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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
In the Clark County Library, Michelle Brower holds Layla while looking through college financial aid information while John Brower fills out employment applications he had gathered June 30, 2010. The Browers stopped at the library to use the computers to fill out online employment applications and took advantage of the wait to fill out paper applications. Michelle had completed some college and eventually wants to go back to finish her degree.
Sunday, July 25, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Related story
Sun Coverage
Sun archives
- Battered women of recession (7-19-2010)
- Las Vegas jobless rate soars to 14.5 percent (7-19-2010)
- The faces of the recession in Las Vegas (12-28-2009)
- Count finds 17 percent increase in homeless population (4-9-2009)
- LV City Council addresses homeless issues (3-18-2009)
- Volunteers seek out valley's homeless for census (1-29-2009)
- Volunteers turn out to help homeless (12-21-2008)
Existing in the open desert around Las Vegas is inconceivable for many people who have sampled its harsh winters and deadly summers.
Michelle Brower, who lost her job at a crafts store because of the recession, did it while both homeless and pregnant.
It wasn’t an easy life, sleeping in a flimsy nylon tent amid the sometimes terrifying sounds of the city and the desert, praying the latest rainstorm wouldn’t flood the homeless camp and send her fleeing into the nearby streets.
Through it all, she looked for work. But just looking presentable enough to walk into a business for an application was challenging. In the desert she had no running water, no shower, no washing machine. It took at least two hours by bus to get across town to a Henderson church known for providing these amenities to the homeless. Cleaning up to seek work generally took half the day. And the closer she came to her due date, the harder it got.
Before the recession, Michelle and her then-boyfriend, John Brower, led a relatively happy life. He worked at a grocery store, she as a waitress and then at the crafts store. She hoped to go back to college.
Like thousands of other residents, the Browers, now married, had lived paycheck to paycheck. They teetered on the brink of homelessness for the better part of a decade. If one of the longtime Las Vegans lost a job, eviction wasn’t far behind.
Even so, they were able to stay with friends, get a new job and scratch together enough money for a deposit on another residence.
“This time it’s different,” John says. The recession has made it harder to bounce back.
Starting in late 2006, the Las Vegas housing market began to decline, slowly at first, then precipitously, taking the rest of the local economy with it. Businesses began laying off workers, including Michelle, 34, and job openings dried up. Competition for the few available jobs heated up.
Then in 2007, Jennifer Rose, John’s 4-year-old daughter from an earlier relationship, was hit by a car and died. He spiraled into depression, lost his job and was arrested for domestic battery after hitting the child’s mother during an argument.
The Browers were in and out of jobs and apartments, sleeping on friends’ couches and in a tent in the desert for weeks.
But even as John began coming out of his grief, their chance at a normal life eluded them. By last fall they still had no jobs, no home, no prospects, and Michelle was pregnant.
She wasn’t afraid — she has a 9-year-old son from a previous relationship who lives with his father, and knew she could get free prenatal care. But a roof over their heads was another issue. The couple thought they had burdened friends and family enough. And because being enclosed with strangers at shelters made them feel trapped, the couple began living in a homeless camp in northwest Las Vegas.
“It was scary,” she says. “But I was too scared of the homeless shelters, and there didn’t seem to be anything else for us.”
They popped a tent in the desert that fall and joined a tight-knit band of half a dozen vagrants. And they quickly became part of a new kind of family, a desert family, that told them how to get government-subsidized bus passes and took them to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Henderson, where they could shower, launder clothes and eat. When the winter rains washed out their camp, they helped one another get re-established. When John was taken to jail for violating his parole by missing counseling sessions for the domestic battery conviction, their new neighbors took care of Michelle.
Despite her growing belly and fear for her family’s future, Michelle made a home for herself in the desert.
“It wasn’t all hell,” Michelle says. “We made the best of it, and we had some good times in the desert. We had bonfires and barbecues and if someone had a radio, we would have a little dance party.”
By the time John was released in early June, the wedding they had been waiting years to have was finally going to happen.
On June 4, friends and family gathered in Morrell Park in Henderson for John and Michelle’s wedding. The park holds special meaning. A memorial to Jennifer Rose is there. The couple wanted to make sure she was somehow part of their happy day. Volunteers from St. Timothy’s donated cake and flowers. Friends from the homeless camp had saved up for months to buy the couple a wedding gift: a car seat for the baby.
The next day, Michelle gave birth to a healthy, blue-eyed girl they named Layla Rayn.
And just like that, living in the tent became unthinkable.
But getting out of the desert is harder than ever amid the recession, the Browers say. You need to create and print resumes, you need a phone, and you need clean clothes for interviews. Getting all of that lined up takes a lot longer when you have to ride a bus for two hours across town just to shower and the only phone you have is at a friend’s house.
That hasn’t left much time for job hunting. They guess they’ve each applied for more than 100 jobs. They’ve been turned down each time. Businesses would rather hire workers with more stable lives.
“That’s been the hardest part of living on the street,” John says. “Even the littlest things are harder.”
The Browers are not alone.
In 2009, an estimated 13,350 homeless people were in Clark County, according to county records. That’s 17 percent over 2007 numbers.
Of those, about 6,640 were living on the streets or in the desert.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness says that’s a drop in the bucket. The group says there are 39,760 Nevadans, mostly in Southern Nevada, couch surfing or in families that are “doubling up” in single-family homes to share expenses. It claims Las Vegas has the fourth highest homelessness rate in the country, behind Detroit, New York City and Los Angeles.
The Browers are determined to beat the odds and get back on their feet.
“You can’t have a baby in the desert, ” Michelle says. “We knew there had to be something out there for us. We just had to look harder.”
When Michelle got out of the hospital, they convinced an ex-girlfriend of John’s to take them in for a couple of weeks while they looked for help with housing and jobs. They have begun job hunting with renewed vigor. Michelle has applied for financial aid and hopes to go back to community college. John wants to eventually attend trade school.
“Something with a future,” he says.
And about a month ago the Browers found more permanent housing, 10 months after moving into the desert, through a program called Straight From the Streets. It turns out the group could have provided them shelter all along.
“I wish I’d known about them, but it’s OK,” Michelle says. “We’re looking forward now. Just forward.”
If I owed a serious well-running business, I'd prefer to offer jobs/job openings to homeless people and I would ask "Straight From the Streets" to introduce/recommend some folks to me.
I mean it, seriously, give those folks a chance to get a decent job, they won't spoil it. Imagine you were them, what would you do?
Please provide some help in the job market.
Regards
Banana_Joe
I wonder whether or not the homeless people beneath the welcome sign within the tunnel, once having been built as a storm drain, know about the possible help they could get evading from their underworld (please read "Beneath the Neon", by Matthew O'Brian) into the "Straight From the Streets"?
