theman23
Active Member
I really, really do believe that Rudy Guliani is an absolute scumbag and a true fascist (just google some of his speeches on the role of government), yet I can't disagree with that quote. Is there any benefit to allowing them to sleep on the street and beg? I just don't see it. It can't be an issue of it being outside the jurisdiction of the city; after all, we already have bylaws to regulate what can and cannot be done on our streets. And if the city is willing to consider levying a "sidewalk tax" against night clubs for taking up public space with their queues, why can't they consider removing panhandlers and homeless people that also use public space without paying?"You have to start with a general consensus, and that is, that living on the street, particularly in a northern climate, is not good for anyone. It's not good for the poor or homeless it's not good for the mentally ill person wandering the street, it's not good for local businesses or tourism. Regardless of why they are there and which agencies should be responsible for dealing with them, the bottom line is, you have to generally all agree that it's not good for anyone to be living or begging on the street. Once that very basic consensus is established you can pass the laws and build the infrastructure to deal with the various problems affecting these people."