The invisible Americans

[Cyrano]

We’re not in a depression??? How many Americans have lost their jobs, their savings and their homes? How many are living in a car if they have one, in subway tunnels, in freight cars, or in any other place that will provide some shelter? How many are starving? How many have children that are among the major victims of today’s economy?

Do the Koch brothers care? Does Rupert Murdoch give a flying shit? Do billionaires who are trying to get even wealthier ever give a thought to those who have nothing?

I don’t know if the government keeps statistics on any of this. But I do know that our country is filled with invisible people who have no health care, no home, no food and no hope. They are being ignored by our government, our media, and all the rest of us that hope we don’t find ourselves in the same circumstance.

America, “the greatest country in the world?” I don’t think so. The impoverishment of America is an issue that virtually no one ever speaks about and it's not on anyone's agenda.

If a government is supposed to help care for it's citizens, ours has failed miserably.

So just read this post, go back to whatever you were doing, and try not to think about it. After all, most of live in fear of joining the ranks of the invisible Americans.

[StandingInLeftField]

1. Right there with you Cyrano.

One paycheck away from the Detroit Hilton, but that puts me among the lucky! The saddest part is (and I'll admit to being a chickenshit on this) that to publicly voice concern about poverty, or any other humanitarian objectives around these part will get you an ass-kicking, and I don't mean that in a figurative way.

Sceered ol' man in South Carolina

[Cyrano]

4. "concern about humanitarian objectives ... will get you an ass-kicking"

That just leaves me disgusted, depressed and even more hopeless about the condition of the human species.

[dfgrbac]

2. It is up to all of us to reverse this.

The corporate media pretends these Americans don't exist. The independent media will tell you about them - like FSTV.

Our elected officials will do nothing about this, primarily because Congressional leaders block any action to solve anything significant - even though many in Congress try.

We, the people, can solve this massive roadblock to legislation by creating our own legislation. Check out the National Initiative.

[Cal33]

5. Hi dfgrbac: This is the first time I've heard of "The National Initiative."

I think it's a very good idea, and could be of benefit to the whole country. May
I make a suggestion? You could write a regular post right here. It will reach
far more readers if you do. And may it catch on fire.

[Cyrano]

6. Great idea. If not on DU, where? If not now, when?

I'm with you Call33. Please do it dfgrbac.

[dfgrbac]

12. I've been campaigning on DU for NI4D since it started years ago.

I don't have links to old articles, but I did have some local files on my computer of some of their contents. So I started creating a Journal of what I could find. See dfgrbac's journal here.

Unfortunately, the members here at DU do not seem very enthusiastic about democracy - something I have great difficulty in understanding. If we let the elected representatives and officials take all the power, without saving some for ourselves, we are doomed! Why? Because they will follow the money - corporate money!

We have seen and are experiencing the results of that system.

[felix_numinous]

11. Thanks for this link!!

[Panaconda]

3. K&R n/t

[maryf]

7. K&R

Just pretend it's all ok... :(

[Kievan Rus]

8. The blind pursuit of mammon and material possessions is destroying this society

[Cyrano]

9. So let's just ignore those millions of invisible people

I've self-kicked this thread because far too many of us may soon find ourselves invisible. We all know it sucks and most of us can't do a thing about it.

Nonetheless, one of the above posters had a good idea that may or may not be practical.

Are all the rest of us just going to turn away and make believe that what's happening to the people of our country just doesn't exist?

There are no easy answers. But I'd sure as hell would like to hear from anyone who has any ideas of how to address this plague.

Please, throw out any ideas you may have. Today, the invisible Americans are "THEM." Tomorrow, it could be any of us. And then, you won't even have a computer with which to scream out how much you are hurting.

Speak out while you still can.

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. K&R