Economy is So Good People are Living in Cars
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
I have never seen, in all my time, so many people holding signs on street corners asking for money, food and work. My wife spotted a couple in their forties living in their car in the middle of a crowded WalMart parking lot. I am seeing more of that, too. I was watching CNBC Monday, and one analyst basically said the economy was good and getting better. He pointed to the great sales numbers on Black Friday. Of course, no one adjusted the sales numbers for inflation. Also, many think the retailers just stole sales from the rest of the holiday shopping season. The number of people living in cars and tents have gone up, and it is not the sign of a healthy economy. The true unemployment rate is nearly 23% (according to Shadowstats.com) if it was calculated the way Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported it in 1994 and earlier. The homelessness phenomenon is making it’s way into the mainstream media because it is a national problem that is also reflected in the record numbers of people on food stamps. The number is nearly 46 million and growing as the real economy sinks. Please watch the story below from 60 Minutes that aired this past weekend. It is a sad mile marker on the road to perdition here in the U.S.:
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About the Author
Greg Hunter
Greg is the producer and creator of USAWatchdog.com. The site’s slogan is “analyzing the news to give you a clear picture of what’s really going on.” The site will keep an eye on the government, your financial interests and cut through the media spin. USAWatchdog.com is neither Democrat nor Republican, Liberal or Conservative. Before creating and producing the site, Greg spent nearly 9 years as a network and investigative correspondent. He worked for ABC News and Good Morning America for nearly 6 years. Most recently, Greg worked for CNN for shows such as Paula Zahn Now, American Morning and various CNN business shows.
And the beat goes on.
How long will the USA keep overlooking the obvious signs of our nations peril while hoping the news from Washington in true. One does not support the other. We keep our eyes to you and others speaking the truth and forward when we can. Maybe we cane help some along the way but for those who refuse to hear, you can not push a rope and that is what it seems like we’re doing. I look forward to your post everyday and I hope you do not loose your zeal.
A friend of mine who has schooled up to his mid 40’s has been living in a tent all summer. when trying to find a used camper he had found most around here have other family living in them outside their houses. Now that winter is here maybe he can score a boat.
Todd,
I hope he will stay warm at the least. Thank you for the comment.
Greg
Greg,
It is sad to watch. They show a lot of dignity.
I have too many friends that believe the answer to these homeless people is just for them to get a job. They tend to believe that all homeless people are lazy and wouldn’t take a job if it was given to them. I’m sure there are people out there that are like that but the majority of the homeless would rather work and pay their bills like everybody else. I can see no answer to this problem other than for our government to start telling the truth. Tell the American people the real numbers. America needs to get made and scream at the top of their lungs… We’re not going to take anymore!
the movie “network”…should watch the first movie “Wall Street”…there is a lot of truths in that movie too
I am getting so sick of the lies told by politicians and the mainstream media. This is a depression. Period. There are 48 million or so people on food stamps. If 48 million people were standing in bread lines around the country, we might have to finally have to admit we were in a depression because the evidence would be in our faces. But because they have debit cards [issued by JP Morgan bank], it’s much more invisible and therefore, easier to ignore or deny.
Thanks, Greg, for your informative blog [oasis in the financial desert] and the civil discourse which you inspire among your readers.
Thank you Rio for the comment and support.
Greg
Greg,
That was a sad video. Is this the future of America that our kids are looking forward to? Most MSM and politicians don’t mention the homeless as if they don’t exist in this country. Sometimes the homeless are treated like pests. Some cities try to protect their good images from tourists and force the homeless to move out of the cities or go hidden.
Economy is getting better? No kidding! The same economists have been talking about economic recovery and growth since 2008. I am sure my neighbors would disagree with them. There are more cars parking in our streets because more people lost their jobs and staying at home. There are only a few people lucky enough to go to work every day.
Yes, there are more sales in Thanksgiving holiday than previous year. But more and more people are actually re-selling their bargain-priced merchandise for profits. There are more people selling online (such as eBay, Amazon, etc.) because they lost their jobs and they try to make a living.
