Agreed... Clearly they cannot afford to take care of themselves, let alone two children.

There has to be a family in a more deserving situation for these protesters to latch onto and use for their cause. This earns them no sympathy in my mind.

I don't think even the most die-hard, bleeding heart of liberalces could defend these pathetic fools...

baronvonmoneybags

Nobody should defend this. But here's all I want to say. Please don't look at these people and say that every poor family in america is doing these kind of things. Many people in this country that are struggling only want a fair chance to EARN their piece of the pie. I'm a minority, I vote dem, and I'm proud that I work for my living, pay my fair share of taxes and don't drain our society. But again, don't make these particular "system gamers" the face of the poor. That would be like if someone has a family full of college educated professionals except for 1 person that turned out to be a drug addict, and someone tries to pluck that addict out and make him or her the "face" of that family.

I agree as soon as I saw they had two children while homeless my sympathies shifted to the children whom have two parents that are irresponsible. We all could be homeless at any point in our lives however to have two children while homeless is wrong.

Geeze, why don't they go to their local doctor and get birth control. Seriously guys, You forget you have health insurance and medication coverage. Don't judge until you are in the same position.

Or you could like, you know, abstain? I mean you're in a homeless shelter ffs. The thought should pretty much cross your mind. Oh wait...

So all poor people should not be allowed to have sex? Listen, I am not trying to be obstinate and even agree the facts do not all add up. You and I would have found a home for our children before that time and would have put more thought into family planning. But I am assuming you are educated enough to use a news site effectively. Assume you have no education, no job skills, no or very little access to healthcare. Suddenly your decisions would seem less reasonable, because there are no reasoning skills, and your decisions more desperate. I don't know how to fix these problems but will say access to a universal health system with emphasis on family planning is a good start. One of my issues with the RNC right now is they are all about being pro-life but once that baby is born they drop them like a hot potato. I think if you are sincerely pro life then you must consider the cost of educating, feeding and boarding that child.

SCdoc - heard of a condom?

I get so tired of people who have probably never experienced real poverty telling the rest of the world how those who have nothing should behave/live. I grew up desperately poor, my parents divorced leaving my mother to raise three kids on very little money. It was catch 22 if my mother worked she barely made more than she did on welfare, cut in childcare and transportation, and she was making less than she did if she stayed home. Once my grandfather gave her a gift of money to buy a new washing machine and she was penalized for a month. Do you think its fun to shop on food stamps, to wear the same crummy clothes over and over even after you've outgrown them? It is not cool to have to decide between food and going to the dentist. Welfare doesn't pay for much more than the bare essentials. My mother eventually got off welfare and was even able to buy a house, but it was only through extreme perserverance and family support that this happened. Not everyone has that going for them. So people if you haven't walked in our shoes don't try and tell low income people how to live.

PEOPLE PAY A BANK 600 THOUSAND DOLLARS OR MORE FOR A 200 THOUSAND DOLLAR HOUSE AND THE TAX PAYER GUARANTEES THE LOAN.

Alll government guaranteed loans should be made directly to qualified buyers at a low interest. This would cut house notes by half or more and leave trillions in the hands of our people instead of thieving banks.

Our big banks have been getting billions in 0% loans to play the market. The lowlife pigs have been driving up the price of food and gas on our hurting people by manipulating the commodities market. There is nothing they won't do and nothing is done to stop them.

We are crazy to allow this corrupt financial system to destroy America. We are in desperate need of a government and a financial system that serves instead of rapes our people. More power to the protesters! Millions in the streets to force real change may be our only hope for avoiding depression and chaos.

Frank Morton--

Just because you don't understand how the Fed Window works or what a futures contract is, that doesn't make you right....

hboogy #1.3 Not every homeless family is too busy getting knocked up for the last 10 years to get an education, a job or temporary housing. Many are the ones that used to be paying for the now vacant homes. There are those here and on other threads that are empathetic, until they find that this couple hasn't done anything in 10 years. Even a couple of years would be understandable. But last year's defunding excuse doesn't account for the 9 previous years of doing nothing.

