AS AMERICA CRUMBLES OUR GOVERNMENT STUMBLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This article is the epitome of irony. A person who once owned a home for the homeless is now herself homeless. Isn't it amazing how the NYT just happens to find this specific person? Regardless of the coincidence, this article should be an outrage to all of us and especially to our governments absolute lack of effort to help its own citizens. Despite some mistakes by this person the system is significantly flawed. Yes her "stylish" lifestyle was to blame to a point but the fact that she persevered and has slowly but surely made some headway is reassuring. Our thoughts and prayers should go out to all the unfortunate Americans finding themselves in similar positions.

WHERE ARE THESE "TOO BIG TO FAIL BANKS" WHEN WE NEED THEM THE MOST????????

They're posting record profits thanks to OUR taxpayer BAILOUT dollars yet they are refusing the obvious help that so many need desperately. I'm not just talking about the foreclosure crisis I'm talking about banking services in general. Helping get our country through this financial Armageddon. Helping individuals to remain in their homes. Helping people with their credit problems. Helping businesses to make it through this incredibly difficult time. Helping people like Ms. West somehow cling to that American Dream. Helping Americans survive.

OBVIOUSLY THE WALL STREET PROFITS FAR OUTWEIGH MAIN STREETS NEEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS is the outrage that we should all be screaming about to the banks and lending institutions. But I guess the profits and bonuses are too important for the banks to be bothered with small issues like Americans being homeless. I guess our government is too deeply in bed with these souless institutions. I guess the continuing joblessness is something that our leaders are waiting to work out by itself. We are being told we will have a jobless recovery.

WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN???????????????????????????????????????

What is going to happen to the MILLIONS of unemployed and the MILLIONS that are closely following or struggling for less wages, less hours, less benefits and less HOPE? Why are we rebuilding Afghanistan so they can keep growing opium to corrupt our country. Why are we rebuilding Iraq as they sit on BILLIONS of barrels of oil? Why is our government NOT addressing jobs, homelessness, creating REAL jobs and fixing our broken nation? The fact that we are in this crisis is the fault of the banks and our government yet NO ONE has had the BALLS to step forward and accept the blame. No one is being RESPONSIBLE. NO ONE is being ACCOUNTABLE.

AS MS. WEST AND MILLIONS OF OTHERS LITERALLY FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES AND FUTURES!!!!!

I have personally taken all my money out of the banks that have received Bailouts and deposited it in a small community bank and credit union. I refuse to give these corrupt and heartless "institutions" another penny for what they have done and CONTINUE to do to our struggling citizens and businesses. For all I care Golden Sacks, JP Morgan Chase, BoA, CITI, AIG and all the others can FAIL and I wouldn't care one second for them.

SOMETHING IS WRONG WHEN OUR GOVERNMENT IS MORE CONCERNED WITH THE OLYMPICS, REBUILDING FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND MAKING SURE THEIR CRONIES ON WALL STREET STILL GET THEIR MILLIONS IN BONUSES!!!!!!!!

CAN YOU ALL BELIEVE IN THIS CHANGE YET???????????????????????????????

And a damaged credit score doesnt make it easier to rent a decent apartment after being kicked out. I just cant believe this sh*# happens only here.

It's too much like the Okies abandoning their property in the 1930s, when the drought hit the southwest and the Dust Bowl lasted for ten years. My niece and her husband had to declare bankruptcy a short time ago. He's in the Air Force and they're stationed in Europe, so they leased their house to people who abandoned the place, and the bank foreclosed on the house because the rent payments weren't being made. This makes me glad that I paid for my house when I bought it and have only the property tax to pay, which is within my means. Geezo-pete, what are people supposed to do? Are we going to see bread lines and soup lines next? Snake, it isn't happening just in the US, it's happening in Europe and the UK, also.

It's getting worse and worse every day. 10,000 foreclosures a month are NOT a good sign for any economy. Are the bank managers really so dimwitted that they think they can sell these foreclosed properties in a sluggish economy? Do they not get that more people are facing unemployment every week, and not too many companies are offering jobs? I'm waiting to see how long it takes the banks and brokerage houses to begin to fall apart because they are doing exactly the same stupid things that they were doing at the start of this colossal mess and no one in charge is saying "let's put a stop to this nonsense".

You know, it doesn't matter who actually allowed this mess to get started, it only matters who is in charge now and will be blamed for it.

Banks ARE failing! Seems like I hear of frequent failings lately.

jiggs-502598: There are banks failing almost weekly; but there is something wrong when our tax money is used by Goldman Sachs to earn $20 billion in profit while this stuff happens. I don't care whether you are Liberal or Conservative, the ability of the people in the financial sector to earn hundreds of millions of dollars while producing absolutely nothing is NOT the American way.

You know I mentioned something about this a while back. I'm really sick to my stomach about stories like this. I was just waiting for it to happen. I guess we all knew in the back of our minds. I believe we were afraid that this would happen. With millions with no jobs this will be the new Obama future. Only in America!!

Now we are moving into the part of the Great Depression, people loosing housing and property. Where will the migration go this time? Last time this happened many moved West. I guess the homeless shelters will be the new small towns.

What really gets is just what the government is not doing. At a time like this the government is worried about everything but the tax payers themselves. What a disgusting situation. We bail out the banks with money not even earned yet and they still want to spend more but nothing for the tax payers. It's time for we the people to get some help, FAST.

The Obama Bunch what a bunch of idiots! Health care that many can not afford living on the streets! What a damn shame!!

Earthie - Clinton did not create NAFTA. Jimmy Carter Did! Five different Presidents signed it -both parties. The system of tariffs we had actually kept jobs in this country.

Obama has done nothing to stop bank foreclosurers and the FDIC stated not long ago that they were stepping up closing of banks which would cause more foreclosurers. Now Obama is fussing about bank bonuses and some of them are outrageous but there's not much they can do about it and it generates income tax revenues which cutting them out will hurt.