The weather is getting wetter and colder. It is hard to imagine how the homeless can survive in such harsh conditions. Every year there are fatalities caused by cold exposure. I hope they find a warm shelter and stay safe.
When our Congressional members are enjoying their Caviar and fine wine in their warm mansions, have they thought of their poor citizens who are starving and shivering in the cold? I don’t think so.
Ambrose
I lived in my car as a young man, back in 1980, in Dallas when the temps got over 100 for over 100 days in a row. I found myself in a strange city with no family or friends, and looking for work. I stayed overnight in a park on the shores of White Rock Lake. I pray for those who find themselves in such a predicament. The worst part of homelessness is that you don’t know when your hell will come to an end, which torments your every waking hour (or maybe that was hunger).
My salvation was found in a navy recruiting office.
Good story NC.
Greg
thank you, with a teer.
Jay,
Made me cry too.
Greg
Now just maybe the sinister way our Federal Reserve hijacked America’s economy with the full support of Congress can be seen affecting main st by destroying it.
The utter destruction of the middle class wrecked on purpose for power.
This roller coaster I call the economy that has left the tracks was in fact pushed off it. Planned.. implemented and carried out by the cartel of crimminals which includes the White House, Congress, the Federal Reserve and the banksters. They implemented the real estate bubble for the banksters and the carnage we see is not going away.
Much more hardship is coming to your neighbourhood, you can count on it.
The derailment of America’s economy is just beginning.
We will hear our leaders talk about fixing the tracks to set this economy back on course. Truth be told these crimminals want main street to be called “poverty lane” so they can force world government on the masses.
I lost my business and was out of a job for 2 years. I was reduced to dumster diving and collecting scrap metal but I was able to build that up to making $250 to $300 per week. I also was apalled at the amount of food thrown away by supposedly poor immigrants. I still have several large boxes of canned goods that were clearly obtained from free food pantries and thrown away. Many of these items were canned meat issued by the US Dept. of Agriculture. I finally was able to get a position with a temp agency and worked 2 or three days a week at a warehouse for
$7.50 per hour working along side of Mexican immigrants. My temt agent was so impressed with the reports of my work ethic that I was assigned a temp position with a Fortune 500 company who was impressed also and gave me a permanent position at a good wage and benefits. After my experiance and after seeing all the food waste by supposedly poor people I just do not have a lot of sympathy any more. If you have a good work ethic and are honest and do not have a police record and are willing to move to where the jobs are, you can make it in this country. Right now there is and oil boom in North Dakota and the unemploument rate is 3.6%. Go where the jobs are and do somthing with your life.
47.50
Jerry,
Thank you for sharing your happy ending story on this site.
Greg
INDEED, YOU ARE THE TYPE OF PERSON AMERICA NEEDS AND AMERICA IS PROUD OF. YOU ARE HAILED HIGH BY THE AMERICANS OF LIKE MINDED. GOD BLESS YOU, MY FRIEND!
Thank you N.P. Lee!!
Greg
That right, there is an oil boom in N.D., but right now winter is moving in and in the northern part of the US, winter is brutal and there is no housing…talk to a truck driver coming from MN and just pass through there, he heard that if you have no housing,don’t go there.
That right, there is an oil boom in N.D., but right now winter is moving in and in the northern part of the US winter is brutal and there is no housing…talk to a truck driver coming from MN and just pass through there, he heard that if you have no housing,don’t go there.
Apparently Jerry believes all poor people and ALL US citizens without housing throw their food away: “After my experiance (sic) and after seeing all the food waste by supposedly poor people I just do not have a lot of sympathy any more.” This is crazy thinking–and pernicious: little sympathy for anyone.
And are we supposed to live as nomads in this country going from place to place looking for a job? Even after 50? Is that what “making it in this country” means?