Could anyone go down into the tunnels there with a stable torch to tell those hundreds of folks to get out of the caves and to join a new daylight life at "Straight From the Streets", before the next heavier rain makes the tunnels become a deadly trap for adults and their kids.
Please, help the people out of there. Thanks a lot, take care:
http://www.beneaththeneon.com/beneath_th...
Regards
Banana_Joe
LV Sun has already published an article about the tunnels in May, 2008 long before I had visited Vegas for the first time:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may...
Regards
Banana_Joe
This the ugly and most brutal face of the western capitalistic system. While there are people driven out of the professional system due to the recession, just a few blocks away here they are, these super big casinos, generating millions of dollars in profits. It's not nice to see such sad soles trying to make a struggling life in this world. But that's the reality. Cold real reality.
And then again, the U.S. government is launching another war-threat , doing a sea maneouvre with the South Korean military forces, obviously preparing the next war. And that's what's costing the next billions of dollars for nothing, instead of helping such poor souls getting their life back on track. And we will all ask ourselves? What's this war all good for? Didn't we learn anything from our past? Isn't the Iraq disaster bad enough? Why making things worse and worse and wasting more tax payer billions on debt? It's so crazy but it's only going to be over when it's over. But this little family will have it rough out there in the hot desert, and still nobody really helping her. I am deeply sorry for them, knowing that this will probably not help them, either.
From Switzerland
Boris, there are also homeless people/kids in other systems, like in Moscow/Russia. It's more about some common sense/people helping each others and whether or not there are people willing to cater to the poor and homeless.
From my experience talking to homeless people, mostly people do not yet know about their options, where to go when it's freezing, where to get the bus ticket, where to shower/wash clothes, where to find "Straight From The Streets", etc., you do neither have to be a millionaire to help other people nor have to be a politician:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye9G0Yt4k...
Regards
Banana_Joe
how are the republicans responsible for this guy hitting his girlfriend?
how are the republicans responsible for them not getting a better education so they could get better jobs than grocery store and crafts store?
how are the republicans responsible for them squirting out a kid without the income to support it?
i don't feel sorry for these people.
don't blame capitalism or republicans. blame people for making bad decisions.
Boris - donate to the organization. Be helpful versus philosophical in this case.
Isn't anyone here sorry for the homeless kid?
Does any homeless kid you see anywhere not touch your heart and soul in a common sense meant without any romanticism:
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi7...
Regards
Banana_Joe
stevem, the face of the UGLY REPUBLICAN.
"I, Me, Mine".
BOO - HOO.
Basic strategy in this case would be:
donate to "Straight From The Streets" and
offer them some weekly hours of volontary work.
@stevem: I agree its sad that there are homeless but having a kid while living on the streets. And then looking to the government for aid. Seems they need to get there priorities straight. Another couple getting setup with entitlements. This has nothing to do with the Republicans. has everything to do with these peoples incompetent decisions.
Yup stevem, It's not your fault...
It's not your problem...
It has nothing to do with you...
You shouldn't have to pay for their mistakes...
You shouldn't have to pay for their kid...
They got themselves into this mess...
It's not your job to help them...
Hey stevem, are you Sharron Angle?
SteveM needs a reading comprehension course - these people had jobs when she was pregnant and then they lost their jobs.... maybe she should have run to the first hack-abortion doctor she could find to terminate a late term pregnancy, huh? Oh, wait - the Republicans, with all their morals want to abolish abortion entirely, that's right. Well I suppose they could give their child away forever (adoption) or maybe just temporary (scary foster care).... in any case I don't see this as an irresponsible decision to have a child while living on the streets - as the article said - they HAD JOBS and just happened to be pregnant BEFORE she lost her job.... typical Republican thinking - 'if you're not rich, well then by God you DESERVE to be poor. Not everyone has a college education and the world NEEDS service workers - if all were so highly educated as to be 'above' that type of work who the hell would stock the grocery shelves, huh?
"The terrifying sounds of the city and desert." Oh please, this is considered journalism? I also love the justification for the guy who enjoys using women as pinatas. I have a few friends that have lost their children and I can't seem to recall any of them teeing off on their significant other. I'd encourage the female to get away from this guy as soon as she can. It's only a matter of time before she catches one right in the kisser.
Las Vegas jobs are the worst. Management doesnt care about retention. They dont have the social skills or management skills to run a fireworks stand. If you come to vegas, get ready to have an unfulfilling experience. The fat cats are lining their pockets.
How about if the casinos are being taxed , let's say....0.01 per cent of their revenues , and this money would go to the homeless? They ripp-off enough by cutting down b-j payouts to 6:5 and tightening up on all other corners. Let them pay a little bit of their profits and the city would be happy.
From Switzerland
p.s. I did at least a small share by donating a few bucks to one or 2 guys hanging around on the stop lights and highway on- and off-ramps. I also noticed that there are more and more such guys begging for money on the crossings and highway off-ramps. Shouldn't be allowed, as it's also dangerous and very unhealthy, but something the city would have to do something about it, and not some international commmentator.
Chunky says:
We had a great group of volunteers here in Vegas called Ambassadors of Hope who were giving their time and spending their own personal money providing computer access, phones and distributing bus tickets etc..
Then Metro and the Salvation Army stuck their noses into it and tried to muscle control of everything telling them what they could and could not do.
You'd think the local government would be glad to see PRIVATE groups and individuals cover some of these needs but it all came down to a power trip.
Shame on our elected and public servants for doing anything other than supporting local outreach!
That's what Chunky thinks!
"If I owed a serious well-running business..."
Banana_Joe -- personally, I prefer giving directly to the problem, as in cash into the outstretched hands asking for help on the street, freeway on/off-ramps, etc.
"Ok does anyone else think this woman beater doesnt deserve all these free bees?"
LV2009 -- "free bees"?? Otherwise, where do you get "woman beater" out of "arrested for domestic battery after hitting the child's mother during an argument"? I'd love to see what you had to say after YOUR life got flushed and circling the bowl.
"Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm -- but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves." -- T.S. Eliot
@nitro- "The funny thing is, if 80-90% of the population has a college degree, the majority will end up as "highly educated" service workers."
That is incorrect. Try 27.2% for Americans that have obtained a bachelors degree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational...
Education and good jobs are a dream that is slowly fading into the sunset. Good jobs such as public employees, teachers, firemen, policemen and similar jobs are being cut daily due to lack of taxes and the financial problems we have. The working poor earn less than half what some of these public servants are paid. Taxes will have to be raised to pay for government wages and for welfare programs. Welfare programs that will house, feed and care for those that are unable to find employment or care for themselves. Higher taxes will destroy more businesses and jobs. What is left for the young men that can find nothing else to work at but to go and fight in wars that destroy many innocent peoples lives. Wars that make millions for the Military Industrial Complex that controls our politicians. A Military Industrial Complex that cares nothing about building a better world to live in. We vote to stop wars. We march in the streets to end wars but it is just one war after another. Poverty and destruction follow war and you don't need an education to know that.
