In Bailout Talk, What About Saving The Have-Nots?

Thelma Parker, left, David Brown and George Robinson are among many struggling to make ends meet. "The war is not abroad -- it's here against the poor," Robinson, 51, said. (By Courtland Milloy -- The Washington Post)
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That's not the case with businesses that rely more heavily on credit.

"I'd say the homeowner is hurting," said Roland Merritt, owner of Merritt Roofing in Southeast, as he and his partner, Woodley Bryant, worked on a house just off the avenue.

"Most people only want the bare minimum work done these days, a leak repaired even though they need a new roof. The older people still have cash, but they don't want to let go of it. The younger people don't have as much."

Aaron Thomas, 34, was hurting, too. He lost his job as a janitor two years ago, and his family was evicted from their apartment when he couldn't pay the rent. The family split up and went to live with relatives. Thomas promised his two children that they'd be reunited for Christmas.

But he is still unemployed. Standing around a Salvation Army building construction site in hopes of getting a job, he noticed several high school-age youngsters selling drugs. They'd hail down a passing car, hand the driver a package and walk away with a wad of cash.

"I've been looking for a real job for almost two years," Thomas said. "Now we're going into the money season -- Thanksgiving, Christmas -- so I got to have the money. A man got to do what a man got to do because I'm not leaving my kids out."

E-mail:milloyc@washpost.com