Are the Grapes of Wrath Growing in California's Vineyards?

by Barbara McPherson | October 21, 2009 at 09:53 am

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When I read reports of huge numbers of ordinary Americans pushed into homelessness, I ask myself if the grapes of wrath once again growing in California's Vineyards. The classic John Steinbeck novel, The Grapes of Wrath was a must study in my highschool English classes. We read and wondered at how a society could let hardworking citizens fall to such dire circumstances. It looks from an outsider's point of view that many that have helped make California the Golden State have been abandoned by their fellow citizens.

Vineyards heavy with table grapes and raisins stretched across the horizon, along with vast orchards of almond, pistachio and fig trees.

"We're standing in the richest farm belt in the world," Arax said, "And yet the poverty here is overwhelming."

"Fresno has the most concentrated poverty of any city in the country. New Orleans is second. So there is a paradox to this place - this bounty side by side, cheek by jowl with the poverty.

Our usual picture of homeless people is that they are living outside by choice or mental illness. This has changed with the sudden decline in the U.S. economy. People who held regular jobs, paying their taxes and hoping for a little piece of the golden dream are now finding themselves homeless and living in modern day Hoovervilles.

Homeless camps like this one have formed in several places around California.
People here have formed a kind of community, complete with a "town council" of elders who meet nightly.

Many of those living in the camps are chronically homeless men with mental issues or drug and alcohol problems. But many others are former members of the working or middle classes who have fallen off the economic ladder.

Those that have been pushed into poverty through no fault of their own, must be looking at the Golden state and wondering if it was all Fool's Gold.

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a211423

at 10:17 on October 21st, 2009

It is noteworthy also that the women interviewed stated how she became homeless..

a preschool teacher until a year ago, when her world caved in. "I got sick," she told me. "Ulcerative colitis. Ended up losing my job, and ended up here. Ran out of health insurance and money and this is what happened."

Her health insurance ran out when she lost her job. This would not happen with universal coverage. Her story is being repeated in many areas as the unemployed struggle to survive in a punitive system.

Hugh Askew

at 18:12 on October 21st, 2009

It honestly breaks my heart that she is homeless.

Her homelessness is not explained by lack of health coverage, however. Her homelessness is explained by her loosing her job. Were she still working, she wouldn't be homeless. Plain and simple.

a211423

at 18:26 on October 21st, 2009

If universal coverage existed, she would be covered whether she is working or not. Tragically she would be homeless perhaps, but at least she would have health care.

There is a program in Los Angeles--the homeless capital of the U.S.--where mobile units with doctors treat the sick on the streets or where ever they can find them.

Roy C

at 18:38 on October 21st, 2009

Excuse me, but we used to have coverage for the unemployed in California. It was called "MediCal".

I had all the old fillings replaced in the '70s for almost nothing between MediCal and the fact that I went to the U of the Pacific to do it.

That wonderful program, "MediCal", California's "universal care" got cut. It was no longer available in the '90s with the same generous features as the '70s because the state was going broke and had too many illegals not paying taxes and so on.

Now, a211423, you know perfectly well that MediCal still exists, and so do the free county hospitals.

The only problem is that between mismanagement of the economy by all the powers that be, democrat and republican, and our stupid "free trade" with China and so on, and all the overly generous state pension plans for state workers, there is no money left.

In fact, Obama can pass universal care.

I lived in Italy. We had "universal care". Try getting some of it. The Italians are broke. You wait for months. That will all happen here.

We need to produce wealth to pay our bills. Get it. If we don't do it, all the wonderful programs will just exist on paper.

There will be no money to pay the bills for the program, exactly as is the case in California now.

Malcolm665 (not verified)

at 18:31 on October 21st, 2009

Its bad globally at the moment .Im in Sydney Australia and there are similar things here. The "Grapes of Wrath" term is from the Bible and is refering to the Middle East.Thats where they are growing

rng

at 18:53 on October 21st, 2009

I lived in Italy. We had "universal care". Try getting some of it. The Italians are broke. You wait for months.

That's Italy, which says more about them than universal care. What about France, Australia, Britain et al. She would have had health care there

Roy C

at 19:31 on October 21st, 2009

California used to cover us all, especially the unemployed. That went out ten years ago when the economy was still good.

You need to pay attention to the facts, RNG.

Yeah, but we are broke like Italy now. That is what California is all about. France and Germany do not let the Chinese and Japanese destroy local manufacturing, and the German have regular trade surpluses. The French sell their nuke electric power.

We are in Italy's condition and we will have Italy's health care level.

We are in a rapid downward spiral that will make the Great Depression look good.

rng

at 19:34 on October 21st, 2009

We are in Italy's condition and we will have Italy's health care level.

Oh boy, Roy, if that's true then I am saving my last few pennies for a one way plane ticket somewhere else...though Berlusconi if at least in a long tradition of Italian politicians is at least funnier than ours

Though is it at least coincidental that the smarter the planning - France, Germany, Australia etc- the better the outcome. You need to pay attention to the facts, RNG. I do..but all of them, not just the ones that suit

rng

at 19:33 on October 21st, 2009

Oops double posting corrected

Roy C

at 19:38 on October 21st, 2009

We needed to extend MediCal to the working poor. To do that, we need a functional economy, not one outsourced to whatever the latest country is.

We were close to the solution, being the point, in the '70s in California at least.

The MediCal system was so generous that I would meet people who moved to California from Oklahoma, for example, to get heart surgery for their kids after getting the one-year residency requirement done.

We do not know how low we will sink yet.

Hey, the Russians had universal health care. Guess how many birth control pill machines there were in all of Russia?

ONE.

rng

at 19:40 on October 21st, 2009

Yup agreed, there is good central planning and there is not. I looked in the eyes of Putin and I saw...

Roy C

at 19:42 on October 21st, 2009

....a man who will be dictator, Chinese commie party style!

rng

at 19:49 on October 21st, 2009

and that is a kind interpretation!

a211423

at 19:50 on October 21st, 2009

Roy,

I don't know the particulars on this woman's case, but eligibility is determined based on pay stubs, bank statements, savings, properties including a cars. If she lost her job recently, she has 10 months of employment that she has to declare, and she would probably have a co-pay that she can't afford. Actually, it might only be the last two months' bank statements, I am not sure.

The main idea here is that universal health care covers you no matter what happens. If she had this in Canada, she would have gotten treatment.

rng

at 19:55 on October 21st, 2009

If she had this in Canada, she would have gotten treatment

Or frankly pretty much any other so called developed nation. We are one of the very few left throwing our people on the sacrificial altar of a pure profit health system

a211423

at 20:04 on October 21st, 2009

Yes, rng

Thank you for the addition

Sadly, we live in a country where health care for profit is worshipped, and I hope this can be turned around

Today I read that now the Congress is considering removing the exemption from anti-trust laws for health insurance companies. This means they won't be able to price-fix, which I am sure they are already in board rooms planning en masse if insurance exchanges or a public option become law.