It sounds as though these kids parents,siblings and friends have turned their backs on them.
Who knows what their past deeds or relationships were that family cant or wont help.
Maybe its easy for me to say because I can help my kids when they stumble,but I'm sure many cant.
In the American Legion Magazine this month theres an article about Oscar Goodman telling the police to bust up homeless camps,ticket them for vagrancy ,confiscate their shopping carts and other things because He says homeless camps are dangerous to the the homeless.
I would like to say thank you to John's ex-girl friend for taking them in even for a short time.
This ex-girl friend is the type of person that should be hailed as a model citizen of Vegas she has shown true compassion for fellow neighbors,
A very christian thing to do. I hope and pray that you are continually blessed for life because you are the HOPE.
I couldn't live in a tent camp in the desert.
Although it's a hard call, why didn't this mother consider adoption for her child? If you can't take care of yourself, regardless of the circumstances that got you where you are, then how can you expect to provide for another life? Obviously, these two have made bad decisions in their lives, but they deserve a chance for something better. Yes, he has an anger mgmt problem but seems willing enough to change. Yes, she wants to improve, but as long as she must sacrifice all of her needs (as a mother) for the needs of a child, this mother's journey will be especially difficult. Good luck and God bless them both...they are going to need it for a very long time.
The Brower's are an example of young couples today, bring a baby into the world when they cannot support themselves. John was doom from the start, his mistakes in his life has perpeduated to this point, he should of saw the writing on the wall long ago and made the change then, now Michelle is following right in his foot steps. The couple should give the baby up for adoption so it can have a chance at a future. John probably didn't even qualify for the military, that is why he is on the street. If todays youth would be more repectful to others getting help maybe easy, but once you get into the cycle of making mistakes, blaming others for your woes, and disrepecting society, you are doom for failure. You need to change by, respecting other, achieving successes, and bettering your life by bettering yourself. Once you do those things, your attitude will change and it will show.
Ok now ,, so we see that most of you are perfect and have the greatest life ever..Never made a mistake or nothing,, yea right...You want to bash these people for saying that they are doing what they can to survive in this hateful community of Vegas.. It is funny how some say you dont want your tax money helping them in any way whatsoever.. Hes a woman beater and shes inked up,, whooopeeddooooo,, sometimes people need a second chance but they are not even getting that from some of you...So you would rather see your taxmoney help some illegals get ahead in life before an american does.. yea I said it.. Its true and if you think not,, go down to that welfare,, foodstamp,, public service office and see if you can find that all of those there can speak english.. Meaning you can have a conversation with them...Then lets here your pooh talk about who is doing what to get ahead....Just saying.............lol
I do a lot of hiking around LV. In the past year I have stumbled across homeless people living out in the desert/canyons in the area. It is really shocking. At first it looks like they are just camping, but then you realize they are homeless and living out there.
Just last week I came across an elderly man lying down under a tarp in the desert. He had basically set up a camp right off Lake Mead Pkway -- a mile from Lake Las Vegas. It was 112f. Brutal.
Blame the republicans for the homeless situation? I don't see Reid or Polosie giving any answers, just more blame. Instead, they want to tax businesses so they can't hire anyone new or expand the business to make room for more jobs.
Last campaign speech the Messiah made stated he wanted Cap and Tax done this year. meaning more jobs headed for the exempted country of China.
Oh, yea, this is caused by capitalism? Have you read any of the news reports of North Korea or Cuba? That socialist, all for the government thing is really keeping those people well fed and in excellent health care. NOT!
LV2009 -- because your last post showed 1) you're more willing to make it up than respect for actual facts, and 2) your prejudice, nothing in is worth an actual response. Try again when you can actually be relevant to this Discussion.
mtngirl65, express445 -- your defense for people are not entitled to have kids unless in ideal circumstances would be what exactly?
You with your "what ifs" and "they shoulds" are despicable. Not everyone can live as apparently comfortably as you do, and they shouldn't have to. The rest of us who can ease their burdens, even in some small way, absolutely should.
Why in gods name did they have a kid they can't afford? Sorry I don't want to chip in and help pay for it (even though I'm forced to).
UGH!!!
@KillerB:
wife and me have a so called godchild in Bolivia, where we pay a monthly share to an organization to support a third world child.
That virtual godparenthood neither makes us any holier nor better, but it helps to feed the earth, because millions of people all over the world support that spirit.
I like the thought of the LV Sun very much to send a kid to a non-abusing camp environment:
http://www.suncampfund.com/sponsorship.h...
@nitro:
Hey, nitro, you're on a roll commenting your a%% off, dude, posting your Sharon-Angle-phrases showing your own fright just in face of your own emotions...
Come on, let if flow, ...just watch your tears go by, don't hearten your heart ...you might feel better afterwards. You can even call me stupid, come on...
BOO - HOO.
http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=jrA1uqlPB3...
Working in a dime store AND PREGNANT? Use birth control. Get an abortion. Going to college with a baby? That's difficult for a with-it woman with family support and a good job. GET REAL. Start providing social services to singles without children so they don't HAVE TO have children to get attention.
These are the people that the Sharon Angle's and the Sean Hannity's of this world hate.
They don't want them to have an abortion or use birth control.
how do u know they didn't use birth control?
@roseanrose:
Guess what, chucky, you can keep your roses,
and your toxic thoughts tambien in face of humans desperately needing help. Make love not war.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112792/
Regards
Banana_Joe
I just drove past a vacant lot off the 215 and tropicana and there was a tent with a homeless guy who was going about his morning routine...
i feel sorry for these people but who isnt struggling to survive these days? i do wish these homeless people will find hope somewhere and whatever opportunity may come their way, may they be gracious enough to be thankful and persevere to make their lives better..
Republicans don't believe in birth control.
Republicans don't believe in abortion.
Republicans don't believe in Union jobs.
Republicans don't' believe in public education.
Republicans don't believe in helping children.
Republicans don't believe in Social Security.
Republicans DO believe in Wars - to the tune BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars per month.
What sick priorities.
I guess this is what Ensign and Angle think Jesus would do, these are the policies he would support?
Bad choices? What ever helps you sleep at night. Shame on conservatives.
Come on, isohatethem, make a donation, send a kid to camp, feed the earth, donate to a shelter, anything. Don't let your right hand know about your left hand donating. Come on, today is the day:
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3...
Regards
Banana_Joe
Good old neoliberalism at play. Rich getting richer and poor poorer. Makes working-class people happy when they can get a job at all.
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/the...
Tom Shermspun
GRLV News
Come on, folks, today we do forget about politicians who do not care much about the homeless, because they expect homeless people to have no lobby or they expect homeless people to never take part in an election.
Let's just return to our basic strategy, which from now on will be to
donate to "Straight From The Streets" and to
offer them some weekly hours of volontary work.