Just where else do they think these homeless people are going to end up. The most of them have families struggling to stay afloat too or no families at all. Even if they have family somewhere else in the country they have no money to get there. Cap & Trade will cause 2.5M jobs a year to be lost to China and never to return thanks to Obama.

I know, this country was in great shape this time last year, when "the fundamentals of the economy" were "strong." Darn Obama and his 9 months in office!

Oh, give me a break! How can you possibly believe all of this happened in 9 months - it was years in the making! Years of tax credits to big businesses and years of a billion-dollar-a-day war in Iraq for starters!

mother of three grown children, grandmother to six and great-grandmother to one — passed months on the couches of friends and relatives, and in the front seat of her car.

My question is, this woman that used to have a homeless shelter, she has 3 grown kids....none of them could have given her a place to stay?

lets face it, these people got greedy and lived way beyond their means, for years. I haven't worked since Dec. I am going to school full time, have been doing that for 2 years as well as working till I got laid off. My schooling was all paid for upfront and I have over 20K cash in the bank. I just refied my house down to a lower interest rate and a shorter mortgage. No, I am not rich, I work construction, have for 30 yrs. I just didn't over spend and live in a modest 1 1/2 story cape. I don't buy new cars, I get em a couple years old, I don't own toys, except a little 16 foot boat with a 90HP so it gets me where I want to go. (Used) I have traveled, but if you are smart you get to right it off (totally legal by the way, nothing shady in it). My furniture is all good quality or better but I buy at the discount floor and am willing to wait. You can live very well with a little care and paitence without spending a ton of money. I have always said my tastes run way over my budget, but I can do it becasue I am not foolish. I have eaten at some of the finest resturants in the world, Smithfield and St C by the Sea on St Croix, Jimmeys' on the Waterfront in Boston, Maximes in Beijing, Charley's (when it was still there) and Jax's in Mpls, and did it at no (or little) expense to me. It's about showing a little widsom and grabbing opportunity when it comes.

Hey Clotho

lets not forget who has been in charge of Congress for the last 2 yrs and nine mos. The dems. It took about 9 mos after they were elected for the economy to start to falter. you think their might be a connection??????????????

Earthie - Are you really that stupid? Outsourcing of jobs didn't start with NAFTA. And NAFTA didn't start with Bill Clinton. You are correct in that outsourcing has given the US a hollow, retail based economy. But you are delusional if you think the responsibility of outsourcing or fiscal irresponsibility is a one party issue.

Ya know what else is really a shame. You know all of tht economic stimulus money that was supposed to create jobs? Only about 15% was slated for that, the rest is going to state gov'ts to bail them out. Yep, bama and the dems are gonna make it all better. They are moving us all onto the great liberal plantation and gonna take care of us all!!!!!

We will all be equal (except those that are "gonna take care of us") all equally poor and enslaved!!!!!!!!

The Government does not care about the people, they only care about the people's money...... When the hard times hit, they just raised the taxes, and allowed the utility company's to raise the rates, and that just put more strain on the people... How do they expect the people to help put into the economy, because any extra money they may have , now has to go towards the higher taxes, and the higher utility rates.... they raised the Taxes just to keep paying for the local workers, teachers, politicians health care... They make very good money, why don't they pay for their own health care... I can not afford my own health care, but yet I am forced to pay for theirs ?????

The Government is nothing but a legalized Mafia......

In Atlanta a 60 something year old homeless woman was murdered while sleeping on the CHURCH steps where all the members are now mourning her death - WHAT!!! Why didn't this church take care of her? Surely they have a broom closet where she could have slept in safety and out of the elements, but "no" churches are too busy trying to get government money for their "faith based" programs that only enrich the preachers wallet.

yo there - How about the $140 billion dollars that Bush spent in the spring of 2008 on the stimulus checks that he said was going to fix the slumping economy only to be followed up by $700 billion for the bailout package that Bush called McCain and Obama in from their presidential campaigns to sign. Not even giving Congress a chance to debate? I think that adds up to some $$$ you seem to have forgotten. Seems to me there is plenty of blame to go around. But you seem to have a selective memory.

Are the bank managers really so dimwitted that they think they can sell these foreclosed properties in a sluggish economy?

Yes, they are most assuredly are that stupid. But stupidity is what earns the big bucks in this "economy".

Do they not get that more people are facing unemployment every week, and not too many companies are offering jobs?

No, and they won't until it happens to them.

The mess with the Mortgage is all the Governments fault in the first place, for allowing the banks to do those kind of loans... MSN had a report on it, and the head of that Government department now works as a lawyer for the banks...

I know, this country was in great shape this time last year, when "the fundamentals of the economy" were "strong." Darn Obama and his 9 months in office!

I'm hoping the above was an attempt at sarcasm.

Where is OBAMATARD in all this? Oh, yeah that's right he is giving billions to Afghanistan and Corporation BAILOUTS, who cares about the American people, that's what the government and OBAMATARD have shown us!!! I SMELL A REVOLUTION STEWING!!!! when you mess with peoples money!!!!

@Last, in fact, NAFTA has its roots in the Trade and Tariff Act Congress passed in 1984 and signed by Reagan. NAFTA basically replaced it, and was signed by George H. W. Bush (Bush I). It was then ratified under Clinton and Clinton signed it. http://useconomy.about.com/od/tradepolicy/p/NAFTA_History.htm

J Bolton, you make a good point. The Church is instructed to take care of 'widows' of a certain age, and under interpretations, the woman you spoke of was a 'widow'. The Church failed to do its job.

It's hard for me to wrap my head around a couple who made $19/hour between them, which, by any standards in any area of America in the mid- to late-90s was good money, then had income of up to $3,750/month from a shelter they OWNED outright. How much of that income went to individual needs of the residents is unclear from the article, but what it says is, the featured woman had income of up to $750/month for each resident. What's more troubling is that she oversaw homeless people and surely had at least a glimpse into how they ended up homeless. How did she not see some signs of impending problems?

