This is not the life I ordered

[golfer]

one man's investigation into the plight of the homeless in Las Vegas. Thought some might be interested.

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin...gi?read=105091

[2Hot4TV]

Alot of people we know and work with are 2 paychecks away from being on their way to living on the street. I have worked with a guy just like Chuck. He lived in his van for the year and half I worked with him and I would imagine he still does.

America is a wonderful place as long as you don't weaken and run out of money.

[golfer]

It's very easy to ignore these people and their plight. I am most guilty of this myself. I greatly admire the courage of the author to put himself in that situation, and shed some light on a dark subject. I happen to think he is a great writer, he speaks eloquently for the disenfranchised, the "misfits".

[ninetoone]

Interesting story, but the guy wasn't out there long enough to do a good story on it...I'd be interested in reading the same story from someone who was out there for more than 36 hours.

[golfer]

Originally Posted by ninetoone

Interesting story, but the guy wasn't out there long enough to do a good story on it...I'd be interested in reading the same story from someone who was out there for more than 36 hours.

I understand what you're saying, and I don't mean to act as a defender of the author, but as he said, he's not an ivestigative journalist, just a writer. And I think he truly believed spending any more time in that situation may have cost him his life.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by ninetoone

Interesting story, but the guy wasn't out there long enough to do a good story on it...I'd be interested in reading the same story from someone who was out there for more than 36 hours.

I appreciated his honesty that he couldn't make it more than 36 hours because it really drove home how hard it is to be homeless- his increasing disorientation and dehydration was really affecting- between that and the lack of ID it really makes clear why it's not as easy as "Why don't they just get a job?"

Thanks for posting the link, golfer.

[ninetoone]

Yeah, I'm not hatin'...I was just surprised that someone would take on something like that & only last a short amount of time....especially since he was a self described 17 year marathon runner, etc, etc. He eludes to this himself a couple of times in the article as well...

"I knew that Vegas was a tough place to be homeless, but my God -- less than 36 hours, and I was at death's door and crying to my mammy and pappy for help."

"I had been communicating with a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper named Tim Pratt. When he learned of my experiment's premature and pathetic end"

Like I said, not hatin'...I just think it would have been an even better story if it was for more than 36 hours...it was interesting nonetheless though.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by ninetoone

Yeah, I'm not hatin'...I was just surprised that someone would take on something like that & only last a short amount of time....especially since he was a self described 17 year marathon runner, etc, etc. He eludes to this himself a couple of times in the article as well...

"I knew that Vegas was a tough place to be homeless, but my God -- less than 36 hours, and I was at death's door and crying to my mammy and pappy for help."

"I had been communicating with a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper named Tim Pratt. When he learned of my experiment's premature and pathetic end"

Like I said, not hatin'...I just think it would have been an even better story if it was for more than 36 hours...it was interesting nonetheless though.

Oh, I didn't think you were hatin', and I agree had he been able to last longer he probably would have had even more things to describe about life on the streets that we can't imagine, but as a result of him not making it more than a day-and-a-half I started to wonder how many of the homeless people I see every day muttering to themselves are disoriented from dehydration. We forget how vital water is untill we can't get it from our own faucet whenever we feel like it.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

If ever elected president---I would try to solve both the homeless problem and the immigration problem together.

Hook the homeless up with all the cigs, booze, and firepower they need---and have them guard the border ruthlessly. Many of them know a thing or two about combat already...and most of the ones that don't are outright crazy anyway....why not solve two problems at once?