Government Intervention?

They're At It Again...


So this morning finds me with my head spinning around (nearing orbital rotational velocity)because I find stories like this one on the Internet reporting that the NY City government is telling the local Churches that unless they want to run homeless shelters which are open at least FIVE DAYS A WEEK they can't operate any shelter space at all...

NYC Churches Ordered Not To Shelter Homeless
NEW YORK (CBS) ―

City officials have ordered 22 New York churches to stop providing beds to homeless people.

With temperatures well below freezing early Saturday, the churches must obey a city rule requiring faith-based shelters to be open at least five days a week -- or not at all.

Arnold Cohen, president of the Partnership for the Homeless, a nonprofit that serves as a link with the city, said he had to tell the churches they no longer qualify.

He said hundreds of people now won't have a place to sleep.

The Department of Homeless Services said the city offers other shelters with the capacity to accept all those who have been sleeping in the churches. The city had 8,000 beds waiting.

Last year, four unsheltered homeless people died in the city during cold weather, so three dozen emergency outreach teams were prepped to respond to reports of homeless people outdoors or in the subways.

"We really don't want people sleeping on the streets, on grates, on church steps. We want people sleeping in beds," said Homeless Commissioner Robert Hess.

The homeless can be coaxed indoors but not forced unless their life is in danger.

(que the sounds of Crickets chirping...while I compose my thoughts)

Can we CHAT here for a moment?

Here...pull up a chair and have a glass of wine or Coke or Eggnog and let me ask you a couple of questions because I'm afraid that I'm confused (and even a little fearful for my sanity...)

First of all, since when did anyone start paying for or electing anyone to work in a government job with the title of "Homeless Commissioner?"

I remember that my father was "Commissioned" as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps back in the mid 1950's.

I've heard of artists being "commissioned" to do a painting or some other work of art.

And I know that there are city commissions and county commissions and other various and sundry government commissions out the Wazoo here in the good ole' US of A...

BUT...

Now they're telling us that New York City actually has a HOMELESS COMMISSIONER?

Why not "Secretary of Homelessness?"

So some guy or gal is actually walking around handing out business cards that say John/Jane Doe-Comissioner of Homelessness?

Any way...back to the point of my original hysteria.

Doesn't anyone but me see how it never fails that when people let government get involved in things that historically the community and individual citizens took care of, that it's only a short time before the government idiots lose sight of their original purpose and wander off and start making regulations and passing laws preventing honest, sincere people from providing same said service?

It's like the government wants to monopolize the services, and they in effect outlaw competition as a result, thereby defeating any "unofficial" solutions to the original problem they set about to address from being presented.

Can you imagine why anyone considered "homeless" might want to avoid a genuine official "government homeless shelter" and instead sleep on the street or risk life and limb to take a vacation in a shelter run by some faith based organization that only has the capitol and manpower to operate once a week?

Could it be because the shelters operated by the Government SUCK?

Just like much of the public housing SUCKS for people that don't consider themselves homeless?

Just like Veterans in South Georgia have to find someone to drive them three or four hours to reach their Government appointed "Veteran's Hospitals" in order to receive the medical treatment they earned while serving in the military?

Of course the Veterans have the option of receiving medical service outside the "Veterans Network" if they're willing and able to pay for it, but considering this story one has to wonder how long before the government starts baning doctors in private practice from taking money from Veterans for treatment.

And consider this...

If you drive through or near a public housing "project" in your local area and you are appalled by the conditions of the property and the debauchery of the behavior of the resident "beneficiaries" (and these people are not considered to be "homeless",) then just imagine what the conditions are like in a government owned and operated "homeless shelter."

REALLY...can you just imagine?

And apparently at least half of our population wants to hand over the national health care system to the Government.

Dammit people, don't you get what's happening here?

I suspect that all these churches are trying to do in NYC is provide overflow services when the weather gets really crappy and COLD.

And of course a few people that normally shun government shelters because of their substance abuse problems could wander in and take refuge...much to the shagrin of the government, but other than that...WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

It's cold outside, people that would be hungry and would otherwise be sleeping on the streets are sleeping inside, but since the doors aren't open five days a week they can't be open at all accoring to the government.

What's even worse is, I suspect that THE STUPID GOVERNMENT DOESN'T WANT THE COMPETITION, because it points out how Feckless and Obtuse their efforts really are.

And all the time what's lost in the bureaucratic process is the original intention...

to provide housing for people that don't have any place else to go when its twenty degrees F on the thermometer.

But the government would rather close the churches and count the bodies and amputated fingers and toes rather than let someone stumble into a building that's only open when it's really crappy outside.

$*%"#$@*ing Idiots.