All that said, her divorce devastated her, she became depressed, and was unable to continue to work. Mental illness is no less debilitating than a physical condition requiring a wheelchair, crutches, bandages, but because there is no visible signal that something is wrong, people don't really think of depression as the ailment that it truly is. This, coupled with her age and increasingly damaged credit were the three main factors working against her in finding employment. The final blow was that she has no 'permanent, fixed address'. Even in a shelter, it will be difficult for her to find employment. Many employers discriminate against those in shelters. Increasingly, employers discriminate against those with poor credit. Age discrimination has always existed. She encountered her 'perfect storm', unfortunately.

That people are becoming homeless in greater numbers because of foreclosures is not the President's 'fault'. The housing bubble burst last year on Bush II's watch. As dominoes fell, the effect gained momentum under Obama's watch and he is now the one who has to figure out what policies will forestall and eventually repair the problems we all face. At any given moment, any of us, under the right circumstances, could end up homeless. But for years, too many people looked the other way, made disparaging remarks, called the homeless names, and dismissed them as having some major character flaw where their plight was somehow 'all their fault'. More people are waking up to the fact that is is rarely the case and it's scaring the he!! out of them. It should. Homelessness, in and of itself, can cause mental illness and the lingering effects of this trauma can last for years after the initial problem is resolved. Unfortunately, it took this massive economic debaucle to wake people up and get more of them to understand.

When legislators sit down to make policies (pass laws), they not only consider the problem at hand, they consider the moods and attitudes of their constituents. Policies are based on the collective tenets of the electorate. That is why our current policies are so inadequate - too many in the electorate were utterly unsympathetic to those who fall on hard times and didn't want to hear 'it's not his/her fault'. Now it's coming back to bite.

Yes, as Boo points out, the government is partly responsible for the current mess, however, the corporate structure bears a larger portion of the blame burden. Why? Because corporations don't answer to public policy; they operate in their own spheres of power and influence. They control our money, our income, our lives. In a 'government hands off' atmosphere, corporations, like the banks, mortgage companies, and real estate professionals - lawyers, salesmen, landlords, property flippers - even the municipalities, all engaged in a massive ponzi scheme because each of these entities had much to gain. And no, they were not concerned about the buyers. But no one wanted government to oversee all this. They wanted a free market - because everyone was making boatloads of profit off it. During most of the housing boom, which party was in power? The party that chants 'less government' like a mantra. Regulation and oversight is necessary. Why? Because now the government has to step in and provide resources for those literally left out in the cold.

For decades, housing advocates have pushed for better facilities - or any facilities - and have been rebuffed because the public had little collective sympathy for any part of the problem. Now, there will be empathy, as more face this daunting challenge personally. The structuring and administration of shelters will change, too, because right now, these are tantamount to human warehouses. This woman knew this. How do we know? Look at how long it took her to bring herself to go to one. She already knew what she faced.

What's the solution? Take the unspent stimulus money, expand and develop current facilities, 'bail out' current homeowners (not landlords - they can sell their properties or reduce rent to accommodate the current market) to keep them in their homes and reduce the needs for government-sponsored housing remedies, and establish a micro-loan program for people to start their own small businesses in any niche they find so they can support themselves until jobs recover. Mortgage companies wrote the first mortgages as they saw fit; they have the power to rewrite any mortgage allowing people to pay 30% of whatever they have and renegotiate current balances into the future - they don't have to incur the expense of foreclosure; they don't have to put people out on the street while properties sit vacant for months and years.

I AGREE, were are these so called jobs???? The only thing I see is this huge deficit and now he wants to push this healthcare bill why so it can add to the deficit even more like he rushed the stimulus package. If this is the CHANGE that people wanted well you can forget it. I am happy I didn't vote for this smooth operator who pretty good at making these speeches. I hope people start handing out the PINK SLIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Patriot.... I did vote for him. I also am a realist, where I see that there is no govt. that is going to swoop down and save me etc. No one is going to go out there and get a job for me except me. (I know people will light me up for that one...)

It isn't the governments responsibility to find me employment. So all that to say I agree with your words to have people stop crying.

J Bolton or Skeptic-227981-some churches are for the system of status quo; and some are not. It is not always possible to tell automatically which is which. Religion in this country is very schizoidal.

 President Obama is not a "dumb ass" as you stated but trying to cope with a mess left over from two very expensive wars, corrupt business men "ripping off" anyone they can, and corrupt and degenerate government officials who think only of themselves. The majority of the common people know he is not to blame for this county's woes but people who imagine themselves as better or smarter than him should try to come up with solutions and submit them to their elected officials. Use your brain and THINK out of the box, what can you do to help this country and your neighbor? Does anything occur for you except to criticize a new President who was elected fair and square?  You have no idea (and neither do I) what a President of this country must know and do, about and for this country. As incompetent as GWBush was he still tried to protect us the best he could but left us in a mess of things. This president stepped up to the plate and got elected to the White House and I am giving him the chance to work things out the best he can.  I for one know that the job is way over my head but at least I am supporting the President and giving him the space and time to get the job done.

Seems a Lot of people in this country thought NAFTA was a Fabulous idea at the time, and the namecalling of those who protested -OMG. Regardless, and though i have Always been opposed to NAFTA, it might have actually been a good thing for all parties involved if "Corporate America" had taken it to the next level and shipped our jobs out so they could further Take Advantage of impoverished nations to make even More profit at the expense of their own country, not to mention make a few governments (who share very little if any of the profits with their citizens) even richer. But then what is OUR responsibilty as citizens who want everything, want it cheap, and want it Now? For all things a flipside.

ERich - I agree with you that the government is not responsible for finding you a job. Where you and I perhaps differ in opinion is that in February of this year, a $787 Billion stimulus package was signed - supposedly to create jobs. Despite any of the news reports that you've read about positive signs the stimulus is working, IT ISN'T. The government needs to stop taking tax dollars and wasting it on things like the stimulus and poorly written health care bills, and start using it more productively.

OMG!!

What is and was these peoples biggest expenditure?????????????

TAXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUH!!!!!!!!!

