Las Vegas vacation results in enlightening lesson

My wife and I recently came back from a vacation that truly enlightened our sheltered suburban life just a few miles north of Boston. When you plan a trip to Las Vegas all you think about is how much spending money you will be able to take for a raucous time. A spending frenzy of drinks, gambling and shows that consumes your time and money in Sin City.

Although we both had a great relaxing time, on Sept. 28 we met a homeless man in the sports book of The Mirage. This personally affected my wife, Diane. She spoke with our new-found friend, Langston, and instantly became heart broken after listening to his life story. She asked Langston if he wanted a drink after we both ordered expensive cocktails. Langston said, "That's all right, Miss Diane, I would rather that money go for food instead of an expensive drink. They charge way too much money." My wife wanted to begin to cry, she was so overtaken by her emotions of meeting a homeless man for the first time.

At first Diane did not know what to do. She had never been in a position of meeting a man who was homeless and one who spent time sleeping on buses and the sports books when he could. She turned to me and wanted to give this 51-year-old $10 to spend at McDonald's, a place he told her that he can eat cheap.

After all was said and done, our charitable act was sending him off with $20, (not really enough) allowing him a few meals at McDonald's.

Langston told both of us that he never drank alcohol. His reasoning was that if he was intoxicated, how could he ask for food money and expect people to give? This man definitely had his act together -- he spoke quite intelligently and had a great perspective on life. He had moved from Atlanta and hoped to land a job in a state that has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. He thought his trade, a cook, would allow him to find a position at one of the numerous eateries that line the Strip.

Given all of the misfortunes that this African-American homeless man dealt with on a daily basis, he remained more up-beat than I could ever be in his position or my current position. His perspective of life was that he could walk, talk and see, he did not have any physical ailments, making his life better than a number of people.

He spoke about the hurricane devastation and how people lost their lives or about the soldier who came back in a box from the war. He stated, "If you look at life this way, I really do not have that bad of a life." He said, "My life is one without money, I can get by for now, if I stay positive I know that this is going to change, I have my health."

Langston loved his country and was hoping that things would begin to turn his way. During his stay at the sports book, he took a nap and we made sure that we kept the security guards away from the row that we were sitting in. Once spotted, these guards are on these poor guys like white on rice, kicking them out to the curb like wandering dogs.

When we were leaving, one of the guards asked my wife and me if that man was bothering us and if he could do anything. I went right over to this employee and told him that far from "bothering me," this man had just given me an education that no one had ever given to me before. Instead of "bothering," he was enlightening and a pleasure to speak with. I really surprised this guard and he was dumbfounded; he did not say a thing.

It is really too bad that a man such as Langston is viewed as an outcast in society. He has done nothing wrong; all he wants is a fair shake at earning a living.

This type of meeting that my wife and I had with Langston goes on constantly across this country of ours. And what is happening with our politicians, who act just like these guards who get off by throwing out down-on-their luck peers from a comfortable chair. Not having the sympathy that my wife and I displayed, they need to sit next to a man like Langston. Maybe they will then understand their plight and what our country needs to battle for these intelligent, down-on-their luck people -- people who exist in our world of life.

The number of homeless people in this great country of ours is mind-blowing to me. When I hear about the $14 trillion national debt that our government has I ask one question: What do we have to show for this?

Why is Langston forced to the streets? With trillions of dollars in deficits, we should have the best federal-funded housing and or huge shelters in the world. Instead we have political rhetoric of what party is going to push the most money to foreign countries and or their favorite special-interest group.

I observed another occasion at The Mirage when a hunched over elderly man who unfortunately smelled very badly and had a cane was asked to leave the sports book. These men should not have to live this kind of unhealthy life -- our government should be taking care of those who somehow have ended up going down this sometimes hopeless path of homelessness.

Warren Buffett was just advertised as making $67 million this year. I really wish that were me because my first priority would be to take care of as many homeless folks as possible. That's something our country seems quite disinterested in.

Dan Jones writes from Reading, Mass.