[seahorse]

Soros says financial system is broken, likes this current economic crisis in US to collapse of Soviet Union.

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE51K0A920090221?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&rpc=23&sp=true

[Revi]

Great. Thanks Seahorse. Now I really feel a lot better. I think we are still far from a bottom. At the bottom we'll all be eating crow, and liking it. The collapse is here.

It won't matter what the price of oil is next year. None of us will have jobs to buy it with.

[seahorse]

If the IEA's November report was right, the economic downturn will make the worse case oil production scenario come true, which is, without money invested into exploration and production and maintenance of existing fields, oil production declines at about 9% per year. So, while we may have a glut right now, they could quickly vanish.

[seahorse2]

From America to Zimbabwe.

Officer, dog square off against Modesto mob of 60
By Leslie Albrecht
[email protected]

last updated: March 31, 2009 01:04:02 AM

A Modesto police officer had to pull his gun to keep a hostile crowd at bay early Sunday.

The officer sustained minor injuries in the southwest Modesto incident, said police spokesman Sgt. Brian Findlen. Police are not releasing the officer's name. The officer's dog was assaulted but not seriously injured, Findlen said. Police arrested several suspects in connection with the incident. A loaded assault rifle was found later at the scene of the struggle, which unfolded about 2 a.m.

Findlen said the officer pulled his gun only after other deterrents, including his police dog, failed to keep the crowd under control. "In a situation where you really feel that your life is in imminent danger, your options become very few," Findlen said.

Some members of the crowd told the officer that "he was not going to leave the scene alive," according to police.

The crowd of as many as 60 people included some known gang members, Findlen said. Police believe the group was gathered for a party in the 1700 block of Pelton Avenue. The officer happened upon the group when he was responding to another call in the area.

The officer saw several people assaulting one man, Findlen said. As the officer tried to break up the fight, the crowd's attention shifted from the assault victim to the officer. The crowd surrounded the officer. The officer sent his dog into the crowd in an attempt to stop the group.

The dog apprehended one suspect, who police later identified as 18-year-old Alfredo Espinoza of Modesto. As the officer tried to arrest Espinoza, the crowd pulled Espinoza away from the officer.

According to police, some in the crowd then challenged the officer to a fight. One suspect attacked the officer, police said.

Officer's radio broken

The officer's two-way radio was broken during the struggle. The officer then used his gun to hold off the crowd as he tried to tell neighbors to call 911. Someone in the crowd had a police scanner, Findlen said, and told the rest of the crowd that other officers weren't responding to the scene. It was then that the officer was told he wouldn't be leaving the scene alive, according to police.

Backup units responded after calls from other residents.

Other officers responding to the scene stopped a vehicle and found Espinoza inside, Findlen said. The driver, 20-year-old Modesto resident Andrew Mitchell, and the passenger, 19-year-old Modesto resident Matthew Reyes, were arrested on suspicion of resisting and delaying a police officer, assaulting a police dog, and "lynching." Lynching is a law enforcement term that means forcibly removing a suspect -- in this case, Espinoza -- from police custody.

Two police scanners were found in the vehicle.

Two other suspects were arrested at the scene of the struggle. William Rodriguez, 29, of Modesto was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, false imprisonment of a police officer and lynching. Junior Suarez, 19, of Modesto was arrested on suspicion of resisting and delaying a police officer and lynching.

Assault rifle found

Officers reportedly found a loaded assault rifle magazine near the scene of the assault.

During a follow-up investigation later Sunday morning, police said, officers found a loaded, banned assault rifle that police believe was used at the scene of the party. Gabriel Avila, 21, of Modesto was arrested on suspicion of possessing an assault rifle.

Detectives are continuing their investigation. Anyone with information is asked to called the Modesto Police Department at 572-9500 or Crime Stoppers at 521-4636. Tipsters also can text information to 274637. Type "TIP704" with your message.

Bee staff writer Leslie Albrecht can be reached at [email protected] or 578-2378.

http://www.modbee.com/local/v-print/story/648161.html

[seahorse2]

Flint, Michigan is starting to look like Zimbabwe. How many other places are like this? New Orleans comes to mind.