BlackMountAl,

I too grew up desperately poor my mother raised 5 children by waiting tables then eventually gaining a job with Brown and Root in their employee benefits department(when I was 16) after going to school during the day and waiting tables at night the things she utilized were the dental benefits from the county health department she used food stamps one time for about 3 months but other than that she never used the welfare system.

It is my understanding that States all have county and state hospitals that will provide health care for free. Family planning will provide birth control for free

After growing up the way I did I find it hard to be sympathetic to someone who says I can't so give me something for free.

Watching people in front of me buying groceries with food stamps and not just the basics but Steaks Seafood and such then they walk out and load them in a car or truck I can't afford again I find it hard to be sympathetic.

Then they put this Picture of 2 healthy adults in front of me who won't work and won't take care of their responsibilities and are getting ready to illegally occupy a house just because it is empty and want me to say good for them I don't think so.

I do not believe all people on welfare are in the category that I have described but far to many are.

Do I believe the welfare system is BROKEN? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In an Ideal situation we would decided what is the amount we are going to give itwould be enough to provide the basics of food shelter and clothing (and at a fixed level if they chose to have children while receiving benefits that is their choice but we do not increase their benefits) but not much more then if that person decides to go to work we reduce their benefits $.50 for every dollar after taxes they earn so that when they reach a point of no benefits they have an income twice the amount of the benefits they were recieving.

After reading the article and the comments, I went back and read the previous articles about this family. The family has not been living in homeless shelters for the past decade. They have been in shelters off and on, which means that at some point one or both parents had jobs or some sort of income. It could also mean that neither child was conceived or born while they were living in shelters. Some of you are so self-righteous and can never imagine yourselves in their situation. There are so many homeless people (working and non-working) who wish they were in a different situation. Then there are those of us who have income/ work and are barely scraping by. Not because we are living above our means and not because we aren't educated. No, I don't think I would move into a foreclosed home because I would be afraid that my family would end up in a worse predicament if or when the eviction notice came. But that's my choice. I can't make decisions for anyone else.

Dark Guardian, your "understanding" of the free hospital is a myth. If you go to the ER with an acute condition, like appendicitis or a stab wound, they'll fix that because they have to. If, during their examination, they find an enormous, cancerous tumor, they'll tell you to go to a family doctor. If you can't afford your family doctor, you're out of luck. You can "understand" that poor people get free healthcare all you want, but it's definitely a misunderstanding.

I don't feel like making my student loan payments, to hell with that!

I mean, if we can just take over an empty house and not get arrested, I better get on that. The good ones go fast.

Elvoid, no you won't. Your house will go into foreclosure, you'll be evicted and end up sleeping in the shelter cots that you just traded someone else your house for.

I don't know their situation but I know mine. I am bipolar and have been taking some pretty powerful meds. For the past ten years I have had five jobs that lasted from 5 days to 8 weeks when I was lucky. Prior to 2001 I always worked, I had my own apartment, l had excellent credit, and I had savings. Now my savings are gone, I have to either live with my mother or in a shelter, so I am in the unbearable situation of living with family--and it's not pleasant. Though my psychiatrist recommended it, I have been denied disability. You have to wait eight years here (Washington) just to get on a lottery list to hope to get on public housing. The government is in the business of denying you help, believe me, I've been there. I don't want to "live off others", but since I can't seem to work no matter how hard I try--and I try my best to be a people and boss pleaser at work, I am seemingly not good enough. And now I will turn 60 in may which will make employment next to impossible. I've gone back to school twice to improve my situation, but no dice. Given what I am going thru, lI'm inclined to cut these people a break.

Maybe it's not so wrong Blue Rose

If you have such a bad mental condition you can't function in society, that's why they made mental hospitals and other facilities. There you can actually get help instead of sitting around with your hand out.

Either way, nothing justifies going into some other property and claiming it as your own.