Regards
Banana_Joe
@BoreUS:
Even in face of humans desperately needing help you, do not have to risk your own existance by handing out all of your money. How about donating 2% of your monthly income to a homeless shelter or help organization, like wife and me do.
With millions of people all over the world sharing this spirit we can all together make the difference to feed the earth and the homeless.
Take care. Keep the spirit.
Regards
Banana_Joe
Hey, cinderelladream, maybe there were no folks in the shelter with a size 10, sorry...;-), but could not resist on that one, was just kidding.
Talking seriously, how about some voluntary work at a shelter of your choice e.g. at the "Straight From The Streets". Would that better fit your plans or would you then talking to the poor and homeless (maybe offering them a decent job) still be catering to the director?
Regards
Banana_Joe
We can all thank Corporate America for the plight of the middle and lower classes.
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/the...
@Cinderelladream. What you have witnessed is the "functions of poverty." Look it up.
Lots of people (e.g. cops, the head of 3-Square, owners of pawn shops, weekly apartments, pay day loan centers, social workers) make a living off the poor and most aren't about to pull up the roots that make it grow.
That's the reality we call Vegas...
T. Shermspun
GRLV News
Thanks to our illegal immigration policies people like theese two are going to have a much harder time finding a job. Replace her with a house keeper, him with an construction job, then America has deport the two illegals. Two Americans with jobs and two less illegal immigrants.
However, these two could have been on drugs such as meth or cocaine. Where do those drugs come from? We don't have coco fields or super meth labs here in the states compared to say Mexico. (that's for the people that want to say were the problem). Meth/Coke get brought in and solicited to our kids as fun then makes additcs of them.
Although, personal choices are what mostly makes us who we are. Good luck!!!
dipstink said.....
By dipstick
July 25, 2010
2 p.m.
looks like i hit a nerve from the party of no. cheap republican bastards cant give two cents for someone down on his luck but wait until nixon or bush needs $500 for a fundraiser; sanctimonious hypocrits.
-------------------------------------------------
In the first place dipstink, It is properly named the Party of Know, not the way you spell it. The sheer tonnage of what you DON"T know about Republicans is staggering. We donate heavily to charitable groups. Unlike the Democrats that donate TAX money and then stand in front of their "achievements." We donate anonymously. We donate with OUR money, not tax dollars. I suggest that you, Mr Stink should research some of OUR major charitable programs.
why is it always a political thing that is always brought about... Does not matter what party is in office ,, the homeless are gonna be here... Actually anyone who thinks that is an idiot and the ones that like to point fingers and do nothing... When you post here making others believe you know what your talking about ,, maybe you can use that knowledge and help whoever is in need of assistance... Then I dont think there would be a problem with people trying to get ahead other than only yourself...... You might be amazed if each person that has the means to help,, how much of a difference it would make...Volunteering is a good way to help.......just saying....
By dipstick
July 25, 2010
2 p.m.
Suggest removal looks like i hit a nerve from the party of no. cheap republican bastards cant give two cents for someone down on his luck but wait until nixon or bush needs $500 for a fundraiser; sanctimonious hypocrits.
I am just curious if you happen to work or if you are a "porch donkey" waiting for your government check? I think that is proibably the case. You are too lazy to actually do something so instead of using one of your many shortcomings you blame republicians. If you had the ability to read and comprehend you would see that under this current illegal administration (hey if you can use that ofor other presidents I can for this one)jobless rates have skyrocketed. BO wants to nationalize the medical field just like he did government motors and has his sights set on the banking and financial industries. I am happy to know that you can still access the internet from your parnet's basement but you really should get out into the real world and try to make a difference instead of criticizing those you actually work.
all you fake hypocrits bashing republicans because these two made mistake after mistake? I am betting none of you self righteous bashing hate mongers went right to the phones to offer these people help. There is lots of help out there. the lady admitted they LEFT THE HOMELESS shelter. lot's of details not in this story. I'm betting they had I phones, Wii's etc etc when they were working. Hello, HE HIT HIS EX WIFE, what do you think he is going to do to you honey? Call me cynical. Liberal social programs will never be a substitute for hard work, planning anf sacrifice. They both have kids running around from previous relationships, they sould have known better than to bring another on einto the world.
BorisR,
You, as many Las Vegans want the Casinos to pay the way for everything.
Well, the good news is that many of the Casinos in Vegas have GIVEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to help the hungry and homeless in Vegas. Seems many don't give credit where credit is due.
Last one one of the MOST HATED casino companies by many of you gave up TEN MILLION DOLLARS with no press at all to help feed hungry here in Vegas.
Instead of taxing them let them do what they do best, give to those in need in Vegas.
I know, most of you don't think they give enough but hey, what have you given to help anyone?
Actually, we can thank corporate america for GIVING US JOBS.
By ThisOneGuy
Republicans don't believe in birth control.
Republicans don't believe in abortion.
Republicans don't believe in Union jobs.
Republicans don't' believe in public education.
Republicans don't believe in helping children.
Republicans don't believe in Social Security.
Republicans DO believe in Wars - to the tune BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars per month.
What sick priorities.
I do not know where you get your facts, but you might want to try using a source other than a box of crackerjacks. Let me see if I can rebut your thinking. I will try to do it slowly so you can understand.
Please stop me if I am going too fast.
I believe in birth control. I think thie invention of contraception was one of the greatest breakthroughs in medical history. If your family had believed in it we would not be having this conversation. Point for me.
It is true I do not believe in abortion. I do think it is the taking of a human life. Also, if your mother had aborted you we would not be having this conversation. After you read this you might want to take the time to thank her for letting you live. Score another for me.
My parent s were both in unions. They let them make a nice working wage. They have not been in them for more than 25 years because the unions do not have the work or the reputaionss they once had. My only issue with unions is when they get into bed with politicians, like is the case with SEIU or their best friend ACORN. Thats 3 for me.
I am a public school teacher. My children attend public schools. I think overall public schools give a much better education that the average private school and definitely a better education that charter schools. I do not believe in the govwernment telling me what I can or cannot teach-that is left up to the local school board and the state board of education. I am not up 4 to zip.
As far as not helping children, that is such a vague and open ended statement I do not know which way to go.Are you saying that we do not volunteer enough in youth organizations? What do you mean? I am going to award myself a point because the statement you made is just plain dumb. 5 to 0.
As far as Social Security, I do not believe it will be around when I retire. That is not my opinion, that is a fact based on actual documents and figures from the GAO, CBO, and many other sources. I would like to see each individual be allowed to invest THEIR OWN MONEY however they want. Please remember cupcake it is MY MONEY that should be working for me. I do not want MY MONEY going to you or your family. If you do not like that too bad. If you want your social secuirity benefits to be bigger, then get off the couch and go get a job, I now have 6 to your bupkus.
