April 24, 2004
Iraq Veteran Returns to Homelessness
Here’s a story from the NYT about Army veteran Nicole Goodwin coming home to New York, where she ends up on the streets with her 1-year-old daughter. Rejected by the Department of Homeless Services because four women and two small children in a two-bedroom apartment, mixed with an untenable situation between mother and daughter is really not their problem. Meanwhile, Veterans Affairs can only blubber and offer excuses.
Good thing we’ve got compassionate conservatism in charge, I was getting worried.
Posted by SoL at April 24, 2004 11:47 AMWhat’s this also about the dying Mom who can’t get the military to give her child in Iraq a leave to see her once more before she passes away with terminal cancer?
Posted by: David R. Remer at April 24, 2004 05:21 PMHow is this GWB’s fault? Seriously, you guys need to lay off the JFK Kool-Aid and read up a bit.
No offense to her, but she should go live with her mom until she has a job and can afford to get out. Would it be cramped? Hell yes, but it would be a roof and most likely some babysitting until she got on her feet.
Posted by: Brian at April 24, 2004 11:58 PMBrian, I take it you are not a “compassionate” conservative. Libertarian perhaps? Not that all Libertarians would hold with your sentiments.
Posted by: David R. Remer at April 25, 2004 01:43 AMIndeed not. Behold, I am a Libertarian who does not hold to Brian’s sentiments.
Brian does not know the young woman’s circumstances — her mother could be dead, hell, both parents could be dead. Perhaps her mother, like mine is currently institutionalized.
Our current system is neither perfect nor fair. For anyone, even Libertarians, to approach it as such is ludicrous.
Posted by: Shem at April 25, 2004 03:01 AMMy military service is what brought me OUT of homelessness. It trained me with a skill that I parlayed into a high-paying civilian job, and now my life is pretty comfortable.
Even if you just did Earth Agitation Specialist as an MOS you could still get a Security job or become a cop. I think there’d have to be more to the story if a military veteran goes from a uniform to a cardboard box, but that’s just me.
Jobs openings aren’t always available, especially in the fields you’ve mentioned.
Posted by: Shem at April 28, 2004 12:06 AM
