{"id":17116,"date":"2021-07-16T09:00:33","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=17116"},"modified":"2022-10-09T06:16:20","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T10:16:20","slug":"it-isnt-that-people-dont-want-to-work-they-just-dont-want-to-work-and-still-be-homeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/it-isnt-that-people-dont-want-to-work-they-just-dont-want-to-work-and-still-be-homeless\/","title":{"rendered":"It Isn\u2019t that People Don\u2019t Want to Work. They Just Don\u2019t Want to Work and Still be Homeless."},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is a true story.<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a place where people drag themselves to work day in and day out by the millions. They toil diligently in thankless employment positions where the labor is as intense as the scorching summer sun. But in the end, the money they earn from one or maybe even two full-time jobs still isn\u2019t enough to afford them a humble two-bedroom apartment.<\/p>\n

Under the streetlights in vacant parking lots, homeless parents scramble to educate their children on used laptops in the backs of minivans. They spend hours on the phone trying to explain to cyber charter school personnel why they can\u2019t verify their addresses.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest.<\/em> This is a place where it is easier to get a gun than an education.<\/strong> Bang. High school dropout rates shoot through the roof as homeless students fall uncounted to the bottom of the barrel. Their futures clatter to the floor. Their faces fade into the background.<\/p>\n

Someone has to get stepped on in order to lay the new concrete evenly. Empty luxury apartment buildings tower, leaving little room for the 7 million affordable homes we\u2019d need to end the growing housing crisis. Who are we saving these posh little condos for? Who are we saving?<\/em><\/p>\n

Simultaneously, rental prices have outpaced wage<\/a> increases for two consecutive decades. This is a dark, familiar town full of empty promises and broken dreams. You live here, as do I.<\/p>\n

But on the other side of America, a very different story is being told. It\u2019s about the over-abundance of hiring signs. All the workers are just sitting around collecting stimulus checks because they\u2019re too lazy to get a job. This has been the narrative for far too long. It must stop.<\/p>\n

Dear fellow journalists, bloggers, and researchers, please stop telling the world there are lazy people in America who just don\u2019t want to work. It isn\u2019t true. People do want to work. They just don\u2019t want to work and still be homeless.<\/em><\/h4>\n

Here\u2019s a Window: Crack it Open and See What\u2019s Really Going on Behind the Glass<\/h3>\n

Perhaps homelessness is a world you\u2019ve never personally witnessed. Perhaps you believe this state of being could never touch you.<\/p>\n

Did you know that in our current economy, a jaw-dropping 59% of US workers<\/a> are just one paycheck away from homelessness? Even if you\u2019re not among them, you\u2019re among them. From a purely mathematical standpoint, this statistic shows that it\u2019s either you or the guy standing next to you. There are 20 people in a room. Eleven of them are one paycheck away from homelessness.<\/p>\n

Along comes Corporate America to offer everyone coming out of a historical unemployment slump a job. But there\u2019s a catch. These jobs feature the same unlivable wages as before. The bill to increase the minimum wage gets shot down, a slap in the face to workers everywhere. In its place is a more profound wealth gap closing around the overwhelming majority of people.<\/h4>\n

In a thought-provoking Twitter thread, which is deservingly on its way to virality, author and CEO Dan Price<\/a> reveals some stats that really bring perspective to the issue. To paraphrase, here are some of the highlights:<\/p>\n

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  • The pandemic made it possible for eight new people<\/a> to possess $100 billion. Previously, this description fit only one person<\/li>\n
  • On average, CEO\u2019s make 320x more<\/a> than the people they employ<\/li>\n
  • $3 trillion in new money was printed<\/a> in order to keep the stock market afloat and create a future where even more billionaires usurp the working class\u2019s wealth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n

    When the pandemic began there was 1 person worth $100 billion<\/p>\n

    Now there are 9<\/p>\n

    When the pandemic began the 10 richest people had $695 billion<\/p>\n

    Now they have $1.36 trillion<\/p>\n

    And they paid a lower tax rate than service workers who risked their lives for $7.25\/hour in a pandemic<\/p>\n

    \u2014 Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) July 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n