I beieving in doing whatever I can to protect my family. If that means spending a lot of tax money on national defense, then so be it. I would certainly rather our military protect me and my family and kill someone who might harm us than the other way around. I want my country to be the biggest and the baddest on the planet. None of this communistic bullstuff about how no country is better than another. That is garbage. We are better than anyone else. This is the greatest nation on the face of the earth. If it costs billions of dollars to keep us at the top, then so be it. I do not want to end up a third world banana republic which is where it looks like the current resident of the white house wants to place us. If you do not want to be the best, then leave and go somewhere you can still get your welfare check. I think that is my 7th point.
Well, I hope their luck changes and they find jobs and happiness.
I have been rich and lost everything twice in my lifetime! I'm working on the 3rd. If it all falls apart I'll see you in the tunnel. cheers!
If they get a couple of my tax dollars I really don't care - I would rather give it to them than big oil, banks and the current regime!
NativeNevadian asks "Why in Gods' name they had a child they couldn't afford"? Perhaps NN missed the part of the article that stated that they DID have jobs and that she WAS working while pregnant.... so tell me, I've asked before, what the hell is a pregnant woman supposed to do if she has a job, gets pregnant and THEN loses the job? Have an abortion (late term)? I didn't know that someone in the 'service industry' was supposed to take precaution to never get pregnant simply because of the type of job they have. Now, if a person isn't working and STILL becomes pregnant then I would agree that that is irresponsible.... but in this instance that was not the case. Interesting how so many who are so quick to condemn seem to have glossed over that part of the article. I think it's a shame that someone who may have had a decent (albeit not high class) life going on for themselves, who had a job that paid the bills and probably felt they could afford a child, would suddenly find themselves unemployed in a State that has a 14% unemployment rate. With double-digit unemployment it's not too likely that these people can just walk into another grocery or craft store - not even into a fast food restaurant, and find another job pronto. I am no bleeding heart liberal and am actually usually the first to say "too bad, so sad" etc etc but in this instance I feel these people should not be berated for the situation they find themselves in. I can only imagine what I would have done had my husband lost his job and been unable to provide for me and my newborn when I had my son....it's not easy to just give the baby away - especially in an instance like this. Just imagine if somehow they had a stroke of luck and found a decent job soon after giving up their baby - then what?
psycho sharron angle calls these poor folks "spoiled"...
can you imagine...
"spoiled"...
what a maggot psycho sharron is...
pure evil...
and this from a woman who claims god told her to run...
funny thing...
the only running psycho sharron seems to do these days is run away from press conferences...
run maggot run...
don't let the press expose your evil...
bottom line...
psycho sharron enjoys kicking people when they are down...
psycho sharron is pure evil...
I just looked at my new tax bill, and out of a $1,440 bill, I gave $50.00 to the Medical assistance fund for indigent persons, and $8.00 to the Indigent accident fund. So the question is simply how much more is needed? Where does that money go?
Sure, I feel bad about Mommy, the kid, and the beater, but where does it end? Sure, I'm a drooling Democrat who likes to read the Sun, but where does it end? Ever?
Boris called them "Sad soles". Wrong word-no, maybe not. They've been tread on all their lives, like getting kicked with shoe leather. Soles. But the question remains-Why? I wouldn't let them in my mostly empty house because there is usually much more to an LV Sun sob story than what is in the article. Sorry, but that's the way it is....
@askz8fan
did u read the article?
Like thousands of other residents, the Browers, now married, had lived paycheck to paycheck. They teetered on the brink of homelessness for the better part of a decade. If one of the longtime Las Vegans lost a job, eviction wasn't far behind.
Under those circumstances I think she made a very poor decision to have ANOTHER child.
I have a wild and crazy idea...
How about, "don't have more children than you can afford"!
I read in the article that both the husband and wife have children from previous relationships...not marriages, but "relationships"...
Getting married, establishing a reasonably priced household, and THEN having children is the best way to ensure a stable family.
Will the rednecks calling these unlucky people all those names and assuming that they are prey to all forms of social evil and not just one step further down the ladder of despair than they are please remember the words Judge not lest you be judged, and remember who said it?
You spew hate as much as you like, but with a turn on life's wheel, and it could be sooner than you think, you could wind up alongside them.
WHEN and in the name of justice it should be when, not if, you do. I pray you meet someone just like you, and ask him for help.
It happened to me. I was arrogant, and bigoted, and I fell on hard times, amazing how quick your friends forget you, how much your pride stings, how far away your family and good times can be.
I picked myself up. I'm strong. I got my bank balance and my life on track.
I don't forget who I owe it all too.
All the people that ever helped me.
Thank God they did.
You turn your back on people just because they're poor and your turning your back on everything good in yourself.
To Lordglenmore........VERY WELL said !
cinderelladream -- good one about who got your donations. That's why I don't give it to institutions, I give it direct to who needs it.
Most here remind me of that bit from Peter in the New Testament -- the one about those who tell beggars "be ye warmed and filled!" then go on their way without giving.
"Remember there's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over." -- Frank Zappa, describing where the cuckoo sound itself might be coming from, "on Broadway The Hard Way" recorded in 1988
Why are political arguments a response to this article? It's a human interest story. That's all. Just take it at face value, pray these people can continue to improve their lives, and be thankful for what you have. That's all.
@TexasHsRef
Uhhh - sure you got me. Your superior intellect and imaginative score keeping have me stymied.
But since you obviously do not teach Civics (or hopefully English, Mr. 8+ Typos - seriously, did you ever hear of proofreading?) you should do your self a favor and go read up on taxes. Your poorly worded rant aside, taxes are not YOUR money. Taxes are OUR money. It is the price YOU pay to live in OUR great society - the society that ENABLED you to make ANY money in the first place. See the way that works, sport?
Obviously you are part of the self centered, sociopath, me-first crowd; you will say anything to justify your selfishness. I wonder if your children understand that about you? Part of me hopes they see it and another part of me hopes they don't. Sad either way.
God help this family. They have the misfortune to be white. Under law, Mr. Brower must be last in line for any job that any person of any other ethnicity applies for. It is the law.
Harry Reid and the other Democrats made it the law. I am not referring to Black Americans. I am referring to anyone who is non-white. If you are from India, Mexico, Thailand, the Philippines, anywhere at all, you have priority for jobs and for college admissions.
For an excellent article written by Democratic Senator Jim Webb from Virgina, in which he explains exactly when and where this self-destructive and inexcusably unfair (not to mention totally illogical) legislation was first put into place and how it has so damaged American males who happen to be white see this from yesterday's WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...
While the rest of us go to work and trust our Congress to serve and protect us, they have been destroying this country and the people in it.
Please, I will take Sharon Angle in a heartbeat over these anti-American leftists who put their vote buying strategies ahead of America and Americans. And believe me, Harry Reid will pass Amnesty if re-elected. Forget about protecting America's borders. Reid, Pelosi and Obama want those Hispanic votes and the rest of us can go hang for all they care.
