by Lynda Carson

The year of 2005 was a wicked year for the poor and impoverished across the nation, and there is no relief in sight.

Hundreds of thousands have been made homeless from evictions, disasters, and mean-spirited budget bills that take resources from the poor, to give to the rich.

Let 2005 be a reminder that the Bush administration hates poor people and must be removed from power as soon as possible.

January 5 - It's reported that 130 families in Salt Lake City were left stranded without housing assistance during the coldest months of the year, because of the Department Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding cuts.

January 26 - It was reported that Marin County planned to terminate around 76 Section 8 vouchers due to HUD funding cuts.

January 27 - It was also reported that HUD miscalculated the inflation rate and the city's cost of living increase, which would cause New York to lose as much as $61 million in Section 8 vouchers.

February 2 - Bush had promoted plans to cut or eliminate 150 programs in his State of the Union address.

February 18 - It was reported that under the Bush administrations proposals, 370,000 fewer families could receive voucher assistance by 2010. If the proposed cuts to HUD occur, by 2010 California faces a projected loss of 52,925 low-income housing vouchers across the state, below the 2005 level.

February 22 -The Bush administration proposed to stop financing the construction of new housing for the mentally ill and physically handicapped, and that the federal government would discontinue financing housing for people with spinal cord injuries or psychiatric illnesses residing in nursing homes or psychiatric hospitals.

February 26 - It was reported that the State Court of Appeals upheld a $12 million judgment against the San Francisco Housing Authority for its culpability in a deadly blaze at one of its properties more than seven years ago.

March 12 - It was reported that Bush is proposing to withdraw food stamps for certain families already receiving other government assistance, which would result in more than 300,000 people being cut from the Food Stamp Program.

April 28 - Congressional Republicans reported agreement on a budget that envisions $10 billion in Medicaid funding cuts over the next five years and at least $70 billion in tax cuts for the filthy rich. The horrific agreement, developed solely by Republicans, requires almost $35 billion in cuts to mandatory programs.

April 30 - Hundreds of senior citizens appeared at a rally to Save Section 8 at the Redwoods in Marin County.

May 27 - It was also reported that the Marin Housing Authority has been ordered to return $318,139 to the federal government because it failed to follow government regulations in administering the Section 8 program.

June 16 - It was reported that there are more than 90,000 men, women and children living on streets and in encampments, vehicles and shelters throughout Los Angeles County.

July -The city of Albany (CA) has sent more bulldozers to clear out homeless encampments at the Albany Landfill.

July 15 - It was reported: "The federal government's chief investigator yesterday blasted the Pentagon for its "atrocious financial management," saying the Defense Department was not able to give federal oversight officials a full accounting of the $1 billion being spent each week on the war in Iraq" .

August 2 - 43 residential tenants of the historic landmark California Hotel in Oakland filed a lawsuit against Oakland Community Housing Inc., and are seeking $50,000 in damages over rat infestations, bed bugs, cockroaches and other health and safety issues.

arrested after they staged a peaceful sit-in at a government building near the U.S. Capitol.

The Week of December 18 Congress passed a 1 percent across the board budget cutting bill that will grab $8.5 billion from the nation's domestic programs, except for Veterans' Affairs programs and war accounts.

December 19 - It's reported that the Richmond courts are unlawfully denying poor people defending themselves from eviction their rights to a trial by jury.

December 19 -The House of Representatives passed a devastating budget cutting bill that cuts $39.7 billion from mandatory programs for the poor from FY 2006 to FY 11. The battle to block the $39.7 billion five-year deficit reduction bill is not over, and advocates have one more chance during January to keep this bill from going into effect.

On February 22, it was reported that the Bush administration proposed to stop financing the construction of new housing for the mentally ill and physically handicapped, and that the federal government would discontinue financing housing for people with spinal cord injuries or psychiatric illnesses residing in nursing homes or psychiatric hospitals