Street people

Speaking of the long-term unemployed, the ups and downs (mostly downs) of our economy are probably not of much interest to the truly long-term unemployed, those poor souls who have been on the streets for years, usually due to mental illness and addiction. Over the years I've become accustomed to some of them - I see them every day, as they seem to keep to similar schedules. For example, this fellow pushes his dog down the sidewalk in a baby stroller along Market Street at the same time almost every evening, as I walk toward the train station. Here he is with his placard asking for money.

Then there is the 51-Year-Old Veteran who is trying to collect enough money to get to the VA hospital. It's a pretty good pitch, except that he's been accosting folks on Market Street with the exact same story for the last 8 years - the age never changes. "Excuse me, ma'am, I'm a 51-year-old veteran . . ." He never seems to remember anyone, so he has been telling the same story to the same people for years and years.

I don't have any answers. It's all sad.