Lonely Streets
I am glad there are so many lucky people who have never had to entertain the idea of getting their next meal from a restaurant dumpster.
This kind of stuff just isn’t supposed to happen in America!
I also get kind of – - – irritated – - – sometimes when I hear some pampered, over-fed fat cat Right Wing types complaining about poor people who have cell phones because these fortunate consider cell phones to be “Luxuries” and the poor who “Live off the taxpayer” shouldn’t be indulging themselves in luxuries – - – and all the other mindless, selfish, ignorant things that some of the Righties are so very talented at running off at the mouth about.
To those of us who know where out next meal is coming from and who are confident that we will not have to be sleeping under some bridge in a cardboard box tonight, something like a cell phone might be considered to be a luxury – - – something that we seem to simply take for granted.
But there are people out there in the dark streets of America who have no job, no home, no family to speak of and who scrape by each day the best they know how and to those folks, a cell phone can be a real life saver – - – a literal life saver.
To them, a cell phone can be the instrument by which food sources are located; hours of operation of the food sources are discussed. To them the cell phone can summon assistance when there is a sickness or accident or when someone is threatening someone Else’s life or well being. To the poor, the cell phone can be a voice calling through the chill of a winter night that results in someone being able to sleep in a mission bed somewhere instead of the frozen confines of an open door in an abandoned building – - – or worse.
I have pretty much everything I need to get by in this life and it just frosts my car-tunk-kiss when I hear someone else who has it all and should know better say nasty things about the less fortunate. I think instead of finding ways to demean, further degrade and put the less fortunate down or to dismiss them as useless or lazy or whatever, we ought to put our “Christian” hats on a little tighter and see what we can do to get off our lazy rear ends and help some of these folks.
It is time for some of us to stop worrying so much about the fact that some “Lazy Bum” might get a pitiful small government assistance check on our taxpayer dime and to consider the fact that in the flash of an instant, we can be in exactly the same position as some of those whose luck has run out.
I have seen it happen more than once and it ain’t pretty to watch – - – some well-positioned Rightie who is so arrogant about what they have built for themselves suddenly loses it all and is reduced to begging at food pantries.
In my opinion this is a very common occurrence when common, ordinary working Right- Leaning folks place their total confidence into the hands of Radical Conservatives in government who seem to have no conscience about destroying even their own kind when they do not happen to be part of the wealthier elite.
By the way – - – I also happen to believe there will be a whole lot more poor people who will be needing cell phones if The Republicans take over the government in November so if you happen to be one of those who think you are going to improve your situation by voting for them, I think you should consider finding a whole treasure trove of batteries for your own cell phone. (And perhaps a large cardboard box that will fit comfortably under a bridge.)
But then what do I know? I am nothing but one of those bleeding heart Liberals that Rightie loves to talk about.
Here is an article from Huffington Post that might shed a little more light on this national problem for those who might be interested:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/21/homeless-teens-cell-phones_n_1163106.html
Posted by John Liming as part of his continuing diaries of political opinion, viewpoints insights, rants and political satires.
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