Yes, it is wrong. I was a single parent for 18 years with an ex-husband that refused to pay child support. I worked to support my kids and give them a home. I didn't live for a decade in homeless shelters and have children that I couldn't give a home to. You can't tell me that for TEN years, two people with no disabilities couldn't find jobs or qualify for public housing. This is a slap in the face to those of us that actually work to give our children homes and do not expect others to uphold our responsibilities. Make excuses for yourself, but there are NONE for these two pieces of trash!

Kate,

Although Blue Rose hit the point a bit hard, I can't disagree with her. I like her, can give you a pass because at least you put forth the EFFORT to be self sufficient. But these two take the cake. How in the mfn world can you even show your face in public with two children that were born while you were still living in a shelter. I put this even more on the man because he is supposed to step up if his wife either can't or won't do her part. It's regrettable the situation you're in but no one can take away from you that you TRIED. These people need a kick where the sun don't shine.

You are exactly right. Ten years is a long time to be jobless and homeless. Lazy scumbags. Kick their arses out on the street until they find some type of work. Sterilize both and take their children from them until they find work.

Kate,

You fall into the category of people who honestly can't work and we as a people should help but there are far to many who live off of the welfare system that should be thrown out in the cold are capable of taking care of themselves who use every excuse in the book as to why they can't when the truth is they won't

This is precisely why the poor must be sterilized in exchange for their welfare benefits.

We seem to be so concerned about other peoples property. How is it banks that produce nothing own most of the countries property.

How is it bankers can get billions in 0% loans to manipulate the market? No one complains when they drive up the price of oil and other essential commodities. So, they use our own money to rape us and they only pay 15% capital gains tax on most every thing the steal.

Banks, wall street, insurance companies, hedge funds and commodities speculators all have much in common. They produce nothing and take mountains. Here are some of the things they control: Our government, our money supply, interest rates, housing, education, health care and the price of many essential products.

America is in the hands of they money manipulators and they are taking enough to destroy our nation. We need to force real change. The way our people have been used and abused by this system it is amazing we have put up with it this long. We better force real change before the pigs destroy our country.

Don't you just love the child tax credit? Those two people have been getting money every year from the IRS because of those deduction- I mean children. Poor people like that are smart enough to scam the system for every penny they can, as long as it doesn't require finding a job.

But of course, that means the 'husband' would've been bumping uglies with that chick in the homeless shelter since he was like 16-17, probably doesn't have a GED, and wonders why he can't get hired for anything about $6.75 an hour?



So how is this any different from what the Feds have been doing according to a GOA audit? And far more serious, too. If our Country can help so many foreign businesses, then why shouldn't job training , education, and other assistance programs be used to help homeless Americans to get back on their feet. Why punish or ridicule the homeless children? Read this letter from a former Congressman (Alan Grayson) who sent it to a friend of mine. The real story comes out!!! 16 Trillion and not 700 Billion was given out in the TARP/Bank Bail under Bush.Try doing some real thinking about this audit!!

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Alan Grayson
Sent: Dec 5, 2011 11:24 AM

Subject: The Fed Bailouts: Money for Nothing

Dear ---------.

I think it’s fair to say that Congressman Ron Paul and I are the parents of the GAO’s audit of the Federal Reserve.

Anyway, one of our love children is a massive 251-page GAO report technocratically entitled “Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Policies and Processes for Managing Emergency Assistance.” It is almost as weighty as that 13-lb. baby born in Germany last week, named Jihad. It also is the first independent audit of the Federal Reserve in the Fed’s 99-year history.

Feel free to take a look at it yourself, it’s right here. It documents Wall Street bailouts by the Fed that dwarf the $700 billion TARP, and everything else you’ve heard about.

I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I’m dramatizing or amplifying what this GAO report says, so I’m just going to list some of my favorite parts, by page number.

Page 131 – The total lending for the Fed’s “broad-based emergency programs” was $16,115,000,000,000. That’s right, more than $16 trillion. The four largest recipients, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America, received more than a trillion dollars each. The 5th largest recipient was Barclays PLC. The 8th was the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, PLC. The 9th was Deutsche Bank AG. The 10th was UBS AG. These four institutions each got between a quarter of a trillion and a trillion dollars. None of them is an American bank.