Off-the-cuff suggestion prompts discussion on what to do with abandoned neighborhoods in Flint
by Kristin Longley | The Flint Journal

Tuesday March 17, 2009, 7:45 AM
Ryan Garza | The Flint JournalThe view through an abandoned house's broken window looks out on a boarded-up house across the street on East Russell Avenue in Flint.

FLINT, Michigan -- Look in any direction from Bianca Bates' north Flint home, and you'll see graffiti-covered siding, boarded-up windows and overgrown lots.

About half of the homes on her block are burned out or vacant magnets for drug dealers and squatters. It isn't where she thought she'd end up, but it's all she can afford to rent.

"It's a dangerous place to live," said Bates, 21, who lives on East Russell Avenue. "Everywhere you look, these houses are empty around here."

Property abandonment is getting so bad in Flint that some in government are talking about an extreme measure that was once unthinkable -- shutting down portions of the city, officially abandoning them and cutting off police and fire service.

Temporary Mayor Michael Brown made the off-the-cuff suggestion Friday in response to a question at a Rotary Club of Flint luncheon about the thousands of empty houses in Flint.

Brown said that as more people abandon homes, eating away at the city's tax base and creating more blight, the city might need to examine "shutting down quadrants of the city where we (wouldn't) provide services."

He did not define what that could mean -- bulldozing abandoned areas, simply leaving the vacant homes to rot or some other idea entirely.

On Monday, a city spokesman downplayed Brown's comments.
Flint Journal extras At issue

• City officials say they may consider shutting down city services in areas where no one lives, but no plans are on the table to so.


Bob Campbell, Brown's spokesman, said the acting mayor was speaking hypothetically about a worst-case scenario, "not something that would be laid out in the next six months" while he's in office.

But City Council President Jim Ananich said the idea has been on his radar for years.

The city is getting smaller and should downsize its services accordingly by asking people to leave sparsely populated areas, he said.

"It's going to happen whether we like it or not," he said. "We'd have to be creative about it, but it's something worth looking into. We're not there yet, but it could definitely happen."

Flint resident Derrick Young, 39, doesn't think people in his West Austin Avenue neighborhood would bow too easily to such a request.

"We (are) all family over here," he said. "We all stick together."

Even in neighborhoods where more homes are vacant than occupied, Young, who rents, said the city shouldn't interfere.

"They shouldn't be so hard on people, just because they live in a bad area," he said. "They should find more ways to fix it up and rent it out."

The concept of "shrinking cities" isn't new to urban areas similar to Flint.

Last year, the city of Youngstown, Ohio, proposed incentives to encourage people to move out of nearly empty blocks and relocate to more populated areas closer to the heart of the city. Some people were offered upward of $50,000, according to news reports.

The idea was to shut down entire streets and bulldoze abandoned properties so the city could discontinue services such as police patrols and street lighting, according to a CNN report.

The problem came, understandably so, when officials asked residents to move.

Abandoned and foreclosed homes are on top of the list of major challenges facing Michigan cities, said Arnold Weinfeld, director of public policy and federal affairs with the Michigan Municipal League. The organization surveyed several cities that cited declining property taxes as the No. 1 problem, he said.

In the past three years or so, cities in Michigan have lost a combined $147 million in property taxes, he said.

"That's bound to have an impact on local services," he said. "There's no question it's an issue. Each community is going to address it differently."

Brown took over last month after former Mayor Don Williamson resigned facing a recall election. His replacement will be elected Aug. 4.

Brown is focused on economic development as a key to revitalizing Flint, Campbell said. The city also has the advantage of having the Genesee County Land Bank, he said.

"Cities such as Flint might be forced to make difficult choices at some point," Campbell said. "However, what he's all about is having an economic development plan in place so we don't have to seriously consider that as an option."

Bates said the idea might make some people happier, but she doesn't see how it would help the city.

But her roommate, Gabrielle Daniels, said it sounds like a good idea.

"Let's get these kids out of these bad areas," she said. "Get them out of drug houses and into safer neighborhoods."

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/03/city_of_flint_shutdown_offthec.html

[seahorse2]

Authorities require wearing of arm bands to live in a spot designated for the homeless. If you can't prove yourself local, you got to move out. Interesting how fast the authorities start recognizing "geographic boundaries" to segregate people.

