I have often said the best social program in the world is a good job. Even though my homeless trek was only for a week, with a defined endpoint, that statement became much more real for me. A job was the one thing that could have solved my food, housing and transportation problems.

California’s record poverty is man-made: over-regulation and over-taxation that drive jobs out of state…

Any normal person would have come away from the experience saying, “Whoa, there but for the grace of god go I.” Or perhaps “what the hell is wrong with the economy that no one will even hire me for $9/hour to sweep floors or wash dishes?” But not Republicans like Kashkari. They immediately assume that taxes and regulations must be to blame for all of it.

But Kashkari’s experience would have been far more instructive if he had actually gotten a minimum wage job. It would have been far more interesting to have seen Kashkari’s reaction to trying to find an apartment, decent food and workable transportation on $9 an hour. Methinks just “getting a job” wouldn’t have really solved his problems.

Maybe that can be his next stunt. He could even learn from Democrats who have documented their own time “living the wage” that just having a job doesn’t really cut it.

Cross-posted from Digby’s Hullabaloo

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Protect or Prosecute the Homeless?

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“Homeless Bill of Rights” would provide protections to homeless

by Brian Leubitz

Homelessness is always a tough issue. Not only in urban communities, but now in smaller towns where the foreclosure crisis has built squatter towns and unemployment has left many without permanent homes.

But in San Francisco, which recently passed a so-called “Sit/Lie” ban, the issue is particularly complicated. The measure bans sitting or lying on public sidewalks, with provisions to ticket and/or arrest violators. Asm. Tom Ammiano was very publicly against the measure when it passed, and has been working against it ever since.

And so, Ammiano’s AB 5 would provide a “Homeless Bill of Right” that would seek to “decriminalize homelessness.” Specifically, it would housing status as a protected class, and government entities could not discriminate based upon that status. The bill also contains some specifically enumerated rights:

Those include the right “to move freely, rest, solicit donations, pray, meditate, or practice religion, and to eat, share, accept, or give food and water in public spaces without being subject to criminal or civil sanctions, harassment or arrest.”

This would extend to parks for the entire 24-hour day, regardless of whether the park has hours that it is closed.(Wyatt Buchanan / SF Chronicle)

Now, in order to get this bill through the Judiciary Committee, which it did by a 7-3 vote, the bill was toned down a bit from its original form, and a bunch of exemptions were added. The bill faces substantial opposition from the League of Cities, which opposes the reporting requirements among other concerns, and the Chamber of Commerce. And an upcoming date with the appropriations committee could mean further alterations of the measure.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Economy

Creating a Holistic Approach to Homelessness

In the crisis mode that the state has been operating under for the last few years, we haven’t really done a great job of trying to create solutions for big, long term problems.  And many of these big problems have only gotten bigger while we dithered.

Take homelessness. With the Sacramento tent city springing up and getting international attention, and then being “closed “, it is an unavoidable issue.  Stories of the middle, and even upper middle, class rapidly falling into homelessness are easy to find.

Yet, despite all the stories of the homelessness problems, the Governor has done relatively little to combat the growing plague upon our state.  And his proposed budget cuts, which are as CA Democratic Party Chair John Burton called “beyond cruel”, will only make things worse.  Waay back in 2005, Arnold promised to create a program to address the issue, or at least the substantial portion caused by mental illness in his so-called Homelessness Initiative.

Another aspect of that Initiative was an intent to create an interagency council on homelessness.  Despite that pledge, Arnold hasn’t convened such a council since 2005. So, Asm. Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) decided to push the issue.  His AB 1177 creates an Interagency Council on Homelessness.  By promoting communication through the multiple agencies that serve the homeless population in the state, hopefully the council will find ways to efficiently use resources and reduce duplication of efforts, and create greater accountability in state government.  

It is particularly important now that every possible resource is perfectly targeted to address this massive issue.  This is a good idea to work on just that problem.  However, all the communication in the world won’t help if we destroy the social safety net.

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Arnold: Cruel or Clueless?

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The New York Times continues its coverage on shantytowns today, highlighting a Bushville in Fresno that has suddenly popped up.  First of all, given that Los Angeles County has 70,000 homeless people and that number has remained durable for quite some time, I welcome the national media to the issue about the homeless but don’t necessarily think that because this new class puts up tents (they do the same on LA’s Skid Row, BTW) that somehow it’s novel.  The recession clearly has exacerbated this problem and brought it to new areas in the state and the country, but that doesn’t mean homelessness didn’t exist before.

Second, our Governor is either America’s stupidest person or he thinks you are:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that he has teamed up with Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to help the homeless and has lobbied the president to speed the flow of federal dollars to address the problem […]

U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, in February announced that the city and county of Sacramento each are in line to receive $2.4 million in stimulus money to prevent homelessness.

