Down and out in Long Beach - The bully pulpit.

How good does it feel to live in the 6th poorest city in America? That is what Long Beach is rated at according to a recent study. The number one place is Fresno...no wonder...have you ever been to Fresno? Well, if I am any kind of indication...Long Beach fits me to a tee. I guess I am just a good representative of those statistics.

Pretty sad when you consider I am just 4 blocks from the beach. The nasty, cold and polluted beach. I can see from my window the daily grind of life...the drugs and tweakers...the hookers...the homeless. I don't need to go to LA's skid row...I have front row seats right here.

This place is a real dump hole. People packed in like sardines all around...and no place to park without the parking NAZI's harassing you. Just last week my car was towed away again...in front of my own small garage I rent? That cost me a cool 150 bucks! Thank god I live upstairs...at least the criminals can't sneak in a side window at night.

Of course no one ever owns up from being in the "bad" part of Long Beach. Most say they are from Belmont Shore...or a few other select communities. Well...I can say with pride...I am definately on the wrong side of the tracks. I can't even begin to say how many traffic accidents I have witnessed at the intersection below. A couple of dozen would be a good guess.

So why do I still live in this "prime crime" spot. Show me anywhere else I can rent a 1 bedroom apartment for $450 a month just 4 blocks from the beach. That's why. Sure...dealing with gangbangers and cholos are a headache...but what are you going to do?

Just think...if I were still with the the INS/CBP...I would probably be hitting about 70K per year. I definately would not be stuck here. So here I sit...year after year...because I can't afford to leave. My back is screwed up and I am 46...not that many opportunities for decent paying employment. Thank you INS and thank you TSA. So gather your poor, tired and huddled masses. The City of Long Beach welcomes you. I know I am down and out in Long Beach. I can hardly wait to get my own shopping cart...fill it with all of my worldly goods...and hit the local dumpsters and trash bins looking for the next meal. I just hope all the good sleeping spots under the local bridges are not taken up.

Satirical...yes...but not out of the realm of possibilities. Years of conflict with the government can drive anyone underground. Being shunned and ignored is no fun. Being an outcast can drive even the best person to thier limits. Worst of all...going year after year unforgiven by the one you love[d]...is condemnation to an earthly hell.

It has been almost 14 years since I flushed my life down the toilet. I can hardly wait to see what the next 14 have in store...provided I live that long. God bless America...yeah...right.