Who wrote the laws that allow banks to rob you blind with fees and interest Then hire there muscle the credit reporting agencies to ruin you if you don't pay the freaking fees??????

Who wrote the laws that allow banks to sell the unpaid debt of consumers that they wrote off and not have to claim it as earned income or take it off the total you owe???

Who allows the Debt buyers who you never made a agreement with to obtain a judgment against you with out you ever being served a summons and with out you ever appearing in court to give a defense?

Who wrote the laws that would put you in prison for doing the same thing the banks are doing?????

Who took your tax dollars and gave it to low income people for down payment assistance and allowed the banks to use it for closing costs allowing those who could not afford the home to get it.???????

Who taxes peoples unemployment benefits at self employment rates ???

ETC!! ETC!! ETC!!

IT's The freaking DNC and the RNC Cults! They run and have ran all levels of Government!! Yet they get very little blame and no punishment from there members!

Last- There is no where to go, the country was a farming economy in the 1930's.

George Bush, Dick Cheney, and their cronies stack the dynamite and light the fuse. Obama takes office just as things are blowing up and all you Republican morons blame him. Get a clue idiots - this is the result of eight years of having a drunken frat boy in office who didn't give a crap about anyone but his rich friends.

And that's why the Republicans got their @sses handed to them last November.

I know that Presidents Bush and Obama threw trillions at the Investment Banks.

Why has it taken so long to bail out the real economy...the American consumer.

Aren't we "too big to fail?"

STOP your crying people!!! YOU voted him in because you wanted "change". Well you got it now live with it. IT WILL GET WORSE!!!!!!!!!

Patriot - Unless you're living in a parallel universe you know that this change began more than a year ago, and its roots stretch back yet further. As Skeptic helpfully noted, NAFTA had its roots in legislation signed and passed in the 80s, so you might just as well blame every president since Jimmy Carter (I'm sure he like to be excluded for once), as blame Obama.

The effect of the stimulus package won't truly be known until sometime next year. It may be the biggest economic mistake since the tulip craze in Holland in the 17th century, or it may be a stroke of genius. But I don't believe even the best economists can presently predict its net impact.

I hope it works. If not, blame Obama, blame Bush, blame Bill Clinton: it won't matter. We'll all be in soup lines.

Ik in Ia, respectfully, generally, churches are conspicuously absent in their support of the 'widows' I refer to. However, this overall problem is the direct result of political policy and corporate structure, therefore, they are the arenas in which most of the solution must occur. That the woman was killed while sleeping on the church steps will weigh heavily on that church. She knocked. No one answered.

RV.... you are absolutely right!!!

Thank you for pointing that out to me.... I didn't have a lot of time to post earlier, and I appreciate your point. Thank you. :)

Gee. I wonder how Mrs. Sheri West is going to pay for ObamaCare.

Hope she can afford the fine if she doesn't get it.

This entire thing rests squarely on the shoulders of Pappy-O and his cronies.

I thought you libs cared about poor people. Why are you letting that crook Obama do this to people? Hope you're glad you let him bankrupt the nation and put people in shelters. But then, I guess when we all lose our homes and live in shelters we'll all be "equal." Right?

Gillanator, are you so arrogant and STUPID that you overlook the fact that he signed the Bill with NO SAFEGUARDS/PROTECTION/COMPETITION for the American Workers! He did not write into the Bill that Foreign Countries had to put in place the same QUALITY CONTROLS American Company's had to implement; its WHY American Companies left America, not only for the CHEAP LABOR, but also because they could screw up other countries Environment's, and poison their waters!

After Bush and Cheney manlipulated their way into the Oval Office, they relaxed those Quality/Safety Standards here in America, and WHY the SLUDGE AVALANCE happen in Tenn, along with accidents in other states, previuosly! i.e. 010206, Anker WV Mining Co, Sago Mine, Tallmansville, VA killing 12

The Colonel-964761, I am so sick of you bigot's trying to lay the Economic Meltdown of America and the World on Obama, I just wish there was a boat big enough to get you evil, hateful, greedy, murderous, "don't blame me" a-holes out of this country!

For 8 long LYING, Stealing, Murdering, MISERABLE years, the Bush Administration did NOT put into their Budget the Iraq and Afghan Invasion! On top of that, they ROBBED and RAPED ALL SOCIAL Programs; gave the Insurance Industry an OPEN DOOR to come into the Government to ROB Medicare/Medicaid, with NO NEGOTIATION CONTRACTS, and RAPE the American Workers with outlandish Premiums, with inadequate coverage, and larger deductibles!

You guys are the Tenn Sludge of the earth, and I PRAY Eric Holder gets his office staffed and come after you guys on all 4's; for you've devasted, rob, raped and murdered too many naive and innocent human beings!

Keep up your lies, for one day, they will be your DOWNFALL!

INDEED!! Well said. The democratic agenda is taking form - equality!! If we can't make everybody rich we'll just bankrupt the whole GD nation. Those that had something through hardwork and scarifice will know how the other half feel - you know that lesson. Those with a lifetime of dole will remain essentially the same. People who have never appealed for a handout are now forced out of shear necessity to join those for whom it is a lifestyle. At last - equality !! Nancy Pelosi's dream realized - the Obama Nation - and not a shot fired.

Tigere, to your point about making everyone rich, I think you've hit the nail on the head. The middle class of America couldn't accept being middle class anymore and decided to "live rich" if they couldn't actually "be rich."

Now, it's true that Wall Street and/or our government could have very well seeded this "live rich no matter what" scheme, but the truth is that the middle class bought it, hook, line and sinker.

Just my two cents.

It wasn't Obama who bankrupted the nation - it was Wall Street greed and they are still at it - big bonuses while the working class are losing their homes and retirement accounts. WHY are the same GOLDMAN SACH jerks in charge of the government finances - treasury, the federal reserve??
Obama has been a disappointment - allowing Bernake, Paulson and Geithner to run the show after they were in charge of creating the disaster.

