I am CuTRis

My idea that most people do exactly the wrong thing to get what they want, is ringing loud and clear right now. 183,000 Americans die every year due to poverty. If you don't believe me, look it up. As power is now consolidated in the hands of the rich, watch that number go up.

There is an unfortunate problem in the United States of America , with knowing, telling and believing the truth . While it is generally not talked about, poverty in the USA is the 4th leading cause of death . When so many other countries have successfully implemented national healthcare , why does the USA not have it? One of the main arguments against it, seems to be that it takes too long to get appointments to see a doctor when you need one. Since it regularly takes two months to see a doctor (often longer for a specialist), now , in the United States, I call BS on that argument. Some countries even have free or reduced cost for college educations ! Not in the USA though. The "richest country in the world," seems to only apply to a small fraction of the US population. In fact, if the US government sees you as below the poverty line , you are in pretty bad shape. So, the issue in America, is that corporations tend to dictate to the politicians, and the politicians then ...

Bones of Rice Street

I saw the homeless man I wrote about last week again this morning. This time it was -7 Fahrenheit (-21.67 Celsius). He was moving slightly under his blankets. I saw him the other day after the snow. He was out in about 3 degrees shoveling the sidewalk in front of the businesses on Rice Street where he lives. This is no ordinary street bum.

This morning after I dropped my son off at his grandparents' house, I drove down the icy road to Rice Street where sure enough, the man who lives on the sidewalk by the hardware store, was wrapped up in blankets like a mummy. He was lying on the sidewalk next to a shopping cart heaped full of his belongings. It was 8 degrees Fahrenheit (-13.33 Celsius). Ten years ago I had the experience of working in social services with drug addicts and I became familiar with the tragedy of poverty and addiction. One thing I learned from the men who often slept outside in our frigid Minnesota winters, is that most of them no longer have toes. It's not something you would think about or probably know if you sleep in a bed in a house. These are not aliens from another world, they are people like us. They have problems, often mental illness and often they self-medicate and abuse alcohol and drugs and even substances that no one would normally ingest or inject—all to make it through the next...