Ontario residents only' at Tent City
Tent City

Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Tent City residents gather as the city of Ontario starts the process of sorting out who may stay and who must leave. The city issued wristbands – blue for Ontario residents, who may stay, orange for people who need to provide more documentation, and white for those who must leave. The aim is to reduce the number of people living there from over 400 to 170.

Officials begin thinning out the encampment, saying the city can provide space only for those who once lived there and can prove it.
By David Kelly, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

March 18, 2008
Dozens of Ontario police and code enforcement officers descended upon the homeless encampment known as Tent City early Monday, separating those who could stay from those to be evicted.

Large, often confused, crowds formed ragged lines behind police barricades where officers handed out color-coded wristbands. Blue meant they were from Ontario and could remain. Orange indicated they had to provide more proof to avoid ejection, and white meant they had a week to leave.

* City to reduce homeless numbers in Tent City
Photos: City to reduce homeless...

Many who had taken shelter at the camp -- which had grown from 20 to more than 400 residents in nine months -- lacked paperwork, bills or birth certificates proving they were once Ontario residents.

"When my husband gets out of jail he can bring my marriage certificate; will that count?" asked one tearful woman.

Another resident, clearly confused, seemed relieved to get a white band -- not understanding it meant she had to leave.

Pattie Barnes, 47, who had her motor home towed away last week, shook with anger.

"They are tagging us because we are homeless," she said, staring at her orange wristband. "It feels like a concentration camp."

Ontario officials, citing health and safety issues, say it is necessary to thin out Tent City. The move to dramatically reduce the population curtails an experiment begun last year to provide a city-approved camp where homeless people would not be harassed.

Land that includes tents, toilets and water had been set aside near Ontario International Airport for the homeless. Officials intended to limit the camp and its amenities to local homeless people, but did little to enforce that as the site rapidly expanded, attracting people from as far away as Florida.

"We have to be sensitive, and we will give people time to locate documents," said Brent Schultz, the city's housing and neighborhood revitalization director. "But we have always said this was for Ontario's homeless and not the region's homeless. We can't take care of the whole area."

Officials believe the local homeless number about 140, less than half of those currently in residence. Schultz wants to reduce Tent City to 170 people in a regulated, fenced-off area rather than the sprawling open-air campsite it has become.

No other city has offered to take in any of the homeless who Ontario officials say must leave.

"So far I have heard nothing," Schultz said.

Even before the large-scale action Monday, police last week moved out parolees and towed about 20 dilapidated motor homes. A list of safety rules, including one banning pets, has been posted. The city says there is a threat of dog bites and possible disease from the animals.

The no-pet order caused widespread anger and tears Monday as some homeless people said they could not imagine life without their dogs. Many have three or four and vowed to leave Tent City before giving the dogs up.

"I will go to jail before they take my dog," said an emotional Diane Ritchey, 47. "That's a part of me as much as anything. The dogs are as homeless as we are."

Cindy Duke, 40, hugged Ritchey, who was sobbing.

"I had to give up my 6-year-old son because I was homeless and I'll be damned if I give up my dog too," Duke said.

Celeste Trettin, 53, rolled up in a wheelchair. She and her husband have an Ontario address but have lived for years in a truck, parking wherever they found a safe place. Trettin, who got an orange wristband, said she believed she would be able to find the paperwork to prove she was from Ontario.

"We thought if we came here we could save some money, but now they have pulled the rug out from under us," said Trettin, who has fibromyalgia, a painful disorder.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-tents18mar18,0,1589130.story

[gnm]

Seahorse, that last one is an Apriil fools joke right? RIGHT?



-G

[seahorse2]

As far as I can tell, its legit.

[seahorse2]

From America to Zimbabwe, the coming anarchy. Poor states dropping welfare programs like hot rocks.

PHOENIX — Battered by the recession and the deepest and most widespread budget deficits in several decades, a large majority of states are slicing into their social safety nets — often crippling preventive efforts that officials say would save money over time.

Joshua Lott for The New York Times


President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package is helping to alleviate some of the pain, providing large amounts of money to pay for education and unemployment insurance, bolster food stamp programs and expand tax credits for low earners. But the money will offset only 40 percent of the losses in state revenues, and programs for vulnerable groups have been cut in at least 34 states, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a private research group in Washington.

