..we go on the air. Just time for a quick post today.
In the first hour, we’ll be looking at the role religion is playing in the ’08 presidential campaigns, so far, and more broadly at the role religion plays and has played in American political life. What does it say about our society that a candidate’s religious beliefs have become a central part of political campaigning? Are Democrats trying to out-biblethump the Republicans? What did you think of Romney’s speech last week? When will we elect our first openly atheist president? More at noon…
In the second hour, we’ll have what has now become an annual show commemorating Homeless Memorial Day, which is actually next Friday, December 21st. We were talking here recently and I asked if anyone else had noticed a more visible, larger homeless presence in certain parts of downtown (Guilford Ave under the JFX, St. Vincent’s Church…) We all had noticed, but didn’t know what to attribute it to, so I called Jeff Singer at Healthcare for the Homeless and got the scoop from him. He’ll be here at 1pm to discuss with us further on the air, but basically he said, yes, the homeless population is growing in Baltimore and has been for years. He attributed it to factors including homeless shelters closing, some shelters that are still open have become transitional, rather than emergency, shelters and offer less beds, the rising cost of housing, the decrease of available public housing units, and the increasing difficulty of obtaining public assistance for single adults. On top of all that, for those that do get public assistance, it hasn’t been adjusted for inflation in about five years. More at 1pm…
-Justin
