You know a Republican is in office when...

The homeless are more visible in areas where they usually are not seen. This new prominence was a signature feature of the first Reagan recession, and it is happening again.

I live in a fairly affluent suburb. A year and a half ago, I knew of only one homeless man who lived within walking distance; he slept near the trash bins servicing a car wash. The situation has worsened. The same area now encompasses seven-to-ten poor souls camping out in various niches. Their presence is, of course, a living warning to minimum wage earners: Don't press for that 15-cents-an-hour wage increase.

If that's the situation in a "nice" area, I wonder what things look like in the grimmer parts of town?