Pages 133 & 137 – Some of these “broad-based emergency program” loans were long-term, and some were short-term. But the “term-adjusted borrowing” was equivalent to a total of $1,139,000,000,000 more than one year. That’s more than $1 trillion out the door. Lending for these programs in fact peaked at more than $1 trillion.

Pages 135 & 196 – Sixty percent of the $738 billion “Commercial Paper Funding Facility” went to the subsidiaries of foreign banks. 36% of the $71 billion Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility also went to subsidiaries of foreign banks.

Page 205 – Separate and apart from these “broad-based emergency program” loans were another $10,057,000,000,000 in “currency swaps.” In the “currency swaps,” the Fed handed dollars to foreign central banks, no strings attached, to fund bailouts in other countries. The Fed’s only “collateral” was a corresponding amount of foreign currency, which never left the Fed’s books (even to be deposited to earn interest), plus a promise to repay. But the Fed agreed to give back the foreign currency at the original exchange rate, even if the foreign currency appreciated in value during the period of the swap. These currency swaps and the “broad-based emergency program” loans, together, totaled more than $26 trillion. That’s almost $100,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. That’s an amount equal to more than seven years of federal spending -- on the military, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, interest on the debt, and everything else. And around twice American’s total GNP.

Page 201 – Here again, these “swaps” were of varying length, but on Dec. 4, 2008, there were $588,000,000,000 outstanding. That’s almost $2,000 for every American. All sent to foreign countries. That’s more than twenty times as much as our foreign aid budget.

Page 129 – In October 2008, the Fed gave $60,000,000,000 to the Swiss National Bank with the specific understanding that the money would be used to bail out UBS, a Swiss bank. Not an American bank. A Swiss bank.

Pages 3 & 4 – In addition to the “broad-based programs,” and in addition to the “currency swaps,” there have been hundreds of billions of dollars in Fed loans called “assistance to individual institutions.” This has included Bear Stearns, AIG, Citigroup, Bank of America, and “some primary dealers.” The Fed decided unilaterally who received this “assistance,” and who didn’t.

Pages 101 & 173 – You may have heard somewhere that these were riskless transactions, where the Fed always had enough collateral to avoid losses. Not true. The “Maiden Lane I” bailout fund was in the hole for almost two years.

Page 4 – You also may have heard somewhere that all this money was paid back. Not true. The GAO lists five Fed bailout programs that still have amounts outstanding, including $909,000,000,000 (just under a trillion dollars) for the Fed’s Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities Purchase Program alone. That’s almost $3,000 for every American.

Page 126 – In contemporaneous documents, the Fed apparently did not even take a stab at explaining why it helped some banks (like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) and not others. After the fact, the Fed referred vaguely to “strains in the financial markets,” “transitional credit,” and the Fed’s all-time favorite rationale for everything it does, “increasing liquidity.”

81 different places in the GAO report – The Fed applied nothing even resembling a consistent policy toward valuing the assets that it acquired. Sometimes it asked its counterparty to take a “haircut” (discount), sometimes it didn’t. Having read the whole report, I see no rhyme or reason to those decisions, with billions upon billions of dollars at stake.

Page 2 – As massive as these enumerated Fed bailouts were, there were yet more. The GAO did not even endeavor to analyze the Fed’s discount window lending, or its single-tranche term repurchase agreements.

Pages 13 & 14 – And the Fed wasn’t the only one bailing out Wall Street, of course. On top of what the Fed did, there was the $700,000,000,000 TARP program authorized by Congress (which I voted against). The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) also provided a federal guarantee for $600,000,000,000 in bonds issued by Wall Street.

