Tuesday, March 27, 2007

food for thought



"Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime."
Aristotle

When did helping the homeless find a meal become a crime? Cities across the nation from Orlando to Las Vegas have begun penalizing local charities which are feeding the homeless on City property...simply because they think it will help lower crime rates and indirectly, increase tourism to their glorious cities. In Dallas, for instance, you have to get certified to handle food and apply for permits just to serve the homeless in city parks. Failure to follow this procedure can lead to a hefty $2,000 fine.

Wait a minute...isn't it obvious that further making poverty worse in your communities by denying people of the basic right to eat - won't lower crime rates, but increase them? And, obviously, if crime rates are up, people sure aren't going to be running over each other to visit your city.

This government falls victim to never seeing the big picture in deep seeded issues. They opt for the cosmetic fix, instead of trying to heal them at their source. Or maybe they just don't give a fuck?!

This country is disturbing on so many levels.



For those curious, the article can be found here.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How a society treats and handles its less than fortunate is a direct reflection on that society.

Needless to say, it does not surprise me in the least. And you know, in relation to Dallas, I mean, thats Jesus W Bush central. It should not surprise you in the least how much hypocracy permeats that segment of society in general.

While I realize that alot of them do not want institutional help, that does not mean they should be cordoned off and ignored. That's a common excuse of the people who cannot be bothered.

A lot of these ordinances are made in the true vein of "out of sight, out of mind", crime is just a scapegoat. Yes, there are a lot of dangerous homeless individuals, but I can't accept that a majority of homeless are dangerous.

But, these laws surprise me not. People suck.

You should get on messenger sometime homeskillet!

Duo.