I am fed up with all politicians but until everyone votes as I do -REELECT NO ONE!!! - we will not have change. Face it! You're "beloved" favorite congress person and senator are just as corrupt as the rest of them if they've been in DC for more than one term.

This is not singularly Obama's fault, this is the fault of all of us. Government for tearing down the regulations that provide necessary checks and balances our economy needs to ensure fairness and stability; corporations for their lack of ethics and greed in poisoning us, ripping us off, suppressing our wages, laying us off and sending our jobs overseas just so a few can reap the majority of the financial rewards; and us, for being sheep and not seeing that this was coming and raising our voices to stop it.

J Bolton, yes..the church should have taken care of the woman who was killed on its doorstep, but many churches are in business these days, the business of politics and making as much money as it can for the ministers, deacons, trustees, etc. I stopped attending church years ago because organized religion is a joke! These churches don't truly help the people who need help the most, they laugh at poor people and don't want them in their churches.

As for the lady in this story, I understand that her husband left her, however, I am not understanding how they lost 2 houses and were getting $750.00 a month for the homeless individuals living in the second house. Oh..that's right..they bought an SUV and a few other expensive toys. This goes back to the saying, "live within your means and save for a rainy day!" I've stayed in homeless shelters myself and it's disgraceful the way people are treated. She is also right when she states that people, even family members will put up with you for only so long until their patience wears thin. Unfortunately, this type of situation is only going to get worse because the unemployment situation is not going to get better any time soon. I really don't know what the answer is. Winter is approaching and statistics wise, I think it's gonna be a bad one because homeless shelters run out of beds quickly during winter! So, we're looking at jobless, homeless, frozen, dead!

Isabella, you're right about how shelters are run. That's what I was referring to in the 'human warehouses' remark. It will get worse, too. The government might just have to open up some of the recently closed school buildings and other government buildings to get people off the streets here pretty soon.

J Bolton: Well he sure ain't helpin!!

People who even applied for the mortgage remod still lost there homes. Makes me so glad I'm not a voter. The BIG O should use some that money to build homeless shelters because that's where a lot of people are going to end up.

alan, you're exactly right. The government should let the market work.

Home prices are too high, and that's why people can't keep them.

Alan and Greg - you don't see the real situation - people bought homes at inflated prices using stupid ARMs and balloon payment gimicks and now they can't refinance because the loan is higher than the value of the house. I have seen senior citizens who were tricked into signing these loans to get needed house repairs or money for medical expenses and now they are about to be put out in the street.

The private market forces you tout are just greedy vultures preying on the weaker, less educated, and too trusting citizens. "Let the markets work"????? We did - look what we have - Enron, Worldcom, Lehman, Bear Sterns, AIG, Goldman Sachs -and now they are trading in death - the business of buying up people's life insurance policies at dirt cheap prices and bundling these into risky instruments to trade on the market. Big business and the Chamber of Commerce are disgusting con men with no morals.

Who, exactly, allowed Enron, Worldcom, Lehman, etc to just go along with the raping of Americans?

Their own employees, who knew exactly what was going on, but were given higher and higher bonuses for keeping their mouths shut.

Everyone has a $$$ price. And isn't that sad?

But denissr1 there are alot of Americans who would rather hire an immigrant or help an illegal, because the homeless American is assumed to be addicted to drugs or to lazy to work.

You have an excellent point.

As Americans, we wanted too much too soon....

There are exceptions to every rule. Also, don't forget the idea that the govt. rewarded us for being in debt(tax credit on home loans etc...)

Absolutely, the middle class didn't want to be middle class anymore. Wall Street realized there was a way to make money off of this.

Blame it on the people who took loans they couldn't afford but also blame the greedy banks and lenders who enticed them with ARMs, interest only loans, and 125% of the value loans. If the credit markets had been run the way they were before Wall Street greed took over, these loans would never have been approved but too many finance people were greedy for more commissions and bonuses so they didn't care - they even faked data to get loans through.

Back again to GREED and lack of individual integrity - Once I had a job were I had to sell photos to low income people; the company owner scheduled the sale date in each area based on when the people were paid and then wanted me to push them to buy, buy, buy. Well, I couldn't, not when a single mom came in - so proud of her child and loving the photos, she was easy game, but I couldn't push her spend a large portion of her paycheck on photos, knowing that her income was very limited and her needs were great. Integrity, not greed is what we need.

bartl Great post. Why people think government is the answer is beyond me. Government is the problem. If the idiots in Washington would stop spending, stop over taxing businesses. they could expand and create jobs. Government cannot create jobs, just saw the numbers from the stimulas, $563,000 for each job created or saved. Stop looking to government libs, they are the problem, not the solution. But you can't undertand those simple facts.

People make choices, this lady made her's and some were pretty stupid when you look at her income.

I agree. She made bad decisions and she paid the consequences. I'll bet that if you spoke with her friends, they would tell you about the high life her and her husband were living before the divorce. I lost my home to foreclosure too, and yes, I did make some bad choices, but I'm not blaming anyone. I can't go back in time, I can only make sure to make better choices as I go forward.

Why people think government is the answer is beyond me. Government is the problem. If the idiots in Washington would stop spending, stop over taxing businesses. they could expand and create jobs. Government cannot create jobs
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Gov't does create jobs - state, local and federal are the largest employers and they get super great benefits.

GREED is the problem - just look at Wall Street. Without tight regulation they almost bankrupted this country and may still do it while Repubs block financial reform.

Finally, someone who read the article! They lived ABOVE thier means!!! The golden rule is, Don't spend more than you make. It's as simple as that.

TMLfan-792865, when there were REGULATIONS, the Financial Institutions did not give, to allow the American People to live above their means! They did not close their eyes, look the other way, or MAKE UP incomes they were NOT earning to QUALIFY them for loans they could NOT afford.

Just like Wall Street CEO's who robbed YOU of your savings, pension and investment accounts, WITHOUT REGULATIONS, the poor did the same thing on a MUCH SMALLER SCALE, because its these evil, greedy thugs ALLOWED it, knowing what the PAYOFF would be! With YOU, it was FINE that our government GAVE them BILLIONS of dollars to keep them afloat, and pay themselves UNEARNED bonuses, while the American People are booted out on the Streets!