@joinamerica
"Under law, Mr. Brower must be last in line for any job that any person of any other ethnicity applies for. It is the law."
What law, exactly is that?
@nitro
Oh are taxes stealing now? The Constitution is fun when you treat it like a cook book isn't it?
So the Constitution advocates stealing? Do you pay your taxes nitro?
I was in Russia during Peristroika. It was dreary. The people I talked to were living with their parents. There were jobs but no one would do manual labor.
The sense of entitlement was suffocating. Everyone resented the fact that there weren't any shoes but no Russian could tell me why they didn't make shoes.
Gorbachev gave a speech. He said that the Russian people hated machinery and abused the farm equipment. (America is becoming anti-machinery environmentalists)
No one owned anything and no one was responsible for anything. It was stunning to me, even as an outsider tourist who didn't speak the language, how the Russian's work ethic was to avoid any work or responsibility.
The talk was all about the government's failure to provide for them..but every Russian I talked to stated, one way or the other, that it was an intolerable imposition and oppression for anyone, especially the government, to expect them to provide anything..even lift a finger to provide for themselves..
The US is becoming the same..and that is sad.
@xtra:
There are also homeless people/kids in other systems, like in Moscow/Russia. Especially in Moscow there are thousands of homeless kids living on the streets, beneath bridges, even during the winter.
It's more about some common sense/people helping each others and whether or not there are people willing to cater to the poor and homeless.
Basic strategy in this case would be:
donate to "Straight From The Streets" and
offer them some weekly hours of volontary work.
Donate to the homeless directly.
Regards
Banana_Joe
Wife and me have a so called godchild in Bolivia, where we pay a monthly share to an organization to support a third world child.
That virtual godparenthood neither makes us any holier nor better, but it helps to feed the earth, because millions of people all over the world support that spirit.
I like the thought of the LV Sun very much to send a kid to a non-abusing camp environment:
http://www.suncampfund.com/sponsorship.h...
In face of humans desperately needing help make love not war. Send a kid to camp, feed the earth, donate to a shelter, anything. Don't let your right hand know about your left hand donating. Come on, today is the day.
Regards
Banana_Joe
Even in face of humans desperately needing help you, do not have to risk your own existance by handing out all of your money. How about donating 2% of your monthly income to a homeless shelter or help organization like "Straight From The Streets" or worldvision like wife and me do it.
With millions of people all over the world sharing this spirit we can all together make the difference to feed the earth and the homeless.
Good news is that many of the casinos in Vegas have given millions of greenbacks to help the hungry and homeless in Vegas. Maybe they could eventually also offer some jobs to homeless folks recommended by "Straight From The Streets".
A casino even gave upto ten million greenbacks with no press at all to help feed hungry here in Vegas. That's just what I was talking about, when declaring your left hand donating without your right hand knowing about it. Way to go casinos!
Take care. Keep the spirit.
Regards
Banana_Joe
The director of the local homeless shelter here (one of them) made $140,000 last year. The person in charge of fund raising made over $200,000 last year. Why should I respond when they send out mailers asking for $25, $50 or $100? There is no reason they cannot pay a director say $40-50k and let them handle the fundraising. These people are only helping themselves. sending out slick mailers feeding on people's feelings, while raking in huge amounts for themselves so at the end of the day they can drive their expensive foreign car home to their gated community.
As far as the jobs the 2 in the article lost, I see a lot of help wanted signs in retail stores when we visit L.V. It should be fairly easy to find a job at that pay scale. If you stay out of jail, maybe they'll keep you employed.
As far as the beggers at offramps, why don't those of you who hand them money keep a cooler full of beer and a carton of smokes in your car to hand out. That's where the money's likely going anyway, save them a trip to the 711.
When I see my income likely to drop (like the past month or 2) the first thing I do is cut back spending (way back) and look for more work. It's worked for me so far, I was laid off in 2008, and have so far managed to keep the house and find enough work. I'm not rich (far from it), but if you try you can get by.
bakersfield the beggers on off ramps most are part of organised crime, they have a gangmaster running them, giving them areas and taking most of their takings, a days takings for off ramp beggers can be upto $500
I remember going to a supermarket while the checker asked me if I would like to donate to the scan away hunger program...
I told her, you mean scan away cigarettes ?.. since I just happened to drive by the homeless shelter on my way here, all I seen was lots of people just standing there smoking cigarettes as they appeared not to be starving at all, since they have money and all to spend buying up ciggies rather than food.....the cashier couldnt wait to get me outta there after my answer.
I have helped individuals with a meal or two that were hungry, and donated to churches that actually provided to the needy with my own eyes.
Other than that, I refuse to donate to a blind organization or a plastic cup.
I wish these people the best to improve their situation.
Hey Bakersfield, markp,
your comments convinced me that there surely are many people who take advantage of other people's poverty and situation of need, and in the future I might prefer to hand out some goods/money to the homeless directly instead of enrichening the poverty pimps.
But wife and me will still be donating 2% of our monthly income to a homeless shelter or help organization like "Straight From The Streets" or worldvision. Nobody will ever keep US from doing that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4R2YXv_...
Regards
Banana_Joe
To KillerB :
I have tried that, giving cash to the homeless -
and do you know what happens, they rush into the nearest casino to play the one-armed-bandits, or
buy another rock of cocaine, or a cheap bottle of booze. So, I don't give out cash anymore. If
a person comes up to me begging for money to buy
food because they haven't eaten in several days, I tell them I would be happy to take them into the nearest restraunt and buy them a meal - and do you know what usually happens - they walk away, to look for another sucker.
We should all read 'xtra's' post above about his comments on Russia as WE will become exactly like this country the way the Democrat/Socialists are going! If we do not get rid of Obama/Reid/Pelosi America will become the Western Russia. Bad Reid...Bad Senator...http://aBadReid.com
Hey aBad..., Dr_C,
would the two clowns of you please at least try commenting on the topic seriously instead of discussing the most important things in your own lifes, you coked-out boozed-up dick-heads...lol
We all know the topic is a non-political one existing in all the political systems of the world and above all will never cause a transformation from the US democracy into a communist system like Russia or China.
Please focus on the topic, guys.
TIA.
Regards
Banana_Joe
DAMN ! ! !
I wish all of you would learn how to spell and use proper English grammar, then proof-read your
blog for typo's before posting it.
To Banana_Joe :
Look who is calling whom a dick head.
The story is about the HOMELESS and YOU are talking about POLITICS; now who is the dick head ?
During the great depression people would stay with their relatives until they could get on their feet.
I have a friend that works in the social services field that provides rental assistance for indigents. Over 50% end up trashing the housing or leaving without fulfilling their obligations. The other 50% are primarily seniors whom understand structure and obligation.
By ThisOneGuy
July 25, 2010
7:39 p.m.
Suggest removal @TexasHsRef
Uhhh - sure you got me. Your superior intellect and imaginative score keeping have me stymied.
