Thursday, February 13, 2014

Missing the point

An anonymous commenter stopped by to express this opinion:

If homelessness is a problem that requires any degree of government intervention (care under EMTALA, for example, or EBT cards, or 'workforce skills' classes), then it behooves the government to address the problem with as much efficiency as possible. If giving people an apartment keeps them out of the hospital for a hundred nights, that's a net win for the system. Where's the beef? 

 Of course, he misses the entire point: Who says that someone's problems require a government solution? Why is it my responsibility to pay for your EBT cards, your workforce training, or require a doctor to treat you under EMTALA?

The point of the post that you were commenting on is this:
If you are worried about homelessness, how much of your own money have you given to the homeless? If you work in the health field, how many hours per week do you work for free, so that the poor can be treated without cost?

If you don't donate your own time and money, how can you have the right to demand that I donate my own? Again, that is the liberal answer to every problem: solve it by stealing someone else's money and giving it to someone else.

2 comments:

Bob S. said...

Giving someone an apartment?
Who are they going to take the apartment from?

Someone already owns those buildings - so there is a problem there.

Second, so you give them a place to sleep -- who feeds them, pays the electricity, sewer/water bills?



Third, few people are homeless because of a single incident. Usually there is a continuing string of decisions that result in that status. Changing one aspect will not change their mindset, decision making process, mental health, addictions, etc.

I see the mindset of the commenter over at OneUtah.org -- I often ask the authors how many homeless are living with them, how many of them they fed, how many of their insurance premiums did they pick up.

As you say, they don't want to do it they want to steal money from someone else.

Angus McThag said...

Shooting them keeps them from being a further drain on the system forever.

Be careful when you start talking about being efficient...