Perhaps nowhere have the cuts been more disruptive than in Arizona, where more than 1,000 frail elderly people are struggling without home-care aides to help with bathing, housekeeping and trips to the doctor. Officials acknowledge that some are apt to become sicker or fall, ending up in nursing homes at a far higher cost.

Ohio and other states face large cutbacks in child welfare investigations, which may mean more injured children and more taken into foster care. Despite tax increases, California has ended dental coverage for adults on Medicaid, all but guaranteeing future medical problems.

“There’s no question that we’re getting short-term savings that will result in greater long-term human and financial costs,” said Linda J. Blessing, interim chief of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, expressing the concerns of officials and community agencies around the country. “There are no good options, just less bad options.”

Arizona has one of the nation’s highest deficits in relation to its budget. As revenues sank late last year, forcing across-the-board cuts this spring, the child protection agency stopped investigating every report of potential abuse or neglect, and sharply reduced counseling of families deemed at risk of violence. Some toddlers with disabilities like autism and Down syndrome are not getting therapies that can bring lifelong benefits. And here, as in other states, the drive to help disabled people live at home has been set back.

Mary Beth Thompson, 57, who lives in an apartment with two small dogs here, is on the growing waiting list for help. Seriously overweight, with chronic pain and weakness on her left side, she has trouble moving about and cannot step into the bathtub without falling, she said, displaying the cast on her broken wrist.

“I can’t even walk to do the laundry anymore,” she said from the chair where she spends most of her days playing with her dogs, one of which she has trained to knock the handset off the telephone so she can reach it when she falls.

Winona Conn, 75, who uses a wheelchair because of a paralyzed leg, has been on the waiting list for home aid for a year. “It feels like you’ve been shelved,” she said.

In Florida, recent modest cuts in home aid came on top of a growing backlog, while the number of people in need keeps climbing. State support for home and community services was reduced by $2 million in 2008, and the waiting list has grown to 50,000 from 30,000, said E. Douglas Beach, secretary of the Department of Elder Affairs.

Reluctantly endorsing another $1 million in cuts next year to salvage a different program, Mr. Beach told legislators, “It’s like trying to decide whether to give up your first-born boy or your first-born girl.”

Mary Lynn Kasunic, president of the Area Agency on Aging in Phoenix, described the potential consequences. “If you don’t give people a bath a couple times a week, change the linens and make sure they get their medicines, their health will decline much faster,” she said. “They end up in the emergency room in a crisis, and then in a nursing home.”

The Illinois governor’s budget proposal would scale back home visits to ill-equipped first-time mothers, who are given advice over 18 months that experts say is repaid many times over in reduced child abuse and better school preparation.

“We spend $1.2 billion a year on child welfare,” said Diana M. Rauner, director of the Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago, which channels government money to private agencies. “You’d think we’d spend a lot of money to keep people out of that system.”

Ohio’s proposed budget “will dramatically decrease our ability to investigate reports of abuse and neglect,” with some counties losing 75 percent of their investigators, said Joel Potts, director of the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors’ Association, which represents county officials.

New York State is using stimulus money and a tax increase to avoid most of the large cuts in child care, nurse visits to inexperienced mothers and other services that were originally proposed. But if revenues keep falling by the billions, “all bets are off,” said Karen Schimke, president of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy in Albany, which studies child and family issues.

As in many states, Arizona’s crunch came on fast and hard. In January, the newly seated Republican governor, Jan Brewer, had to cut $1.6 billion from a $10 billion annual budget — squeezing all the reductions into the final five months of the fiscal year ending June 30.

Arizona expects a $3 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year. In a speech to legislators in March, Ms. Brewer proposed to fill the chasm with $1 billion in spending cuts, $1 billion in federal stimulus money and — in a risky idea she floated after emphasizing her conservative credentials — $1 billion raised through “a temporary tax increase.”

Some Republican legislators still argue that state expenses are too large, while officials say that carving another $2 billion from the budget will wreak havoc. Ms. Blessing, of the Department of Economic Security, said her agency had already laid off 800 workers, including 15 percent of its child protection investigators, and imposed furloughs amounting to a 10 percent pay cut.

In one bit of good news for the department and its clients, the state has secured $18 million from the stimulus package to save child care subsidies for the working poor.