But since you obviously do not teach Civics (or hopefully English, Mr. 8+ Typos - seriously, did you ever hear of proofreading?) you should do your self a favor and go read up on taxes. Your poorly worded rant aside, taxes are not YOUR money. Taxes are OUR money. It is the price YOU pay to live in OUR great society - the society that ENABLED you to make ANY money in the first place. See the way that works, sport?
Obviously you are part of the self centered, sociopath, me-first crowd; you will say anything to justify your selfishness. I wonder if your children understand that about you? Part of me hopes they see it and another part of me hopes they don't. Sad either way.
Well, I will deduct a point for my clumsy fingers.
Now, on to the fun.
Who in the Hell do you think you are saying taxes are our money. Did you work with me? Did you work for me? Do you work (I think we all know the answer to that, and it is no)? I pay my taxes and I personally would rather they go to people like this article mention than the millions of illegal aliens trying to take over.
My chldren each have small businesses and they pay taxes! I have nothing at all against paying taxes. It is the price of living in a republic. But we all have a problem when our tax money goes for things like islam feel good projects and to help illegal aliens. The only help I want to give illegal alien invaders is on the one way bus ride back across the border.
By your saying taxes are "our money" you have proven yourself to be an enemy of the COnstitution and the republic. A true and loyal American would never be saying those things. You should be ashamed of yourself for acting and feeling that way in our great country.
Dr. C.
"typos" not "typo's"
Also, the people here are writing comments, not blogs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
By nitro
July 25, 2010
8:15 p.m.
Suggest removal "Taxes are OUR money. It is the price YOU pay to live in OUR great society - the society that ENABLED you to make ANY money in the first place. See the way that works, sport?"
Is this your justification to steal, using your "superior" intellect thisoneguy?
thisoneguy is obviously a porch donkey waiting for his check in the mail. He doe not have a job, and he gets his feelings hurt if true hard working Americans start to gripe about their hard earned taxes going to fund pork projects likeislamic feel goodprojects and unlimited unemployment checks. Why look for a job if you have a guaranteed check. He obviously feels the world owes him a living, and that we are to pay for it.
I am guessing he is between 18 and 23, lives with his parents (or a single parent), he does have access to the internet, and his last job was popping the popcorn at the nearest AMC. He has no idea how the big boys do it in the real world because he is not one, and he wants to hut those of us who do.
Listen thisoneguy I have 3 jobs that I currently work on. All year long I have at least one full time job. No one gave me these jobs - I had to earn them. If you try hard, you can do it.
Until then, stop your verbal destructions of the American way of life . If you dont like it here, I'm sure BO could get you a visa to Cuba.
By ThisOneGuy
July 25, 2010
7:39 p.m.
Suggest removal @TexasHsRef
Uhhh - sure you got me. Your superior intellect and imaginative score keeping have me stymied.
But since you obviously do not teach Civics (or hopefully English, Mr. 8+ Typos - seriously, did you ever hear of proofreading?) you should do your self a favor and go read up on taxes. Your poorly worded rant aside, taxes are not YOUR money. Taxes are OUR money. It is the price YOU pay to live in OUR great society - the society that ENABLED you to make ANY money in the first place. See the way that works, sport?
Obviously you are part of the self centered, sociopath, me-first crowd; you will say anything to justify your selfishness. I wonder if your children understand that about you? Part of me hopes they see it and another part of me hopes they don't. Sad either way.
You know, the more I think about your horribly wrong comments the angrier I get. How can someone who has obviously done nothing with their life moke those of us who do. Then it hit me. You think you are better than everyone else. You probably never played sports because you were too good. I am sure you are fun to watch the NFL with on Sunday. You probably tell everyone I could coach or play better because I am me and I know everything. You think our society is a collictive one where we share everything. That is because you are too lazy to make it on your own and want the hard working citizens to support you on our dime and not yours.
If I am wrong, please tell me? Do you have a job? DO you work? Do you pay your taxes (unlike many in the current administration including the treasury secretary who, like you, was just too smart and too busy to pay them)? I am sure I am not the only one on here who is curious.
"I have tried that, giving cash to the homeless - and do you know what happens, they rush into the nearest casino to play the one-armed-bandits, or buy another rock of cocaine, or a cheap bottle of booze. So, I don't give out cash anymore."
Dr_C -- you actually followed them around to see how they spent your gift?? I find that quite hard to believe.
<"Quit applying for college and start cleaning houses, picking up cans, sweeping floors anything and pull yourselves up."
What about a new boyfriend?>
And how about some birth control.
"this is the picture the republicans dont want you to see"
Actually we do want you to see nice people like this living in their Obamavilles.
i feel bad for them. it would totally suck to be in their shoes and i thank god i'm not. the scary thing is that we're all a lot closer to a desperate situation like that than we think.
Sorry, folks, you are really pushing the envelope.
(The Banana_Joe is heading back to his banana boat, to get back to his banana republic...)
Regards
Banana_Joe
Tex,
Slow down when you type hoss, your posts are getting difficult to read.
Yes I work, I pay taxes, and I have never received a penny of entitlement program money or unemployment. Everything you guessed about me was incorrect - see what assumptions and prejudice will get you?
This One Guy: Do you travel on Tax-funded Roads?
Is the company you work for regulated by the Government? Do you plan to collect your Social Security? Have you ever been laid-off? Well, you must just have a perfect life. When the GOP takes over our country will have more homeless, more convicts and more GIs. So, you get out there in the world, and when you see a homeless person, give him the back of your hand and a lecture.
Why don't you start a rolling homeless curtailment program? You know what I mean. Pick them up, and eliminate the problem. This is the Right Wing way. To hell with the poor and minorities, and the under Forty Crowd. The GOP is bereft of ideas for the future. So if they gain power we will become a fascist state.
@nitro
Why can't you answer the question? If taxes are stealing and the Constitution allows taxes, is the Constitution wrong?
@Diamonddog,
I think you misread my posts.
The best thing you can do for the homeless is don't join them.
ask8fan:
They lived paycheck to paycheck and teetered on homelessness for close to decade.
THEY COUlD NEVER AFFORD A CHILD even when they had a place to live and were working their low wage jobs. Sorry but you can't affored a kid making less than $25.00 an hour (and thats stretching it).
Again I don't feel sorry for them. They have no business having a child (they can't afford one)!!
Do you have any idea how much it really costs to raise a child properly????
Yes, NativeNevadian, we know it, that's why Wife and me have a so called godchild in Bolivia, where we pay a monthly share of 2% of our monthly income to an organization to support a third world child.
That virtual godparenthood neither makes us any holier nor better, but it helps to raise a kid, even if it's not our own kid.
And that's why I like the thought of the LV Sun very much to send a kid to a non-abusing camp environment:
http://www.suncampfund.com/sponsorship.h...
