Performance Based Funding

Last week, the New York Times reported that the Obama administration would order that top executives at companies which received the largest amounts of TARP bail out money would have their salaries cut.

The pay cuts would affect a combined total of 25 executives at: "… Citigroup, Bank of America, American International Group, General Motors, Chrysler and the financing arms of the two automakers."

A Washington Post/ABC News poll showed that approximately 71 percent of Americans support the administration’s placing pay limits on companies who received federal bail out money.  

The Recession May Be Over, But More Americans Are Edging Closer To Homelessness

If you read, listen to or watch the news, it’s a good bet that you’re probably familiar with the phrase: "jobless recovery."

Since I’m not an economist or analyst, it’s difficult for me to completely understand the dynamics of how you can actually have an economic recovery if there isn’t any job creation taking place.

Yet, according to an Associated Press news article I read yesterday, later this week, the Government will be announcing that the recession if officially over. On the other hand, sometime next week, the Government will be releasing another set of data which is expected to point to an additional increase in unemployment.

Yes, you read that correctly: the recession is over, but the unemployment rate is going to rise.  

There’s A New Blog In The Neighborhood

Back in January of this year, I received an email from a gentleman at Path Partners.

They were getting ready to start a new blog about homelessness and asked if I might be interested in becoming one of the sites contributing bloggers.

I’m familiar with the organization because its CEO, Joel John Roberts, is the author of the L.A.’s Homeless Blog.

The new site was originally going to be called "Homelessness In The City," and was scheduled to make its debut within a couple of months of their initial email to me.  

Good Moral Character Isn’t Always The Best Dressed

It’s a disappointment to me when some folks automatically assume that because a person is homeless that they are not a "nice or good person."

I’m well aware that we are a visually oriented society, and therefore, have a tendency to take our preliminary "cues" based on how a person is dressed. If they look neat and tidy, we equate that with "wholesomeness." And, if they are a bit disheveled, we equate that with un-wholesomeness.

Unfortunately, due to their "residential status," our nation’s homeless aren’t always the best dressed. Consequently, we seldom take – or make – the time to base our opinion of any specific homeless person based on their personal character. Furthermore, quite often we go out of our way to avoid interacting with a homeless person – and, all because of their appearance.  

Think The Homeless Are Just Bums And Derelicts? Think Again.

The stereotypes most often associated with homelessness permeate our social mindset. As a result, is difficult for many people to imagine that some of our nation’s homeless are actually victims of circumstances.

We’ve grown accustomed to thinking of the homeless as derelicts, bums, drunks, drug addicts, and etcetera. Reflexively – and without challenging our own perceptions – we tend to blame a person’s homelessness on themselves. And, because of that, we are all too often unwilling to provide anything more than the absolute bare minimum of resources and assistance to our homeless.

This offering of "table scraps" is just enough to keep the homeless alive – and hopefully, out of sight – but does nothing to actually help them get off the streets.