A sign of the times: Out of gas

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

On the way home after my trip to New Mexico in the summer of 2011, I stopped at the Love's truck stop at I-69 and State Road 10 in Indiana. A young man had this cardboard sign in the window of his van, asking for gas money so that he could get home to his family in Florida. He had left home in search of work, after being unemployed for a long time. He hadn't found a job anywhere in his travels, so he was forced to go back to live with his parents after running out of money. I gave him $10, the last cash I had, to help him out. I know what its like to be that down-and-out. A sign of the times in the United States.

 

[photo4ls]

Bless you Chris, I hope he can get things together and find some work.
The world needs more people like yourself.
Nelson

 

[Mark A. Fisher]

I run in to this kind of scene all the time in my wanderings thru Missouri and surrounding states. I always keep an extra $20 in the truck, just in case. Yesterday it went to a couple I watched scavenging in the trash cans of a convenient mart. Last week it was a woman stranded - as Chris' young man had been - trying to get home to her family. Indeed, a sign of the times.

$20 here and there does nothing to fix the root cause, but I hope it helps a bit, for at least a brief time.

m

 

[hans voralberg]

Is it that bad already? Good luck for that guy.

 

[kshapero]

Down here in Florida, I see it everyday, and yes I ALWAYS, give them something.

 

[zauhar]

Is it that bad already? Good luck for that guy.

Yes, it is that bad already. And I doubt that our government will do anything significant to help. We are a long way from FDR, when there was no shame in directly creating jobs.

Our press does not cover much of this - it is largely hidden, especially outside the cities where there is no one to see, except those suffering.

That of course is where Chris comes in, and everyone else who cares to document what they see in their travels.

Randy

 

[hipsterdufus]

Yes, it is that bad already. And I doubt that our government will do anything significant to help. We are a long way from FDR, when there was no shame in directly creating jobs.

Our press does not cover much of this - it is largely hidden, especially outside the cities where there is no one to see, except those suffering.

That of course is where Chris comes in, and everyone else who cares to document what they see in their travels.

Randy

But I thought that charities would take care of the poor, if only we lowered taxes on the rich...

Because that's how it works, right? :bang:

Nice shot, btw, Chris.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I'm seeing stuff like this a lot more around here. I photographed a sign on the side of a used car dealer's building that said "Unemployment is not working." lol!

 

[Chuck Albertson]

I'm seeing stuff like this a lot more around here. I photographed a sign on the side of a used car dealer's building that said "Unemployment is not working." lol!

I'm photographing a lot of mixed messages around Seattle these days. A lot of "going out of business" sales in progress. But the other day I ran across fliers on utility poles, marketing dog-walking services exclusively to Amazon.com workers, who apparently get to bring their dogs to work at the company's new "campus" in the South Lake Union area. They pick up and deliver.

 

[isorgb]

"Sign of the times" ?!?!
Do you know reality in Eastern Europe?

 

[Rogier]

They should have taken most of the stimulus money and converted plants to make wind and solar energy generators have the unemployed skilled workers work there. Train the unskilled. And so forth for the installation etc etc.
People working, stuff produced, installed, exported, less dependance on oil and less pollution.... etc etc.

 

[MCTuomey]

Is it that bad already? Good luck for that guy.

Here in Detroit it's been that bad for a long time, even worse over the last 3 years. And we have politicians calling for further reductions (elimination is probably more accurate) of what safety net remains.

It can't be called to our attention too often. Let's pay it forward, everyone. Thanks, Chris.

 

[zauhar]

Here in Detroit it's been that bad for a long time, even worse over the last 3 years. And we have politicians calling for further reductions (elimination is probably more accurate) of what safety net remains.

It can't be called to our attention too often. Let's pay it forward, everyone. Thanks, Chris.

I read nasty stuff about the governor appointing supervisors to override local government, did that come to pass?

I lost track of the story after the initial shock ('isn't that like - illegal?')

Randy

 

[PatrickONeill]

They should have taken most of the stimulus money and converted plants to make wind and solar energy generators have the unemployed skilled workers work there. Train the unskilled. And so forth for the installation etc etc.
People working, stuff produced, installed, exported, less dependance on oil and less pollution.... etc etc.

tsk, dont you know that would be... socialist?. can't have that now can we?

 

[Thardy]

But I thought that charities would take care of the poor, if only we lowered taxes on the rich...

Because that's how it works, right? :bang:

Nice shot, btw, Chris.

How about WE sell all the fancy photo gear, and give the money to the poor?

 

[zauhar]

"Sign of the times" ?!?!
Do you know reality in Eastern Europe?

From what I have heard, worse than the rest of Europe.


Things are better here than in Poland for the moment, but I cannot guess as to the future. Recently Ikea made some news by moving some production to the US to take advantage of our low wages - how ironic.

Randy

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

How about WE sell all the fancy photo gear, and give the money to the poor?

Not necessary. Charity doesn't solve the problem, it just temporarily alleviates suffering. What is needed is for businesses to be forced to pay living wages. You can drive though the average American city and go for miles, past hundreds of businesses and not see one that pays enough to live at even the most minimal level. Disgusting.

 

[MCTuomey]

I read nasty stuff about the governor appointing supervisors to override local government, did that come to pass?

I lost track of the story after the initial shock ('isn't that like - illegal?')

Randy

"Emergency Financial Managers" - it's reality. The state cannot afford to backstop the creditors of the cities and school districts poised to file for bankruptcy protection, thus the EFM authority. Similar in theory to a court-appointed receiver or re-organization executive, but without an experienced bankruptcy judge overseeing the process. Very divisive, as the EFM is a lightning rod within affected communities. Couple this kind of oversight with decades of corruption and leadership failure and it's a tribute to the resilience of ordinary Detroiters that vitality remains within the city.

I liken the situation in aged NA cities like Detroit to Eastern Europe over the past 20 years, trying to find a way forward despite political failures, rampant cronyism in the process of transitioning to new forms of social and economic organization, and the everpresent threat of police detainment and prison sentences.