‘Tis the season, and what would Christmas be without an annual invective by liberal newspapers. Put away the mistletoe republicans, because you’ll get no love from likes of the Charlotte Observer. No, you’ll get the usual Scrooge and Grinch depictions, or some other lowbrow characterizations. Doubt me? Well, take a look at the above cartoon. This is what Newt Gingrich gets for suggesting we instill a decent work ethic in today’s youth.
The editors at the Disturber have marketed itself as the pinnacle of altruism. They’re just full of advice, especially when it comes to the homeless:
People begging in the Charlotte region clearly need assistance. But in many cases, they save up loose change to buy that next drink, pack of cigarettes or hit of a drug. Even if they use the money to buy food, or even if the donation is food, that is at best a Band-Aid that does nothing to get them off the street.
This may sound cold-hearted. But we care about the homeless and destitute and want them to improve their situation. So do the people and agencies that have dedicated their lives to helping the homeless: The Urban Ministry Center, the Men's Shelter of Charlotte and the dozens of agencies that are members of the Homeless Services Network. Those groups have joined with Charlotte Center City Partners and others to create a task force to discourage panhandling and move street populations toward better solutions.
The editors at the Disturber have marketed itself as the pinnacle of altruism. They’re just full of advice, especially when it comes to the homeless:
People begging in the Charlotte region clearly need assistance. But in many cases, they save up loose change to buy that next drink, pack of cigarettes or hit of a drug. Even if they use the money to buy food, or even if the donation is food, that is at best a Band-Aid that does nothing to get them off the street.
This may sound cold-hearted. But we care about the homeless and destitute and want them to improve their situation. So do the people and agencies that have dedicated their lives to helping the homeless: The Urban Ministry Center, the Men's Shelter of Charlotte and the dozens of agencies that are members of the Homeless Services Network. Those groups have joined with Charlotte Center City Partners and others to create a task force to discourage panhandling and move street populations toward better solutions.
That advice sounds reasonable; doesn’t it? Could the Charlotte Observer have an ulterior motive? Is there something happening in “uptown” next year, that could put a damper on their liberal leanings? And why does Denver, Colorado come to mind?
The effort is in line with the community's 10-year plan to end homelessness, a comprehensive plan on which leaders have made only stop-and-go progress over the past several years.
The group will try to discourage restaurants from feeding the homeless leftovers at their backdoors. That's well-intentioned, Urban Ministry Center Executive Director Dale Mullennix says, but it's more effective to give the food to community groups that give it to the homeless along with other vital services they need to start turning their lives around.
It's a delicate effort for Center City Partners. The uptown group needs not to appear as if it is trying to shoo these people away in time for the Democratic National Convention. The involvement of advocates for the homeless helps offset that danger and give the effort credibility. The task force should also avoid encouraging a severe police crackdown on panhandlers. Being hungry is no crime.
But making the Democratic Party and their “uptown” toadies look bad is. Nice try Disturber.
The effort is in line with the community's 10-year plan to end homelessness, a comprehensive plan on which leaders have made only stop-and-go progress over the past several years.
The group will try to discourage restaurants from feeding the homeless leftovers at their backdoors. That's well-intentioned, Urban Ministry Center Executive Director Dale Mullennix says, but it's more effective to give the food to community groups that give it to the homeless along with other vital services they need to start turning their lives around.
It's a delicate effort for Center City Partners. The uptown group needs not to appear as if it is trying to shoo these people away in time for the Democratic National Convention. The involvement of advocates for the homeless helps offset that danger and give the effort credibility. The task force should also avoid encouraging a severe police crackdown on panhandlers. Being hungry is no crime.
But making the Democratic Party and their “uptown” toadies look bad is. Nice try Disturber.
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