Now they are taking those SAME HOMES selling them to FOREIGNERS, for less than half the amount the American People paid for them, making MORE PROFITS off the SAME real estate; I guess that makes you feel good all over! China owns our outrageous Deficit, now they are POURING in, buying up all the Foreclosed properties, for a little of nothing while Americans are living on the Streets, causing CRIME to escalate as we've never seen it before ... I guess TMLfan, you're happy about that too!

This administration has been in office for 9 months. They got into office well after the problems started.

The US financial problems have been ongoing for over 30 years. It is just now that the wounds are too deep to cover up. Thinking that it will be fixed in months or even just a few years is foolishness. This is our fault, for listening to easy promises and not wanting to listen to those politicians and economists who told us that you cannot live on credit forever.

I agree rjkardo,

But this administration has sunk trillions of dollars and promised that quick fix. It didn't work. I knew it wouldn't, but did hear him promise these things. That's my point.

Now they're talking about another stimulus. All this will do is make the deficit even larger, and hurt the economy more, as inflation is going to be uncontrollable soon. This will fuel the recession.

So blaming it on the past may be accurate, but we can't ignore what is happening now. Ignoring bad decisions, as you noted, are the primary cause of the problem. And bad decisions can be made in the first 9 months.

Wrong on a couple of points. First the stimulus package was begun by Bush in 2008, Obama simply agreed with the package and approved additional funding. Also, it was never "trillions", though even one trillion is a staggering debt. Still, ending the war in Iraq would dramatically help reduce our debt (since it's too late to wish we had never gone to war in the first place.)

In addition, a "quick fix" was NEVER promised. President Obama said the stimulus acted like a tournaquet, to stop the loss of 700,000 jobs per month, which it has. Obama said from the start that jobs would take a long time to recover, and he warned us that unemployment would certainly reach 10% before things got better.

If you have an article or video in which President Obama said "I promise you a quick fix", please post the link.

It's easy to forget how close this country (and by extension, the world) was to a second Depression, just one year ago. This administration pulled us back from the edge of a complete breakdown. Even though the amount of debt is frightening, the economic experts agree it was a necessary step in preventing a total collapse of the banking and housing markets.

The same experts agree that the economy is showing signs of recovery faster than any of them had expected. History will give the President a lot of credit for the fast recovery, but I understand it doesn't feel fast when you're still unable to find work.

I am very confused about Obama - I thought he was different - not a politician in the old sense but he continued with Paulson, Bernake, and Geithner - the same ones who created the financial mess and who always make sure Goldman Sachs comes out on top. WHY??

Who is running this country- what is Bilderberg and how is the Trilateral group in on this? Why isn't the news media on this story? Where are the true investigative reporters?

Clotho,

Not sure we're seeing the same picture. I watched Obama's speeches where he said if we rushed the stimulus through, unemployment would NOT go over 8%. He promised it would stop the economic downturn, and stop foreclosures. These were his words,

The first one was started by Bush, but the Dems in Congress, and the Obama transition team were involved. The second was all Obama.

I don't see jobs returning, in fact they are still being lost at an alarming rate (last report I saw was over 500,000 in summer time). I don't see foreclosures stopping, in fact they have risen 5% since summer.

So although your post supports this administration, and can be seen by those who may have profited by these plans, or who were lucky enough to have seen positive, I haven't seen it. And I hardly would say he's doing a great job. Ask those who haven't seen his promises come true. And I'll repeat, he did promise these things, in under 9 months. He stated immediate results.

If you take the real costs of these plans, they are in the trillions, interest, and tax revenue lost as a result of their contribution to the problems. I am not blaming it all on Obama, nor am I blaming it all on Bush.

Now they're talking a third stimulus package. The rich are getting the gold mine, and we're getting the shaft!

I believe the news media started the 3rd stimulus rumor. I have heard several "experts" suggest it would be needed but haven't heard anything about the government discussing it.

I have heard nothing about a 3rd stimulus. I did read that President Obama is asking Congress to approve $250.00 payments to seniors due to the fact that no COLA will be forthcoming for the next 2 years at least because of no inflation. No inflation, that's another joke that's not even funny. Seen gas prices lately, grocery prices? I'm paying my healthcare premiums, yet..I've got one bill for $512.00, another bill for $245.00, another bill for $169.00, another.......! Geezzzz!! I need a drink...nope!!, can't do that..it'll only lead to another bill!!

I wouldn't let my mother stay in a shelter either.

I am not so sure about this whole story etc.... above someone mentioned that the journalist/ writer of the story may not know the big picture, I have to agree... either that or we just read something that has been inflated a bit.

I thought about that, too. I have one grown child, but he's renting and lives with his fiancee. I have to admit that I wouldn't want to move in with him, as I wouldn't want to interfere with their relationship and, believe me, having your future in-laws moving in with you would put a strain on any relationship!

Fortunately for us, my mom made the offer first, to move in with her. Since she's elderly, we can help her out on a lot of things and pay for boarding and food, cooking for all of us, etc., while we regroup. If she hadn't offered, my son did say we could move in with him.

I don't know if her children are in a similar situation or why she couldn't move in with them. After all, she provided shelter for them while they were growing up!