But some efforts to prevent child abuse, like in-home counseling of troubled families, have been deeply cut. This presents investigators with a stark choice: either remove children and put them in foster care or, as one case worker put it, “wait for something bad to happen.”

Idolina Moreno, 36, and her five children are still together and happier, she says, because they have been visited weekly for the last several months by a counselor who defused a simmering crisis. One daughter was angry and violent, Ms. Moreno said, and badly bruised the infant boy; Ms. Moreno admits to throwing a plastic bat to stop her. A school nurse called Child Protective Services.

Instead of removing the children, the agency called in a counselor who meets with family members both individually and together. “She’s been wonderful,” Ms. Moreno said.

Officials said it appeared likely that the counseling will continue for now. But she has also been told that special therapies for her mentally retarded 6-year-old son may be eliminated. “I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens,” she said. “I’m really worried.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/us/12deficit.html?_r=2

L.A. UNIFIED MOVES TO CUT 5000 TEACHERS AND OTHERS
The Los Angeles Times, April 14
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 2057.story

Los Angeles school district officials moved forward Tuesday with plans to lay off more than 5,000 teachers, counselors, custodians, clerks and other employees, but the battle over funding will rage on for weeks -- affecting who goes, who stays and what schools and classrooms will look like for students next year.

The Board of Education's 4-3 vote, after more than four hours of pleading and debate, closed most of a $596.1-million deficit for next year in the nation's second-largest school system.

....The board action affects about 3,500 newer teachers who have yet to earn tenure protections as well as administrators, nursing staff, library aides, computer programmers and others.

....Those still at risk include all teachers without tenure: 1,605 at the elementary level and 1,872 at middle and high schools. The notices also went to 498 other employees with teaching credentials and to 2,875 administrators. Most of those administrators will keep their jobs, but some small campuses will lose a full-time principal.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd15-2009apr15,0,4362057.story

[seahorse2]

Faber says what happened in Zimbabwe will happen in the US.

Faber Peddling Doom, Gloom, Inflation and Gold

By Ockham Research|May 27, 2009|Author's Website

Investment analyst and Gloom Boom Doom newsletter publisher Marc Faber has grabbed headlines again predicting that hyperinflation will impact the U.S. economy. According to Bloomberg, Faber stated:

“The U.S. economy will enter “hyperinflation” approaching the levels in Zimbabwe because the Federal Reserve will be reluctant to raise interest rates, investor Marc Faber said.

Prices may increase at rates “close to” Zimbabwe’s gains, Faber said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Hong Kong. Zimbabwe’s inflation rate reached 231 million percent in July, the last annual rate published by the statistics office.

“I am 100 percent sure that the U.S. will go into hyperinflation,” Faber said. “The problem with government debt growing so much is that when the time will come and the Fed should increase interest rates, they will be very reluctant to do so and so inflation will start to accelerate.”

There is no doubt that his prediction is extreme and one of the most sensational predictions we have come across. First off, it must be said, Mr. Faber cannot seriously believe that the situation in the U.S. will come to resemble Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation. Most economists predict that inflation will be essentially flat for 2009, with price inflation eventually rising to a rate slightly faster than the Fed’s 1.7 percent target inflation rate for the next few years. Faber projects that inflation will be 231 million percent worse, which smacks to us of hyperbole.

This appears to be an attempt to sensationalize legitimate concerns about future inflation driven by deficit spending for the purpose of grabbing headlines. If you can get past the ridiculous comparison to Zimbabwe, Faber actually has valid concerns. The amount of money being pumped into our financial system is unprecedented and there is real doubt that politicians in Washington will have the courage to brake a future run-away spending train. With the Fed holding rates at near zero for the foreseeable future (current Fed policy) and printing presses now monetizing the debt, the economy is being flooded with dollars. It is not hard to see that eventually the current policies coupled with economic growth will produce inflation.

US Inflation Rate

As Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz argued, “inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.” According to monetarists like Friedman, monetary policy or the supply of money, must be able to adjust so as to the demand for money. Once economic growth returns, there will be pressure for policy makers to keep monetary policy loose and easy, but that condition left unchecked for too long can lead to hyper-inflation, even if not the kind that Faber speaks of. Countering inflation will eventually require both fiscal restraint to cut government spending and monetary tightening to wring the excess out of the system and both require a courage and inner-toughness most likely not found in modern politicians seeking reelection.

