From the Laconia Citizen:
While stressing that it was not a value judgment about the homeless, the City Council Monday voted unanimously to tell the U.S. government that a homeless shelter is not the highest and best use for the now “surplus” Laconia Federal Building.
City Manager Eileen Cabanel made clear in a letter to federal officials that the city continues to support the homeless but does not “cater” to them.
Nope. No making a value judgment regarding homeless people. Au contraire! They love some homeless people, particularly those equipped with sizable savings or investment accounts and decent credit scores who are looking for an overpriced home to purchase. Bonus points awarded if no children are involved to burden the local schools, and even more bonus points are tossed the way of seasonal home buyers.
Now on the other hand, if you’re a poor, homeless person, you may trust that you won’t be catered to in any fashion. There’s nothing to be gained in rewarding poverty, now, is there?
I'm afraid your sarcasm will be lost on those to whom it is directed. The facts, with which they are also unfamiliar, are these: City Welfare sends people to Carey House, which is usually full, forcing people to seek shelters in other counties, which are also full. Right now in Laconia there are families living in tents and cars, having been turned away when they asked for help from the City. We're talking about children, not street bum winos. Little kids whose parents were evicted and are now blackballed by the Laconia Landlords Association. If you include people who are "couch surfing," living from day to day as guests in other folks' apartments, the Federal Building and Carey House combined would not be able to accomodate all of Belknap County's homeless. Private sector philanthopy cannot meet their needs, and government must fill the void. Candidates for public office should be taking pledges to help our least fortunate, not help themselves to cheap votes by promising to cut taxes; a promise they never keep anyway.
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