There could be reasons that weren't covered in the story about why grown children don't take a parent in - many, many families have closet drunks, molesters, mentally ill, etc.

homesick, trust me...there are families and then there are families. I took care of my sick dad for 6 months. I took family leave, left the state I was living in and moved back to my home state. I literally gave up life as I knew it to take dad to chemo appointments, cook his food(that he flushed down the toilet because I can't cook). I had to beg my mother to teach me how to cook dad's favorite dishes and guess what..she's a caterer. She said that she just couldn't see him hooked up to the IVs for chemo so she wouldn't take him. Well..I didn't get a pleasure out of seeing it myself. I drove to 5 different grocery stores if he said he wanted something in particular. When visitors came to see him, they thought I was his young wife. One lady told my dad, "you've just got to get better because you've got such a young, pretty wife to stay here for." Dad finally got so bad, he was put in a hospice. I had to leave for 2 days to take care of business out of state. I got the call that dad had passed away. My mother stated that when I returned for dad's funeral that I would not be welcome at the house because she did not want me searching it for dad's will. I was like WTF!!! When I returned for the funeral, I had to stay in a hotel. So, trust me, some families are not postcard families!! Every time we had a death in the family(and there have been many)the police would have to be called to break up fights because certain family members didn't want to walk in or be seated next to other family members. This mess goes on more than you think.

I'm embarrassed that our Government is doing this to the people on fixed incomes. Every program that the Obama Bunch has shoved down our throats has done nothing but increase the cost of living for all of us. This nothing but shameful as hell. Obama spending our tax money and we the people are getting no help just additional cost.

While it's true that some people may have made bad decisions, like this woman, there are many more out there in the same situation - no jobs to be had, bills piled up, utilities being turned off (fighting fires every month), no health insurance, etc. I know, because my husband and I are currently living the American nightmare. I was laid off over a year ago (I was making $50k a year) and have applied for every job I possibly can, no matter what the salary is. I have been working since I graduated from high school until 2008. This is the first time I have been without a job. My husband's salary has been cut - works in retail - and we are scrambling to deal with our situation. Luckily, my mother has offered us a large room in her house so we can regroup and survive the cold this winter, as the bank will most likely be foreclosing on our house next month. They suggested we try a short sale, but since the holidays are coming up, I doubt there will be anyone looking for a bargain before January. There are three foreclosed houses in our neighborhood already, and ours will make it four. We live in a rural subdivision that is very nice and I hate to leave, as we have lived in our house for almost 19 years.

Instead of blaming the government, you should be blaming the big banks who received bailouts and profited from the sub-prime mess and have now recovered. They have just given huge bonuses to some of their highly paid executives and the news has stated that the economic markets have recovered. There is no recession, according to them. Companies that have laid off thousands of people are also to blame, in some part, but they have to make a profit. Outsourcing jobs to people overseas is part of the profit-making machine. That's capitalism in a free economy.

In the meantime, without the generation of jobs, millions of people will continue to suffer, lose their jobs, lose their dignity, lose everything they ever worked for. I have a phone interview with a company today and an assessment test to take for another company tomorrow, as I keep trying desperately to find a job. Even though it's been over a year, I cannot give up hope. You have to keep trying and trying, even though your job search can get very disheartening. You have to keep your eye on the future, or you'll just die. I'm over 50 years old, so it's even tougher out there when you're older. I'm an eternal optimist, though, and have not given up. I simply can't.

Don't ever give up, Kris. My mantra over the last year: "even though the world is standing still I have to keep on moving." It has worked. A job miraclously fell in my lap in February 2009. Lost my condo, sold my washing machine on Craigs List and the buyer was a business owner. She brought me on board one day a week and then two days a week and then 5 days a week. It is not a stable situation but at least I am working. Also, some days it would be easy to throw in the towel. On my worst days last year, I laced up my tennis shoes and got outside and walked and walked and walked. I lost weight and it kept me sane. This weekend, I walked 5 miles on Saturday and 8 miles yesterday. My advise to anyone in this situation--just lace up and keep on walking and walking and walking . . .

Good for you! I'm not giving up and playing the "woe is me" game. I know the job market will turn around some day. After my phone interview this morning, I got a face-to-face interview scheduled for Wednesday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! You'll find a steady job some day, no matter how many resumes you submit, and jobs you apply for, one of them is bound to "take". You already got lucky with the business owner, so hopefully that will work out for you in the end.

I agree with you about walking. I walk my dogs every day and one of the up sides of being out of work is that I've lost weight, too! The only problem is my "interview" jacket is now too big!

Keep being positive!!!!

Jessica - While I agree with you about the banks owning houses, you don't have to put down a 20% down payment. We bought our house with an FHA loan with 5% down and were able to make payments on it for 18 years. However, whatever your down payment, if you don't have a job, you can't afford your mortgage payment. Sometimes, it's better to just let the house go - not that you have much choice - unless you can sell it.

Home ownership is no longer an American dream for some people and maybe it shouldn't be. Having a home when our son was growing up was wonderful, but now that we're in our 50s, it no longer makes any sense. We can't keep up with the maintenance and, of course, now that I don't have a job, we can no longer afford it or the repairs that our house needs. An apartment or renting makes more sense for us. People need to reconsider their dreams during these tough economic times. Dreams are simply goals that we make for ourselves. Goals change according to everyone's situation and you need to change accordingly.

Right now, just getting a job and not giving up is my primary goal!

Still Black - Great Post - You nailed it, now if we could make the rest of the US understand.

To Still Black,
I agree with you that for many of these people now caught up in foreclosure, it's their own darn fault for not using good sense. However, I remember getting the telemarketing calls from these lending institutions back in 2001. We had just purchased a home and they called weekly, saying that they could get us a better rate and save us money. I came right back at them and told them where they could stick it! I said that I knew they were calling me to try and rip us off, plain and simple. I would say "lady, the only reason you are calling ME is because you want my money in your pocket and you aint gettin it!!! Of course they'd call again and I'd take the opportunity to say every insulting thing I could think of to try and make them feel guilty. Obviously it didn't work because they didn't quit their job, the commission was just too good! The kind of people who did this work (brokers, etc.) have that same greedy personality where they will do anything for money, a conscience doesn't exist. It was all about making more commission and people like that are the scum of the earth. And now those same people are working in Collections. Thank God they're not calling me!

Yah...Common Sense...who would have thunk it.

Jessica - This woman did not buy a second house out of greed. She bought it to help out homeless people. While this was still not a great decision she made, she should have thought of herself and her family, first. Most people who buy second homes do it for income - which she was getting for a time - or they're rich and can afford a second home. She did make some bad decisions and has reaped what she has sowed. How long do you want her to suffer?

