We have always had the poor, the indigent and hobos. Cities in the U.S. have always tried to provide housing and simple shelter. There was an explosion of street people at the end of the 1970's as the hippies made living on the streets socially acceptable.
The number of people living on the streets also began rising in the late 1920’s before the stock market crash of ‘29. The numbers grew well into the 1930’s. The villages that were created by these people were called Hoovervilles. The Democrat Party, as usual, blamed the severe fall in GNP on the financial crash and the president at the time, Herbert Hoover.
History doesn’t support that analysis. And history doesn’t support the analysis that the Democrat’s aggressive expansion of government had any beneficial effects on employment.
The relevance to this blog is that we have Obamaville’s all over America. The census of people living on the streets does not reflect a recent significant increase in that population. But it is visually growing. Believe your eyes. The street population is growing.
It is even more visual because ordinary citizens in towns that have big recreational enthusiast populations are giving the street dwellers their camping equipment, especially expensive tents.
The reality of the current economy is that middle income people are watching their incomes stagnate while more people leave the labor market. Crime is rising, food lines are getting longer and misery is on the increase.
The Democrat Party hostility to commerce doesn't improve the situation. It does everything to make life harder on poor people. Raising the minimum wage eliminates mundane jobs, banning large chain stores raises core food costs and high priced city union jobs eliminates funds for simple cleanup jobs. Most of all environmental costs make autos and driving more costly. Rent control doesn't help nor do all the restrictions on new construction.