A moral recession

This week nearly one million Americans are homeless. It's not because anything in particular happened recently, but rather there are about a million homeless people in this country every week and 3.5 million over the course of a year.

Also this week the news media is filled with talk of recession, economic slowdown, the credit crunch, financial companies with quarterly losses, falling stock markets and rising oil prices. In response, members of Congress, the presidential candidates and the Bush Administration are tripping over each other to offer up stimulus packages to "get the economy moving again." Some of the suggestions: cutting corporate taxes, sending out $250 rebates to people and making permanent the Bush tax cuts from a few years ago.

Why is it that as soon as corporate profits or economic growth slow down there is action, but when poor citizens are in need almost no one in government lifts a finger? Where is the emergency plan to help them? Political leaders are talking about spending $50 billion, $100 billion, even $150 billion to avoid a recession or to end one if it has already begun. That money would go either to corporations (say the Republicans) or to taxpayers (say the Democrats). But what of the guy who is sleeping on a park bench tonight? And what of the woman who is collecting cans right now?

Where is the goddamn outrage on their behalf?