There is one thing that I’d like to add to this, which isn’t in the GAO’s report. All this is something new, very new. For the first 96 years of the Fed’s existence, the Fed’s primary market activities were to buy or sell U.S. Treasury bonds (to change the money supply), and to lend at the “discount window.” Neither of these activities permitted the Fed to play favorites. But the programs that the GAO audited are fundamentally different. They allowed the Fed to choose winners and losers.

So what does all this mean? Here are some short observations:

(1) In the case of TARP, at least The People’s representatives got a vote. In the case of the Fed’s bailouts, which were roughly 20 times as substantial, there was never any vote. Unelected functionaries, with all sorts of ties to Wall Street, handed out trillions of dollars to Wall Street. That’s now how a democracy should function, or even can function.

(2) The notion that this was all without risk, just because the Fed can keep printing money, is both laughable and cryable (if that were a word). Leaving aside the example of Germany’s hyperinflation in 1923, we have the more recent examples of Iceland (75% of GNP gone when the central bank took over three failed banks) and Ireland (100% of GNP gone when the central bank tried to rescue property firms).

(3) In the same way that American troops cannot act as police officers for the world, our central bank cannot act as piggy bank for the world. If the European Central Bank wants to bail out UBS, fine. But there is no reason why our money should be involved in that.

(4) For the Fed to pick and choose among aid recipients, and then pick and choose who takes a “haircut” and who doesn’t, is both corporate welfare and socialism. The Fed is a central bank, not a barber shop.

(5) The main, if not the sole, qualification for getting help from the Fed was to have lost huge amounts of money. The Fed bailouts rewarded failure, and penalized success. (If you don’t believe me, ask Jamie Dimon at JP Morgan.) The Fed helped the losers to squander and destroy even more capital.

(6) During all the time that the Fed was stuffing money into the pockets of failed banks, many Americans couldn’t borrow a dime for a home, a car, or anything else. If the Fed had extended $26 trillion in credit to the American people instead of Wall Street, would there be 24 million Americans today who can’t find a full-time job????

And here’s what bothers me most about all this: It can happen again. I’ve called the GAO report a bailout autopsy. But it’s an autopsy of the undead.

Courage,

Alan Grayson

All I read is that the Feds took another easy way out. You know what, let's just give bailouts to a few big corps, it's easier than going through the effort than giving money to millions of needy. Oh, and the banks will give me millions in campaign contributions. That's definitely a plus.

That attitude sounds about right for a politician.

The same bloggers in this link are most likely the same ones, who object to Planned Parenthood handing out birth control contraceptives, too. At least this couple did not get an abortion, but they probably could not afford the contraception's either. "You can't have your cake and eat it, too." So if you think having children while being poor, then at least allow free birth control contraceptives. Otherwise, don't be so quick to throw stones when you yourselves are not so perfect.

Granted that families like the one in this article should not be allowed to abuse Govt. assistance there should be tracking and some guide lines for this type of help. It would be kind of like being in the military: Either progress or move on out.

How did the housing get inflated so quickly? Between the banks and appraisers. Appraisers are just as culpable to false housing inflation. How about those second mortagages and lines of credit created by faulty appraisals inflating the housing price creating equity that was no existent.

Wonder if they have millions in foreign banks like the bankers and CEOs theat have raped America.

Yes, it is easy to see many things wrong with this couple and their life style; But, when the Saudi royal family makes 250 billion in one year off our rigged stock market while 401ks are tanking it is not quit as obvious. We spend untold billions defending big wealth. The Emir of Kuwait has hundreds of billions in our corrupt system.

We may need to change the bottom; But the top, is destroying us. Our middle class is declining poverty is growing and the top few take more and more. This is a certain formula for disaster.

We need to force our public owned corporations to pay our minimum wages wherever they go. This would bring back jobs and show a little respect for workers. Also, we have millions of people working hard and barely surviving this is unnecessary.

When the CEO of Disney made 600 million in salary and God knows what in bonuses, he had children working in Haiti for 12 cents an hour. This is the coldblooded evil that is destroying America and it is encouraged and helped by our government. If we don't force real change, I see no way we will avoid Depression and chaos.