Jerry apparently believes he has the solution to long term unemployment: all the long time unemployed can move to the boom-town North Dakota oilfields. Maybe he should write to his Congressman (and Obama) and cue them in.
The U.S. is run like a casino–a few people win jackpots (and crow about it) but most people loose. Like a casino, there are loads of choices, but all the games are rigged. And like a casino, where the house takes a cut right off the top, it is done collectively, not individually. (e.g., thru inflation)
Hey things are good…last night Michelle Obama and seven friends dined on swordfish sliders and an edible chocolate sculpture at a la- dee-da Washington dining establishment…
Let them eat cake….right…???
My dear USians, you The People have the power to reverse this. Supposedly you are a democracy so the politicians are supposedly your representatives, although by any measure your politicians are more likely to represent “Big Business” and foreign countries (or one country in particular). The only way to solve your problems is to force your Congress into slashing the ridiculously super-inflated defence budget, pull your bases out from the rest of the world and the money you save is better invested in training, education, health, and infrastructure. Many of you will call it socialism, which is so simplistic an answer it does not deserve a rebuttal. Your infrastructure is crumbling, education is falling apart (compare your scores to OECD scores), manufacturing is something from the past, and health …. Forget it. You need to reverse that pretty quickly otherwise you will fast become like one of those third world countries that your Hollywood loves to ridicule. Yes, your “GDP” is still number one in the world but for how long? What is the use of a monstrous GDP if it does not create jobs and improve education and wellbeing of the populace? Who is going to lead research and progress for that GDP to grow? It is up to you. Do not expect any help from anybody.
I was taught by one of your institutions overseas. If you really believe in your democratic ideals then you will know that the pillars of any democracy are due process and dissent. Those two are virtually gone from your system. Bring them back and take it from there. As much as I despise US foreign policy, I genuinely believe that there is goodness in the US citizenry.
Best of luck.
Greg,
I like your work & website.
I’ve been reading your stuff for a while now.
I found you from Uncle Jim’s Mineset site.
Sorry for the big leaps on subjects below, but I need to hurry for time.
Shadowstats also does a fine job with the numbers, but as you notice in the CBS piece the one guy is a carpenter.
Carpenters, like many other workers, most often work as self employed contract labor & are not counted in the unemployment numbers.
My best guess is real unemployment is & has been around 40-50%.
Regardless economic matters in the US/world will be growing far darker very fast.
I hear people continue to use the word markets & I say there is no markets only organized crime ponzi scams. ie: MF Global = AKA Confidence Destroyed Completely!
My research is telling me that Chris Martenson’s conclusion in his 1:11 hour video link below are wrong.
Governments/Oligarchies will not fix anything as if they did they’d be forced out of power so instead I believe that from today to within the next 5 years they will kill of at least 2/3rds of the people on the planet.
Yes, at least that many!
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/chris-martenson-lecture-why-next-20-years-will-be-marked-collapse-exponential-function
Thank you Oky1 for the coments and link!
Greg
Greg,
For your own reseach & others here is part of an emial Is sent out a few months back.
Healthcare sector primed for a collapse:
2nd. Look at the current Financial disaster with the Wallst Banks & Insurance companies. About 1.5 quadrillion of fraudulent Derivative Contracts.
Those are basically Insurance Contracts, they didn’t reduce Risk, they spread Risk like a Cancer & Massively Increased the Size of the Initial Risk.
All insurance, including Health Care Insurance, Increase Risk, Insurance does not Reduce Risk.
3rd. Follow The Money!!!!!!!!
Why does Health Care cost so much in the US & why are people getting sicker then they used to?
We all know every sector in the economy is completely corrupt, the Health Care System is no exception.
A report showed Walgreens was/is paid $20 to $30 per Flu Vaccine Given. They are not the only company being reimburse/subsidized by the US Gov to give out Disease/Injury Causing Vaccines.
In other words Fascist Gov/Corporations are spending Health Dollars & making People sick.