(The Banana_Joe is heading back to his banana boat, to get back to his banana republic...)
Regards
Banana_Joe
Look, nitro, I used to know a real Christian, who really believed in God and Jesus and did so many good things/charity to the folks in Vegas and all the people he got in touch with.
His name was Danny Gans. R.I.P., Danny.
Why don't you ask some close friend of him, maybe an ex-band member, about the bible.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/may...
And that's why we're all commenting here, not to help the homeless or think about how to better their situation, but to refute the bible, what surely must be the most sensible thing to spend your time on. (sarcasm)
Great nitro, go ahead. (sarcasm)
Regards
Banana_Joe
Let me recommend to you as a basic strategy in this case to
donate to "Straight From The Streets" and to
offer them some weekly hours of voluntary work.
Regards
Banana_Joe
@nitro
Typical modern day "conservative" - cannot answer a straight question. You must be a big fan of Palin.
Nitro said:
"I don't waste my time with rhetorical questions"
About what I expected; when your ideas are so poorly thought out and full of logical fallacies it would be to much to expect you to speak intelligently about them.
Anthony, more people than not live paycheck to paycheck and they have a child - in fact some have more than 1 child - and they do just fine. I have lived paycheck to paycheck all my life - I have one child - and that's only because my 2nd pregnancy ended in a stillbirth some 27 yrs. ago. Even the most wealthy probably live paycheck to paycheck as well (in a sense) because they over-spend and give in to many extravagances they could easily live without - there's a saying that says 'the more you make the more you spend'.... so who, amongst us all, can REALLY afford to have children?
We're already becoming a 'third-world, banana-republic' (as Texas puts it).... and it's not only thanks to oBUMa but to many presidents before him - including the 'revered' Ronald Reagan - ya, that amnesty program really worked well didn't it. Keep allowing the illegals to come here and drive wages below a living wage - we too can live with our entire extended family just the way the third-world countries do. Never mind the American concept of growing up, leaving the nest and starting your own nest - let's all just pile into 1 big house like a bunch of sardines - mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend, friend of friend... ya that way we can afford to own (or least have a part of) homeownership (along with the other 15 or more relatives we've managed to cram into a 3 or 4 bedroom DUMP. Yes, with BOTH Parties IGNORING this problem of illegal immigration we are WELL on our way to becoming the third-world country we all detest. And we only have all the RICH politicians (kinda redundant considering there's no such thing as a POOR politician)... in any case we all know who to thank for the mess this country is in.
Did I read that correctly - $25 hr. or NO kids? I'm still laughing.... there's a whole lot of us out there who don't make that - I make a little more than 1/2 - and my 29 yr. old son was raised up good-n-proper.... just having the ability to rake in $25 hr. + doesn't make for a good parent - quite the contrary in fact. Some are so busy making all the money you purport it takes to be able to afford a child that they don't have the time to actually spend any time with their children - who's providing all the guidance while you're so busy making all those big bucks - the nanny? Wonderful :(
@azfan,
I do not have children and can not say how much it truly costs to have a child. However, if I already had one and was on the brink of being homless I think having a second child is not a good idea? Obvious u most lkely do.
How much is the Dr. Bill to deliver?
How much are their shots?
How much is food?
How much for diapers?
What if the kid gets sick?
Extra gas and time spent on taking the child to/from spots etc
how much are cloths? I go to the thrift store myself, but I would not want that for my kid.
Now, with all this responsibility how easy is it going to be to get an education to better herself so she can afford the 2nd child?
Does she pay child support for the kid in MN?
I'm probally missing some expenses with the cost of the kid.
Show me how she can afford another kid and what kind of chance does the kid have with her?
I feel the same way u do on illegal immigrants. Read my post earlier in this thred.
Nice to chat with you, Anthony
@azfan,
I would truly like to hear your response.
Even the US Government says its cost (today...not 29 years ago azsk8fan)approximately 200k to raise a child from birth to age 18.
Look, folks,
as I am just a simple tourist, I cannot talk as a citizen neither of NV nor Vegas. Having read nitro's disgusting comments about Danny (R.I.P.) and how he cited (being to much of a coward) another comment calling Danny a communist, I would no longer give a damn about nitro commenting here, because he cannot be a citizen of Nevada or even the greater Vegas area either.
nitro seems to be only an unimportant guy living together with his parents or relatives, since he never even tried to make his own living, not even knowing what he's talking about. I would recommend to simply ignore his toxic comments on honorable members of the Vegas hotel/casino/entertainment business.
Take care. Keep the spirit.
Regards
Banana_Joe
BOO - HOO.
BOO - HOOOOOOH.
Regards
Banana_Joe
For the last few days I have watched these comments collect, and my heart is heavy with dread if your collective remarks is any indication of the future of our state and our country. You seem to want to turn the clock back on America a hundred years or more, to a Meritocracy, a society into which you can only be admitted if you meet rigid and highly discriminatory and arbitrary rules. In your great Ownership Society, access to government is reserved to the rich and/or powerful. Thus, when the son of migrant farm workers had to rely on the goodness of others (charity, to you) to help him complete his high school education by "couch surfing", he was already doomed by the circumstances of his birth. That he further sought to improve his lot in life by earning scholarships to college (i.e., "government entitlements), he proved even more audacious. This man lived his life well, moving easily among both the greatest and the least of us, until he ultimately achieved his pinnacle in life - to become the greatest and most effective Governor in Nevada's history. He eschewed partisan party politics in favor of doing what he felt in his heart was RIGHT for ALL the people of Nevada. As we say our goodbyes to Kenny Guinn today, we have lost a champion of true Compassionate Conservatism. How his heart must have broken when he could do nothing to stop the tsunami of economic disaster flood our state, taking with it both the "Have's" and the "Have Not's". You people need to move beyond name-calling and the blame game -- the deeds are done. Finger-pointing is a worthless indulgence we cannot afford; practicality about how to get ourselves out of this mess is what is called for, with clearer heads and minds than you. Both the principle and policy of Nevada have regressed horribly since Guinn left office, but voices of compassion, reason and foresight are drowned out by a cacaphony of illiterate and uninformed rage.
"People with no ideas at all, do not contribute to anything, but can only act destructively - you may call it intelligence, but i call it waste of time."
nitro -- I call it the herd. So did Nietzsche, so did Socrates.
PurplePower I have also watched the comments collect here with a heavy heart and dread. We are truly a very sick country when we have no compassion for others. You made some very good points.
Maybe if the government get tough with comprehensive immigration ENFORCEMENT, there'd be more jobs for lower-skilled people and they wouldn't have to live in tents in the desert. This isn't the Republicans' fault -- this is the Democrats fault -- they fail to see the threat of illegal immigration on our national security. Also, the increasing taxes and size of government are making it hard for businesses to start, expand or stay open, so they hire less people or lay off workers. High taxes = higher misery for everyone on the bottom.