Hopefully, she has learned her lesson, but if I were her, I would definitely NOT buy another house, especially since she's over 50. I know I never will. She would be better off renting, after all, like some posters have already said, YOU do not own your house until the mortgage has been paid off. The bank owns your house.

'Over the years, Ms. West and her husband spent more than they earned. They used credit cards to finance restaurant meals. They bought a new S.U.V.'

Im sorry but I don't feel bad for people who lived beyond their means.

There is a difference if someone is lied to or manipulated into something they were told otherwise...like being told your mortgage will be X% over X years and really its something else..this is just someone like most americans who didn't educate themselves and lived beyond their income level...if you don't want to blame her, then blame the banks and government for empowering these people by allowing them credit to live beyond their means.

Home ownership IS NOT for everyone and we have to stop pushing this or promoting it for a lot of the people who live here.

Again, why?

Um...just look around at the decimation it caused. That should tell you enough that most are not qualified nor able to be home owners for the long term.

Mogley - Do you have a job? Many people do not. That makes all the difference between paying your bills and not paying your bills.

Hopefully, you can keep your job, not get laid off and not be put in a similar situation as this woman.

Stop being so flip and be thankful this hasn't happened to you.

Actually two jobs... if I have to bag french fries to make ends meet, I'll do that too. Life is tough. You have to think of the future and curves that might be thrown. For those that lost jobs, I'm sorry. For those that tried to buy champagne on beer money... TOUGH! Carry your own weight.

I agree with you there regarding the "champagne" thing. If I could find even one job, part-time or full-time, I'd be on cloud nine! BTW - I tried applying at McD's, etc., but they were not accepting applications. Also, we did have savings, but after trying to find a job for over a year, that dwindled to nothing. We did not buy a new car - have a 2002 Focus - and I haven't been shopping for anything other than food and the necessities for well over a year.

Wal-Mart, Aldi's, and Goodwill are the only places I go to, which is good, as I've saved all kinds of money and learned how to conserve and budget what money we have much better. I've also had numerous garage sales this summer, sold items on EBay, clipped coupons more than ever and have become a savvier shopper. So, being in a downturn has not been all bad and has provided some valuable lessons.

However, even those who bought a $300-400k house when they knew they couldn't afford it, aren't the only ones to blame. The banks who gave them the loans are the real culprits. The banks knew what they were doing, too, and should never have made the loans.

A lot of people think ahead about what they can afford and if they can make payments if something happens.

Many don't but that's not anyone else's problem. Like I told my friends buying expensive homes, you better make sure you can afford it if you lose your job and they laughed because they said they could always find a new job.

Nothing is guaranteed, don't ever expect everything to be the same each time. Many people better realize that SS might not even be around in 25 years or state pensions, etc. Prepare for the worse, live within your means and you will be much better off down the road.

Duh. The point actually is that too many can not even live within the least of their means now.

Well said.

Dave, that is true! $3.6 billion was paid by Bank of America to Merrill Lynch executives who lost the company $27.6 billion. The Feds are now investigating the merger and it was just recently announced that BoA has lost another $2.24 billion and that was AFTER receiving taxpayer bailout money! So, while we are dumping on this lady about her poor choices, who is holding these corporate b@*#!%s feet to the fire???!!!! At least this woman did not get taxpayer money for ruining her financial situation to the point where she's now in a homeless shelter. However, corporate executives can collapse a company that's supposedly too big to fail and still receive billions in bonuses instead of a box underneath a bridge. Anybody got a loan lately? No? Didn't think so. So, what was behind the the premise that throwing taxpayer money at these institutions would somehow benefit average Americans? No jobs are being created, no money is being loaned. Am I missing something?

Amen Brother (or Sister, whichever the case may be).

Everyone always cries about how sad that these people lost their home and how it's the banks or govts fault. Nobody ever seem to want to ask the question, could they aford the house to begin with or were they living way beyond their means in addition to the house?

I think a lot of compassion went out the window because most of these people losing their homes were part of the issue in causing this disaster. It starts with personal responsibility, whether the bank gave these loans or not, you have to be responsible for yourself first and foremost and most weren't.

They were more concerned about making money, upgrading and buying more stuff for the 'American Dream.'

Most of the people I know that bought homes were bragging about it, laughing at us renters who didn't want to get into a facade market. Others were laughing about how much money they were making, etc. Everything for a quick buck.

ashliegh---Other countries already practice some form of protectionism just by their suppressed wages. This puts America in an unbalanced trading position from the get go. It is not the job of American taxpayers and consumers to make poor countries rich. A strong America has always been good for the rest of the world.

ashliegh - so the answer is to lower our wages, eliminate pensions, and so on so we can be competitive with other countries?? I think not.

Fair trade deals with protecting industies with government subsidies and tariffs, like what we do with agriculture. It does not involve wage scales. If a company in Alabama can produce products cheaper than one in Michigan because they have a lower cost structure, that is not unfair, it is competition. It is how Wal-Mart created the largest retail chain in the world.

As long as a country does not protect its industries with tariffs or similar measures, or does not provide direct subsidies so the products cost less when exported, their is not a fair trade issue, just competition.

You also might be surprised to know that the U.S. continues to have the largest manufacturing output in the world, even though we only have 4.5% of the population. In 2007, the top manufacturing countries were the United States ($1,831 billion) then China ($1,106 billion USD), Japan ($926 billion USD), Germany ($670 billion USD). Do the math, in 2007 our manufacturing output was 65% higher than China, a country with more than 3 times as many people.

Peter good idea. Why don't we start with you. How about you donate all of your assets?

gillanator - who said anything about donations??? Not me. I am retired and do my best to spend wisely, and that includes Wal-Mart, Costco, Kohl's and other stores where I'm able to get pretty good prices for what I need. Competition is the mother's milk of capitalism. It has made this a great country. And it is raising millions out of poverty around the world.

Of course you didn't peter it was a joke