At Least We Don't Have Breadlines
I can't remember where I saw it, but within the last few days/weeks someone said, "At least we don't have breadlines."
On the surface of it, that sounds like a reasonable comment. Within that comment was the idea that the nation's economic situation isn't as bad as it was in the 1930s, as well as the idea that there are "programs" to take care of the hungry these days. Food stamps, free surplus commodities, and probably other programs that I don't know about.
But the heart and soul of our nation has always been people - and people helping people who are struggling to get through life. Hospitals where a homeless person walks in and it's a slow night, but bitterly cold outside and the staff says nothing about the old guy sleeping in a chair in the corner of the waiting room. The cops who pick up a guy freezing on a park bench and "take him downtown", lock him up in a warm cell and feed him before they toss him out in the morning without charges. And the people - just people who spend their own money, and time to make sure that the poor folks on the street have something to eat.
But at least we don't have bread lines.
Houston Texas -
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/houston-feed-the-homeless-org-shut-down-for-not-having-food-permit/
Bobby Herring has a heart for Houston’s (TX) homeless population. He and his wife, Amanda, have provided meals to the city’s downtown downtrodden almost every night for the last year. On any given night, they can see 60-120 people in need of a meal. But two weeks ago, that ended. Not for lack of funds, lack of food, or lack of dedication, but because the government says they don’t have the proper permit.
And so the nation's Liberals hoot and say what BAD people those Right Wing Texans are!!!
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/06/14/18650640.php?show_comments=1
On Thursday June 10th, a newly formed chapter of Food Not Bombs in the Diablo valley area attempted to serve food at the Concord farmers market in the Todos Santos plaza. Prior to the serving of food, the group was confronted by the health department and the police which told members of the group not to serve the meal. Due to the presence of hungry individuals and families at the park, the group decided to set up and begin serving despite instructions by the authorities not to. After serving around 30-40 people and with about 50 people waiting in line, the Contra Costa Health Department with the assistance of the Concord Police Department ordered the group to cease operations and confiscated all of the group's remaining food and supplies. The authorities used lack of permits and violations of health codes to justify their actions. As hungry people walked away with plates full of food, the police proceeded to take their plates and ordered them to leave. The police also began to yell and push individuals that were trying to save what was left. They ordered them to leave the park stating they were causing a "disturbance" and threatened them with arrest even though the individuals were simply serving free food and constituted no threat to the public. Diablo Food Not Bombs maintains the only threat the group posed was to the business interests of the overpriced vendors and the gentrified downtown area of Concord, in which the serving of free food might undermine profit margins, even though the people being fed could not afford the expensive food in the first place. Also those who have effectively shut out the issue of American poverty in their minds would then have to see and mingle with the homeless, underprivileged and starving. The only threat Diablo Food Not Bombs poses is a threat to the status quo of hunger in our area. The city of Concord is obviously not doing enough about those deprived of food in our community and instead subdues efforts of ordinary people who try to feed them.
Oops. The second one, the one where the cops were assholes, that was in the San Francisco Bay area - HOME of such Liberal Icons as Nancy Pelosi.
So - now that we've dealt with the issue of Left and Right, and done away with it, we have to deal with the REAL issue.
At least we don't have breadlines.
The real issue is, why not?
On the surface of it, that sounds like a reasonable comment. Within that comment was the idea that the nation's economic situation isn't as bad as it was in the 1930s, as well as the idea that there are "programs" to take care of the hungry these days. Food stamps, free surplus commodities, and probably other programs that I don't know about.
But the heart and soul of our nation has always been people - and people helping people who are struggling to get through life. Hospitals where a homeless person walks in and it's a slow night, but bitterly cold outside and the staff says nothing about the old guy sleeping in a chair in the corner of the waiting room. The cops who pick up a guy freezing on a park bench and "take him downtown", lock him up in a warm cell and feed him before they toss him out in the morning without charges. And the people - just people who spend their own money, and time to make sure that the poor folks on the street have something to eat.
But at least we don't have bread lines.
Houston Texas -
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/houston-feed-the-homeless-org-shut-down-for-not-having-food-permit/
Bobby Herring has a heart for Houston’s (TX) homeless population. He and his wife, Amanda, have provided meals to the city’s downtown downtrodden almost every night for the last year. On any given night, they can see 60-120 people in need of a meal. But two weeks ago, that ended. Not for lack of funds, lack of food, or lack of dedication, but because the government says they don’t have the proper permit.
And so the nation's Liberals hoot and say what BAD people those Right Wing Texans are!!!
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/06/14/18650640.php?show_comments=1
On Thursday June 10th, a newly formed chapter of Food Not Bombs in the Diablo valley area attempted to serve food at the Concord farmers market in the Todos Santos plaza. Prior to the serving of food, the group was confronted by the health department and the police which told members of the group not to serve the meal. Due to the presence of hungry individuals and families at the park, the group decided to set up and begin serving despite instructions by the authorities not to. After serving around 30-40 people and with about 50 people waiting in line, the Contra Costa Health Department with the assistance of the Concord Police Department ordered the group to cease operations and confiscated all of the group's remaining food and supplies. The authorities used lack of permits and violations of health codes to justify their actions. As hungry people walked away with plates full of food, the police proceeded to take their plates and ordered them to leave. The police also began to yell and push individuals that were trying to save what was left. They ordered them to leave the park stating they were causing a "disturbance" and threatened them with arrest even though the individuals were simply serving free food and constituted no threat to the public. Diablo Food Not Bombs maintains the only threat the group posed was to the business interests of the overpriced vendors and the gentrified downtown area of Concord, in which the serving of free food might undermine profit margins, even though the people being fed could not afford the expensive food in the first place. Also those who have effectively shut out the issue of American poverty in their minds would then have to see and mingle with the homeless, underprivileged and starving. The only threat Diablo Food Not Bombs poses is a threat to the status quo of hunger in our area. The city of Concord is obviously not doing enough about those deprived of food in our community and instead subdues efforts of ordinary people who try to feed them.
Oops. The second one, the one where the cops were assholes, that was in the San Francisco Bay area - HOME of such Liberal Icons as Nancy Pelosi.
So - now that we've dealt with the issue of Left and Right, and done away with it, we have to deal with the REAL issue.
At least we don't have breadlines.
The real issue is, why not?