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Middle America in Crisis

I've had a busy busy day and I took the opportunity to shut down early, come home, enjoy a glass of wine and relax. I put the TV on and am now undecided as to whether or not that was a good decision. I am an emotional wreck after watching 30 minutes of Oprah!!!

It is all about middle class America being foreclosed upon, living in tent cities and homeless.

What struck me was the young men working to clear out 15 homes a day to get them ready for the banks to sell. One, in particular, very upset at having to send children's toys to the dump. "A toy puppy that could have been a little girl's best friend". These young men are going to need therapy to survive this. They describe it as bittersweet: they have a job, they're surviving at the expense of people becoming homeless.

The family who last year gave their 10 year old son a Wei game for his birthday and this year all he wants is a cake and some love!

People living in tents and embarrassed to tell their adult children that they are homeless.

I'm going to watch a little more because this is now the world we're living in and I have to be aware. I hate what I am watching. I hate what is happening. I am scared that this could be happening to anyone we know.

Yes, I'm in Canada and a little more protected but who knows? This is terrifying that in this day and age, in what was known as the richest nation in the world, that these people are now doing whatever they can to survive!

Am I just being a sissy and falling for media propaganda or am I correct to be so horrified, shocked and downright frightened?

PS. Tracy Royst posted this today the 26th Feb Did anyone see the Oprah show yesterday about the recession? and in her post is a link to the actual program. NOTE: have tissue readily available!

Susan Emo
Sales Representative,
RE/MAX Riverview Realty Ltd. Brokerage*
Gananoque, Ontario
613-382-2211

www.SusanEmoSellsHomes.com

Serving the Gananoque, Kingston, 1000 Islands Region
- come for a visit and stay for a lifetime!

*Each office independently owned and operated

Posted by Susan Emo in Kingston/Brockville/Gananoque on 02/25/2009 03:42 PM

Comments (18)

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18 Comments on Middle America in Crisis

FEB

Susan, I was watching too, and it brought tears to my eyes, to see that child ask for cake (and lots of love); and that's all he wanted. They are going from shelter to shelter, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. It's very sad and I cried.

However, if you really want to know, you and I have the same situations much closer to home, right around us ... the shelters are over their capacity and more and more people are sleeping on the streets. These are our young boys and girls ... too young to be out there (not that there's ever a good age to be homeless).

It's all very sad. I often dream of winning the lottery so I can buy some land to build a huge building or two, to house the homeless. To actually give them their own space. An address of their own.

:(

Sylvie - I'm still unsettled about that program. I still don't know if it was a good thing that I watched. I guess we're a wee bit sheltered where I am - we don't even have a shelter and no homeless on the streets. In a town of 5000 people we are able to look after our own I guess - Thank God!

I'm waiting for my Heart and Stroke money to help me to help more! Thanks for stopping by.

Susan, I understand this and hope you will take the time to read by 3 part post about this very situation and know there is hope for folks with the right council. Not everyone can qualify, but the fact that a few folks might be able to stay in their home is a blessing that I would love to give the world. Please help me spread the message to as many people as you know.

Thanks

Hi Susan, I'm glad I missed the show. However, it is frightening and horrifying. I have seen other programs where people are evicted, with children and no place to go. It's heartbreaking. You are not a sissy! You are a genuine human being reacting to a terribly un-human condition.

Bo - I will go now and read your 3 part post and hopefully, will be cheered enough to sleep!

Mary - don't watch it!! Thank you for your understanding.

Hi Susan!
I like to watch Oprah, but I think I am glad I missed this one! Not to bury my head in the sand, but I am doing what I can, and other than that, all it does is get me depressed!

FEB

Susan,

That is so devasting!! as a DAD to 5 very young children I am petrified of what can happen, one day we are doing so good, and another day we can be doing so bad! it is very scary and stressful. I pray that things get better soon, and I pray for all those people who need help! Great post and great point CRISIS IN AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IS RIGHT!!

Paula - I am one who usually advocates avoiding the news whenever possible as it focuses on the negative almost to the exclusion of everything else. I figure if there is an emergency or something that I really need to hear about, someone will tell me! However, that report yesterday needs to be seen I've decided because there are too many people who believe it is not happening or that it won't happen to anyone they know.

There was a post the other day about someone's next door neighbour was foreclosed upon and she knew nothing about it until after the fact.

It is happening and there are good people out there who need help.

Jesse - it is devestating! People need to stop pretending that this is not happening and realize that everyone needs to take steps to eliminate spending needlessly. I understand that we need to spend to keep the economy alive but there are people who are spending what they do not have or spending on what they do not need. Keep praying for your own family and for those in need - it can't hurt and it sure could help!!! Thanks for stopping by.

I have said for a long time that this market hurts my heart. Did you know that 57% of foreclosures, the owners NEVER contact the bank out of embarrassment

I read the article and was really sad for those kids. It has made me pause and think of what is important in life. As REALTORS, we are in the business of helping people achieve their dream of owning a home and seeing it get dismantled by this economy really hurts.

Ellie - I did not know that figure - horribly sad.

Nelson - you're so right. It does hurt. It goes against everything we attempt to do.

FEB

Susan-This is such a heartfelt blog and an eye opener. I feel so much for these children. It is difficult everytime I have to show a distressed home and the property is vacant except for the remnants of childrens toys and artwork. It pulls at the heartstrings! I wish that there was so much more that we could do.

MAR

I do foreclosures and have to get them trashed out. Too often the kids toys and thing are left behind. We could do well to copy a few things that you do in Canada, especially health care. Good blog.

Seraina - It is the children who always seem to suffer. They suffered when they were being spoiled with things they didn't really need and they're suffering now because of choices their parents made. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

Barbara - Would it kill them to take the child's toy? Obviously the parents are in a state of distress with some guilt thrown in for good measure when they're vacating these properties but come on . . . a child's toy? I was furious when I adopted a dog and was told to wait for the dogs toys and blanket. They then told me they had been destroyed! The emotional state this dog was in with everything familiar to her, gone. I can't even imagine what is happenin to these kids!

Canada does have some wonderful procedures in place but we're feeling it too in our bigger cities. Thanks for your thoughts.

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