The War on the Homeless

I've been overdue for a good rant, so off we go. I can't think of anything more despicable than these new laws popping up which attempt to restrict or ban feeding the homeless. What this country should be doing (and is perfectly capable of doing) is declaring a war on homelessness, not punishing the homeless.

Now we have family-friendly Orlando getting hateful against the down and out.

Orlando, population 200,000, works hard to conjure the image of a true-life Pleasantville: a safe, welcoming place where visitors can soak up year-round sunshine and devour choreographed experiences at palm-ringed theme parks. But its spotless sidewalks, sparkling lakes and twinkling skyline belie a real city with real maladies — most notably, a surging homeless population that authorities are struggling to control.

After a law that banned panhandling was struck down by the courts, the city tried to discourage aggressive beggars by obliging them to carry ID cards, and later by confining them to 3-by-15-foot "panhandling zones" painted in blue on sidewalks downtown.

Despite these laws, the number of people living on the streets of the Orlando metro area swelled, from roughly 5,000 in 1999 to an estimated 8,500 today, dwarfing the city's shelter capacity for 2,000 people.

So in July, the city commission tried a "supply-side" approach: It passed an ordinance regulating the feeding of large groups of people in Orlando's downtown parks.

Those who wished to feed more than 25 hungry individuals at parks within a 2-mile radius of City Hall could do so, but only if they obtained a "Large Group Feeding Permit" from the parks department — and no one would be granted more than two feeding permits a year.

No exceptions.

For the first time anyone in Orlando could remember, not only would panhandlers find themselves in the crosshairs of the law, but so would those trying to help them.

What kind of friggin' sick society have we become where cities enact laws to punish those who help the needy?
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"Have you seen the fat people walking around Disney World? We should make it illegal to feed THEM.--Jay Leno
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This is all abhorrent enough, but here's the twisted logic of one Orlando blogger who supports the restrictions:

"Feeding the homeless only encourages more homelessness," one resident, with the moniker "Justin Credible," wrote. He then summed up his argument in an equation. "Less Homeless Less Problems Better Place to Live."

What a selfish prick! Like someone is going to choose to be homeless in order to get free meals?

Advocates for the homeless feared it wouldn't be long before other cities passed similar laws. As it happens, they were right.

Already, the cities of Dallas, Fort Myers, Fla., Gainesville, Fla., Wilmington, N.C., Atlanta, and Santa Monica, Calif., have laws restricting or outright prohibiting the feeding of the homeless. In Fairfax County, Va., homemade meals and meals made in church kitchens may not be distributed to the homeless unless first approved by the county.

Other cities, including Miami, are considering similar anti-feeding measures.

Screw these absurd laws. And screw these "tourist towns" and ritzy well-heeled assholes. What would Jesus do? He sure as hell wouldn't be seeking approval from any fucking county!