Liberalism at its finest

October 19, 2002 | Paul Atreides

[Paul Atreides]

I was watching a little of FNC this evening, and there was a segment on a homeless man, protesting against a city government (I didn't catch the name), demanding that the city build a campground for homeless people. He was up in a tree, and would not come down from the platform he had built.

It dawned on me that liberals will expend more time, energy, and resources, asking for a handout, than they would to go out and get a job.

[Paul Atreides]

I'm sick of this demanding mentality coming from people who won't contribute anything positive to society.

[gcruse]

Would you hire him?

[Paul Atreides]

Yeah, to mow my lawn and prune my greenery, since he likes climbing trees.

[johniegrad]

Probably not. The guy in the tree sounds like he is mentally ill.

[Schmedlap]

He could provide services to the city as a speed bump, getting paid by the hour. That job requires no skill or even consciousness.

[Paul Atreides]

Or, he could stand outside a patio restaurant, and draw all of the flies away from the food.

[anniegetyourgun]

I've tried steering beggars at grocery stores carrying signs toward jobs programs. I've even pointed out the sign at the Burger King across the street that says 'help wanted'. They hate me for it, because a job isn't what they want. I've asked the policeman on the street about them. He told me they know about all the panhandlers in that town and every one of them is a fraud. In other words, all of 'em want to be there getting tax free handouts.

[LibKill]

We used to take crazy people and put them in a clean place with 3 meals a day and medical treatment.

Then some idiots decided that violated their rights.

So now they have the right to live in trees, eat out of garbage cans, poop in their pants and get run over by traffic that they are too spaced out to see.

That's real progress!

[lizma]

Then some idiots decided that violated their rights.

Didn't that happen on JFK's watch?

The liberal politicians have trained these people well. Their dependence on a chunk of the government's coffer allows the pols to continue to buy their votes.

[monkeyshine]

Why does he need a campground? He's got a treehouse.

[LibKill]

Didn't that happen on JFK's watch?

I don't think so, sometime in the '70s. Probably one of President ('peanut brain') Carter's gems.

[slimer]

It dawned on me that liberals will expend more time, energy, and resources, asking for a handout, than they would to go out and get a job.

Good point. Most liberals either work for the government or are appointed by government officials. They don't like to get their hands dirty but they know what's best for the masses.

[Straight Vermonter]

The guy in the tree sounds like he is mentally ill.

The mentally ill used to be cared for in institutions. Thus they were not homeless and hungry. The liberals, however, saw this as unjust and cheered their release. Of course then it was the Republicans' fault that we would not pay 10 times as much to furnish them with homes and food as we had been when they were institutionalized.

[speekinout]

Well over 90% of the homeless are mentally ill, alcoholics, or drug abusers. The few who aren't are relatively easy to help.
We don't know how to help the majority. Maybe going back to the days when we institutionalized them is the answer. But these aren't people who have anything to contribute to society. And the rest of us have to decide how we want to treat people who can't help.

It's one thing to demand work from someone who can do it, and quite another to demand it from someone who can't.

[Paul Atreides]

I am inclined to agree with you, except for the fact that this guy seems to have the ability to build a platform, get it up in the tree securely, and he knows to whom to protest. If he was just some raving nutter out there, I would say that he need different considerations.

I once read a story of a homeless man who caught the attention of an important man, who gave him a job as a janitor, enabling him to pay rent on a home and make a living. The guy worked for a week and quit the job to go back to the streets.

[m1911]

I've gotten caught short on discussions about Reagan "throwing the crazies onto the street". Anyone have any help with info on how this actually came about?

[speekinout]

I once read a story of a homeless man who caught the attention of an important man, who gave him a job as a janitor, enabling him to pay rent on a home and make a living. The guy worked for a week and quit the job to go back to the streets.

That's an interesting story. It's probably happened countless times. The guy was either mentally ill, or addicted. The problem won't be solved until we decide what to do about the mentally ill and addicted.