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BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:26 pm
by 7zark7
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CnnOOo6tRs8
I'm surprised there aren't any American news agencies picking this story up....
Unless its not true... Anyone here live in Cali? Is it always like this? Are there tent city/ shanty towns all over the place like Haiti, India, China and Brazil.
Or are they just a bunch of moron's who took loans for a house they knew they could never afford....
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:56 pm
by Peenyuh
I live in California, and what I saw in that story is heavily spun. Those tent cities that they showed have existed in States on the west coast for many years. There's one in King County Washington that moves every three months because no community wants them around. They are not a result of people losing their houses in this current homeloan crisis. The tent cities are not that big. Jerks just don't wanna see the homeless at all. In the past 7 months that I've been in Sacramento, I haven't seen a tent city. Seattle, Los Angeles...big cities like that have always had little places like that. Looks to me like the BBC took a problem in one area and spun it to fit their own purposes. I am NOT accusing the BBC of doing anything any American media wouldn't do, I'm just pointing out that we Americans are not being turned out into the streets in record numbers. Lot more people are moving into smaller houses and apartments in Cali right now though. In THAT sense, it's pretty bad.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:58 pm
by seremtan
hm... taking out loans is making a bet that your economic situation and that of the country as whole will only improve or at least stay the same. governments in general encourage people to think this way, because a) it makes them sound competent and b) all that credit is what fuels the economy. unfortunately the bubble has to burst some time, and unless you spent your savings on gold, you're pretty much fucked if you have any outstanding loans or cc balances. it doesn't help that all your jobs went to mexico either
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:47 am
by Peenyuh
seremtan wrote:hm... taking out loans is making a bet that your economic situation and that of the country as whole will only improve or at least stay the same. governments in general encourage people to think this way, because a) it makes them sound competent and b) all that credit is what fuels the economy. unfortunately the bubble has to burst some time, and unless you spent your savings on gold, you're pretty much fucked if you have any outstanding loans or cc balances. it doesn't help that all your jobs went to mexico either
And China, and India, and.....
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:18 am
by R00k
Peenyuh, I like you. You seem like a fairly level-headed guy, all things considered.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:52 am
by Peenyuh
R00k wrote:Peenyuh, I like you. You seem like a fairly level-headed guy, all things considered.

Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:17 am
by Tsakali_
property ownership isn't so bad, you just have to make sure you hit that wave at the right time.
As for California I heard they had recently started 50 year home loans...you pretty much sign over the rest of your natural life for the illusion of ownership.
not to mention it speaks volumes as to how ridiculously overrated real estate has become in that area.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:15 pm
by Peenyuh
Tsakali_ wrote:property ownership isn't so bad, you just have to make sure you hit that wave at the right time.
As for California I heard they had recently started 50 year home loans...you pretty much sign over the rest of your natural life for the illusion of ownership.
not to mention it speaks volumes as to how ridiculously overrated real estate has become in that area.
Absolutely over-rated.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:36 pm
by 7zark7
R00k wrote:Peenyuh, I like you. You seem like a fairly level-headed guy, all things considered.

Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:04 pm
by zeeko
can i join teh circle jerk too?
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:05 pm
by 7zark7
did you bring a cookie?
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:22 pm
by nay0k
zeeko wrote:can i join teh circle jerk too?
dear zeeko.. u r a fag
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:57 pm
by zeeko
nay0k wrote:zeeko wrote:can i join teh circle jerk too?
dear zeeko.. u r a fag

n1 circa 1999
but seriously, if you want.. i mean... we can make the circle a little bigger.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:20 am
by Dave
If I were one of these people who can't find a job, I'd move somewhere where I can find a job.. It's not rocket science.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:01 am
by HM-PuFFNSTuFF
Dave wrote:If I were one of these people who can't find a job, I'd move somewhere where I can find a job.. It's not rocket science.
How do you move if you have no job or money?
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:10 am
by andyman
This is what they did in st. petersburg a year ago for this type of problem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrPdZmPB ... re=related
man did that ever cause a stir.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:19 am
by HM-PuFFNSTuFF
That's pretty fucked up.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:35 am
by Dave
HM-PuFFNSTuFF wrote:Dave wrote:If I were one of these people who can't find a job, I'd move somewhere where I can find a job.. It's not rocket science.
How do you move if you have no job or money?
Ooooh.. there are ways. It's a big country and I'm sure a lot of them have cars or relatives who will help them out.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:47 am
by HM-PuFFNSTuFF
Dave wrote:
Ooooh.. there are ways. It's a big country and I'm sure a lot of them have cars or relatives who will help them out.
It's those who don't who are fucked. If you can't get set up with an address and phone number to put on a resume you may have a fuck of a time getting a job.
If you have no money and don't have proper or clean clothes for an interview you may be fucked.
If you have no money you might not even be able to print copies of your resume to hand out and then you're fucked.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:02 am
by +JuggerNaut+
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:31 pm
by Dave
HM-PuFFNSTuFF wrote:Dave wrote:
Ooooh.. there are ways. It's a big country and I'm sure a lot of them have cars or relatives who will help them out.
It's those who don't who are fucked. If you can't get set up with an address and phone number to put on a resume you may have a fuck of a time getting a job.
If you have no money and don't have proper or clean clothes for an interview you may be fucked.
If you have no money you might not even be able to print copies of your resume to hand out and then you're fucked.
You're just making excuses now
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 6:39 pm
by EtUL
Most people who are homeless are homeless by choice. There are ways out but they are work and take effort. Everything Puff listed, there are shelters that offer that but you have to be willing to give up your vices and work.
Hell, one of those homeless people on the st. petersburg video had a fucking cell phone and a cigarette in hand

, not to mention a cell phone with a video camera.
Re: BBC reports: It sucks to be American right now...
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 6:43 pm
by kel
seremtan wrote:hm... taking out loans is making a bet that your economic situation and that of the country as whole will only improve or at least stay the same. governments in general encourage people to think this way, because a) it makes them sound competent and b) all that credit is what fuels the economy. unfortunately the bubble has to burst some time, and unless you spent your savings on gold, you're pretty much fucked if you have any outstanding loans or cc balances. it doesn't help that all your jobs went to mexico either
I remember reading somewhere it's illegal to stockpile gold in the US except by the Gubment. Something Gerald Ford passed...