(IE: Check the Nuremberg Trails, War Crimes/Crimes Against Humanity!)
To shorten your Research here are a couple of Links for you guys.
And in this 1st one please enjoy (Sarc off) how those Vaccine Making Terrorist are Laughing at putting AIDS, Cancer Viruses & other Diseases into Your Vaccines!
“HEALTH ALERT: Senior Merck Scientist Admits Cancer & AIDS Came From Vaccines”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CWryNYJgPo
And now take a look at how the US Healthcare system deals with You, Your Family & Friends when they find out one of you has a cancer “They” most likely Caused:
http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/watch-cut-poison-burn-thru-sept-24-the-great-cancer-hoax/
And because of time I’m not even going to get into Genital Mutilations of Females in the US plus all the needless hysterectomy they’ve been caught giving women over the decades, but it’s Fascist Style disgusting none the less.
Please Pass this Info along to your friends.
I believe what we are seeing is that the US Healthcare System is soon to be as Dead as the Banking/Insurance Sector!
Yes, I’m Pissed about these things & everyone else should be too!
Thanks, but No, No Fed Gov Mandatory Healthcare for Me!
Structural changes in the economy that reduce standards of living have become normal for families and communities. For many millions, the American Dream has gone with the wind of change. State and local budgets have been greatly impacted by the loss of tax revenue. Property values have declined, neighborhoods have withered, and businesses have gone bust. Counties now pave roads with gravel instead of more familiar black top and cities cut back on emergency services.
http://napoleonlive.info/economics/middle-class-stories-change-for-the-american-dream-2/
I was very moved by the 60 minutes story and its hard not to cry with these people who have lost so much and the effects on the kids. I admire the girl who wants to grow up to be a lawyer, good for her, she and her brother did sounded grown up its too bad that they had to grow up so fast in an early age. I think that the people who do have jobs and have homes should thank God everyday that they have a place to call home and a job to go to because I think that some Americans take to many things for granted.
Greg, I’m catching up on my reading and saw your great article and the 60 minute video. FYI: there’s a website http://www.ResumesWinInterviews.com that has a ton of FREE information to help job seekers. On its “Job Trends” page is a small box listing a few links to jobs sites in Canada. One of the links showed over 53,000 jobs when I clicked into it. As much as everyone loves America and hates to vacate it, leaving doesn’t have to be permanent. Good luck and keep up the great writing and research.
Thank you Ken for the info.
Greg
Just redistribute those homes under caveat or foreclosure by banks. I think the number of homes held hostage by banks outnumbers the homeless and creates homeless where there were none.
And these same homes in as soon as a few months or a few years would be rotting to a state of no value and become unliveable and near valueless if broken in and vandalised. So much for the USA. How about just dropping all those foreclosures and stopping compound interest for a start and only begin collection of loan payments at the rate of 50% of salaries at most AND ONLY when salaries are being earned again?
Remember banks, these same homes in as soon as a few months or a few years would be rotting to a state of no value and become unliveable and near valueless if broken in and vandalised. Unless intentionally so that parts of town can be ‘gentrified’ ? More dirty tricks that deserve a French Revolution style guillotining of the greedy sequesterers of wealth and living spacen eh?
Where’s the government and the needed policy to identify these abuses and prevent them? Or is government also in need of being treated to a People’s Revolution? Apply yourselves, for all that education and privilege and life without fear of homelessness, you bureaucrat Americans have nary an idea of how to help the citizens who pay your damn salaries.
When in doubt, vote only for Joe Publics who are worth no more than 200K (2 million at most), also see the pledge/questionairre below and ask your Governor candidate or Representative/Congressman candidate, current or hopeful to sign with a cam taking down the signing in the presence of as many media reporters or people as possible (with a set timeframe for implementation) :
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1914864390044&set=o.318515515322&type=1&theater
Stop voting these rich or lobbyist connected types. And enter the damn contest as a candidate if there is no-one votable or Joe Public at all !