As ludicrous as Faber’s prediction may seem, it can be viewed as a warning. We may never face Zimbabwe’s inflation problems but we may well face some of our own, which would have grave consequences for the world economy. One other issue of note, Faber, a well known gold-bug, is no dummy and he knows that gold demand is being driven by investment dollars more than ever. If he can scare a few more dollars into gold, he stands to profit.

“Faber, who said he’s adding to his gold investments, advised buying the precious metal at the start of its eight-year rally, when it traded for less than $300 an ounce. The metal topped $1,000 last year and traded at $949.85 an ounce at 12:50 p.m. Hong Kong time. He also told investors to bail out of U.S. stocks a week before the so-called Black Monday crash in 1987, according to his Web site.”

Faber Peddling Doom, Gloom, Inflation and Gold

http://wallstreetpit.com/4581-faber-peddling-doom-gloom-inflation-and-gold

[Jotapay]

After seeing today and finally understanding what the bond market is doing (the death of the TNX today), what Ben Bernanke and the banks are doing to us, I have come to a new realization that I've never thought of before.

Mad Max will be here. The bond market is killing us and the government will only be able to fund 50% of its operations. Interest rates will skyrocket, liquidity will dry up, the only dollars around will be the $450 billion in circulation. Commerce will implode with that low of a money supply. Enter Mad Max.

[Roy]

Good insights Jo.

I wish we would pull back our military. Shit, almost half our budget, maybe more, goes to fund the machine.

Think of the savings. I don't love our government, but it is preferable to Mad Max -- ie I prefer being somewhat safe in my home as opposed to being constantly vigilant for armed raiders.

The .gov need to do what most of us are doing now: cut expenses, pull back, eliminate un-necessary costs. I bet they'll just raise taxes and print money rather than making substantive policy changes that would eliminate excessive expenses.

Likelihood of our leadership in DC showing any real leadership: <1% in my highly cynical and jaded opinion. They'll drive this frickin train right off the cliff, all the while uttering platitudes about how things are getting better.

Zimbabwe here we come.

[ForlornHope]

Authorities require wearing of arm bands to live in a spot designated for the homeless. If you can't prove yourself local, you got to move out. Interesting how fast the authorities start recognizing "geographic boundaries" to segregate people.

Ontario residents only' at Tent City
Tent City

Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Tent City residents gather as the city of Ontario starts the process of sorting out who may stay and who must leave. The city issued wristbands – blue for Ontario residents, who may stay, orange for people who need to provide more documentation, and white for those who must leave. The aim is to reduce the number of people living there from over 400 to 170.

Officials begin thinning out the encampment, saying the city can provide space only for those who once lived there and can prove it.
By David Kelly, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

March 18, 2008
Dozens of Ontario police and code enforcement officers descended upon the homeless encampment known as Tent City early Monday, separating those who could stay from those to be evicted.

Large, often confused, crowds formed ragged lines behind police barricades where officers handed out color-coded wristbands. Blue meant they were from Ontario and could remain. Orange indicated they had to provide more proof to avoid ejection, and white meant they had a week to leave.

* City to reduce homeless numbers in Tent City
Photos: City to reduce homeless...

Many who had taken shelter at the camp -- which had grown from 20 to more than 400 residents in nine months -- lacked paperwork, bills or birth certificates proving they were once Ontario residents.

"When my husband gets out of jail he can bring my marriage certificate; will that count?" asked one tearful woman.

Another resident, clearly confused, seemed relieved to get a white band -- not understanding it meant she had to leave.

Pattie Barnes, 47, who had her motor home towed away last week, shook with anger.

"They are tagging us because we are homeless," she said, staring at her orange wristband. "It feels like a concentration camp."

Ontario officials, citing health and safety issues, say it is necessary to thin out Tent City. The move to dramatically reduce the population curtails an experiment begun last year to provide a city-approved camp where homeless people would not be harassed.

Land that includes tents, toilets and water had been set aside near Ontario International Airport for the homeless. Officials intended to limit the camp and its amenities to local homeless people, but did little to enforce that as the site rapidly expanded, attracting people from as far away as Florida.

"We have to be sensitive, and we will give people time to locate documents," said Brent Schultz, the city's housing and neighborhood revitalization director. "But we have always said this was for Ontario's homeless and not the region's homeless. We can't take care of the whole area."