The money will be managed by the city-county Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.

In addition, Proposition 63, the ballot measure voters approved in 2004 to provide mental health funding, will provide “a lot of help” for some of those living on the streets, the governor said.

That would be Prop. 63, the fund which the Governor and the legislature are trying to RAID through Prop. 1E, to the tune of $230 million a year diverted to other purposes.  You can debate the pluses and minuses of that, but promising Prop. 63 funds to fight homelessness at the same time as running a campaign to take Prop. 63 funds away is either cruel or clueless.

You decide.

Coachella Valley

Anti-war Popular Culture: Pink’s “Dear Mr. President” Lyrics

Anti-war movements have their bases set in popular culture.  Political leaders will co-opt the popular culture in order to shape their images and to present their messages.  Being a pop culture leader in an anti-war movement is not without its peril.  Being the target of pop culture is similarly not without its peril.

The purveyors and icons of popular culture have to climb aboard the Peace Train (thank you, Dolly Parton) in order for an anti-war movement to advance.  We saw this in large measure during the Vietnam Civil War when artists like Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and others wrote and performed anti-war rhetoric.  Norman Whitfield wrote the song “War” and wanted the the Temptations to perform it.  However, apparently in response to the conservative following of the Temptations, only Edwin Starr of the Temptations and Whitfield recorded the single so as not to alienate the fan base.

More recently, we have seen the results of The Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines making an off-handed remark and Michael Moore’s film-making which were excoriated and blown out of proportion by the Repugnants.  More specifically, fans of Maines, Emily Robison, and Martie Maguire were encouraged to destroy the group’s albums and CDs following Maine’s remarks about the embarrassment which is the so-called Pres. Bush.  However, The Dixie Chicks kept its stride and bounced back with with an amazing anti-war song, “Not Ready To Make Nice,” one of my favorite songs of all time.  The song and album won five Grammy Awards at the 49th Grammy Awards Ceremony.  I also personally credit The Dixie Chicks for helping to significantly turn the country away from the dominion of Darkness.  Michael Moore has similarly risked his life and standing in the community in order to present Truth to Power with his documentary films including “911.”  As with The Dixie Chicks, Moore has suffered at the hands of the Repugnants and their lackeys.

Now, Pink has joined the fray.  I love her song and lyrics “Dear Mr. President” that features the Indigo Girls and adore the accompanying video as well.  If you have not heard the song, check it out at i-tunes.  If you have not seen the video, it is now playing on Time Warner Cable On Demand, at least in the Beaumont/Banning area:

More below the flip…

The lyrics are from lyricsandsongs.com

Artist:  Pink
Album: “I’m not Dead” (2006)
Dear Mr. President (Feat. Indigo Girls) Lyrics

Dear Mr. President
Come take a walk with me
Let’s pretend we’re just two people and
You’re not better than me
I’d like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep
What do you feel when you look in the mirror
Are you proud?

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why?

Dear Mr. President
Were you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
How can you say
No child is left behind
We’re not dumb and we’re not blind
They’re all sitting in your cells
While you pay the road to hell.

What kind of father would take his own daughter’s rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You’ve come a long way from whiskey and cocaine.

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye?

Let me tell you bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don’t know nothing bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh!

How do you sleep at night
How do you walk with your head held high
Dear Mr. President
You’d never take a walk with me
Would you?

Here is a list of anti-war songs that can be found at onegoodmove.org:

  • The Price of Oil-Billy Bragg
  • CodePINK For Peace-Pat Humphries/Sandy Opatow
  • Bombs Over Baghdad-John Trudell
  • The Bell-Stephan Smith, Pete Seeger, Mary Harris, Dean Ween
  • My Hero Mr President-Paula Cole
  • To Washington-John Mellencamp
  • Jacobs Ladder-Chumbawamba (not in our name)
  • Bomb The World-Michael Franti and Spearhead
  • March of Death-Zack de la Rocha & DJ Shadow
  • A World Gone Mad…-Beastie Boys
  • The Final Straw-R.E.M.
  • We Want Peace-Lenny Kravitz
  • Life During Wartime-Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)
  • We’re the Enemy-The John Kasper Band
  • Freestyle Live From No Man’s Land-Saul Williams (not in our name)
  • Perfectly Comfortable-Alan Fletcher
  • Bomb The World (Armageddon Version)-Michael Franti and Spearhead
  • Bush and Saddam-Everton Blender
  • Self Evident-Ani di Franco

    • I would appeal to the artistic community to become more visible in the anti-war movement.  Songwriters, musicians, actors, screenwriters, producers, filmmakers, arise!