Security guards at food banks....

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

heard about this yesterday, the story is more than 12 hours old, so I can't post in late breaking....but apparently our food banks are so overwhelmed here in Washington, there is now a need to post security guards.

from the article -

SEATTLE - Desperate times are calling for desperate measures at food banks around the area. Longer lines and shorter tempers are now forcing some facilities to hire security guards to keep people safe.

http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/washington/stories/NW_052709WAB-food-bank-security-SW.21e97a93.html

Boy, do I feel bad for these people, my own situation is not good (lay off) and showing no signs of improvement anytime soon......it doesn't take any stretch of the imagination to think I could be one of those in the long lines.

[Stuart G]

1. One of the saddest stories I have heard lately. nt

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. Creating new jobs .............

Some folks got jobs as security guards because of this..

How ironic ...............

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. We can afford to hire security guards but not afford enough food to feed people?

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

4. the article does say that it was the perception that there wouldn't be

enough food that was part of the problem, but for now, the food supply was ok.

People are stressed and getting jumpy, I think. Decently paying jobs would settle all of this.

Also, people that were laid off when the economic downturn first started really snowballing (mid-summer last year) are either out of UI or soon will be, extensions and all....That is heartbreaking. I may be among them if things don't look up in the next 6 months...

This probably is just a small snapshot of what things may be like in CA, if Arnold has his way with eliminating all welfare.

[vadawg]

6. never thought my fathers words would be so prophetic when he told me

never to rely on the government and government for safety or succour. totally understand him now more than ever.

[Luminous Animal]

9. Not sure what your point is.

All three food banks mentioned in the article are privately run. Given how much stress the food banks are experiencing, this would be a good time for the government to step in.

[vadawg]

10. talking about the posters UI running out, and the general state of stuff

its better to be as independant as you can be and to prepare for the worst, that was what my fathers lesson was.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

11. let me just say

that when this whole thing started for me, I had no consumer debt, only a mortgage, and about $25,000 in family savings. My husband's job was eliminated in July, last year, only to be posted on Craig's list two weeks later as non-benefited contract labor. He is over 50 and has been looking and looking and looking, but nothing. He even applied for a job as a janitor for gods sake.

Between UI and our savings we have been limping along. His UI will run out in a few weeks, mine in about 6 months. i pray that something will turn up between now and than. We are in a position to lose everything that we have worked years to build. Once the UI runs out, we are going to have to start selling assets, (maybe before the UI runs out, the cars and than the house),

All I have ever done is work hard, save (before it was cool) be involved in my community, vote democratic, and this is where I am at the age of 50. It is hard to accept this is happening to me.

I am not trying to fight with you, but I did prepare for the worst, and I shudder to think where we would be right now without the UI or government help.

I won't be able to answer any reply you may post, because, independently, I am off to night school in about 15 mins, trying to upgrade my skills (it's an excel class) to become more employable. :)

[vadawg]

12. good luck, not trying to fight with you either, wish you the best.

just stating that if you who tried to prepare are having problems then the majority of people who never thought about it are screwed.

[Luminous Animal]

13. I take it then that you are totally self-sufficient.

You don't need hospitals or roads or fly on jets or drive a car or need the police or fire departments, banks or schools. Because if every single person were to be self-sufficient, they'd be spending all their time raising, growing, storing, or procuring food and securing shelter. There would be no time to work any other sort of job. In order to maintain the trappings of modern society, in which only about 1% of the population is involved in food production, it is essential that the government, i.e., ourselves - because we are the government - to step in both personal and nationwide economic downturns.

[vadawg]

14. pretty much could be again if need be,

got enough land to support my family, got ability to protect them, got revenue streams from various schemes, my point is i am not going to rely upon the government to provide for me and my family, people who believe that the government will come to their aid are the ones who end up screwed.

[Luminous Animal]

15. Too bad not everyone is exactly like you.

And can live on enough land to support themselves. The opposite is tru, actually, for practically everyone in the United States. You fall for the right-wing crap that the government does not belong to us. We are the government, and, if we had the will, we could ensure that people would survive economic hardships.

[vadawg]

16. who says i fall for any crap, if you believe that any government is going to provide

no matter what then you are nuts, whilst you can sit and wait for the dude from the government to arrive to help you i will continue to build my savings, supplies etc and weather the storm as best i can, and if the worst comes to the worst then my kids get to live just as their ancestors did.

[snappyturtle]

5. A sign of the times....sad. nt

[Wednesdays]

7. K&R

:kick:

[Roon]

8. My aids center foodbank has a security guard on saturdays

I don't know why.