Officials believe the local homeless number about 140, less than half of those currently in residence. Schultz wants to reduce Tent City to 170 people in a regulated, fenced-off area rather than the sprawling open-air campsite it has become.

No other city has offered to take in any of the homeless who Ontario officials say must leave.

"So far I have heard nothing," Schultz said.

Even before the large-scale action Monday, police last week moved out parolees and towed about 20 dilapidated motor homes. A list of safety rules, including one banning pets, has been posted. The city says there is a threat of dog bites and possible disease from the animals.

The no-pet order caused widespread anger and tears Monday as some homeless people said they could not imagine life without their dogs. Many have three or four and vowed to leave Tent City before giving the dogs up.

"I will go to jail before they take my dog," said an emotional Diane Ritchey, 47. "That's a part of me as much as anything. The dogs are as homeless as we are."

Cindy Duke, 40, hugged Ritchey, who was sobbing.

"I had to give up my 6-year-old son because I was homeless and I'll be damned if I give up my dog too," Duke said.

Celeste Trettin, 53, rolled up in a wheelchair. She and her husband have an Ontario address but have lived for years in a truck, parking wherever they found a safe place. Trettin, who got an orange wristband, said she believed she would be able to find the paperwork to prove she was from Ontario.

"We thought if we came here we could save some money, but now they have pulled the rug out from under us," said Trettin, who has fibromyalgia, a painful disorder.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-tents18mar18,0,1589130.story

Incredible! More than all the other articles presented so far, this one should be a clarion wake up call. First the dispossed tagged like livestock, then herded somewhere else.
At what point do state and federal 'detention camps' start popping up?
Let the good times roll. Well, it had to end sometime I guess.
Forlorn Hope

[RedStateGreen]

The woman who was more upset about giving up her dog than her child ... that really upsets me.

[seahorse2]

Detroit jail cells are empty, even though the homicide rate is rising.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090528/OPINION01/905280603/In+city+riddled+with+crime++cells+sit+empty

[seahorse2]

Sacramento, California Sheriff's office laying off 300 deputies bc of budget deficits.

Sac Sheriff Dept. To Layoff 300 Deputy SheriffsSACRAMENTO (CBS13)

The Sacramento Sheriff's Department will be sending out 370 layoff notices within the next week, according to Sheriff John McGinness. Of those 370 pink slips, 300 will be sent to deputy sheriff officers.

The county is said to be looking at cutting up to an $80 million reduction to the Sheriff's Department.

The Board of Supervisors will be conducting hearings next week to gather information necessary to formally adopt a budget for the Fiscal Year of 2009-2010.

According to an internal email sent from Sheriff John Mcginness:

"While the initial round of notices should by no means be construed as final, you should know that they represent a true and factual number based upon the recommendations of the CEO. While I hold some hope for improvement, we should all be prepared for the worst case scenario."

http://cbs13.com/local/Sac.Sheriffs.Department.2.1033600.html

It's hard to enforce laws without policemen. Now, 300 more families will struggle to pay housepayments and other bills. Now, everyone that thinks the downturn doesn't affect them, well, this is how it starts to affect you. When crime rises and you call the police and they either don't show up or take way too long to get there.

Read this last quote from the Sheriff carefully about what to do:

Sheriff McGinness expressed his concern about his staff by closing the email by saying, " As we work through this challenging period, I urge you to take care of yourselves and your families and watch out for one another. I will update you as reliable information becomes available."

Take care of yourselves and families? Should we buy guns? Concealed carry?

[bshirt]

I wonder if everyone in America realize that by printing all of this money, they are actually making the money in our pockets and bank accounts worth-less?

So in effect, the printing of all this money is stealing money from all of us Americans that work for a living.

Just thought Id get that straight.

Bingo!!

The corruption of our government is simply overwhelming. That is the primary reason I'm for the Balkanization of the US.

[manu]

Kill Bill

[manu]

Detroit jail cells are empty, even though the homicide rate is rising.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090528/OPINION01/905280603/In+city+riddled+with+crime++cells+sit+empty

Well, it's easier to sit around eating donuts and drinking coffee than trying to arrest a smacked out junkie.
Also much safer.