Will Minnesota Go Through with Groundbreaking?
I have not seen much about the irony of a bridge collapsing on the day Minnesota was going to spend public money on a new stadium for the Twins. Someone or something was sending a powerful message that the United States needs to focus money on infrastructure and not on more playgrounds for the rich anymore. I think that it was those gods of transportation that are depicted guarding the Lorain Carnegie Bridge telling us that we have neglected roads, dams, bridges and power plants at our own peril. There was a stadium groundbreaking set for a few hours after the bridge over the Mississippi collapsed. Will Minnesota go forward with spending all these dollars on a new baseball stadium after witnessing the results of neglecting their infrastructure?
The other piece of information that did not get much attention: will the city be able to host the 2008 Republican National Convention? The City of St. Paul is the host city next year, but will they be able to accommodate all the delegates with a major highway artery destroyed one year before the convention?
Can we expect more messages delivered in such dramatic and ironic fashion? Will we listen? If this is how those Lorain Carnegie transportation gods are going to show their displeasure with funding decisions, we have many difficult years ahead? Al Gore tells us that the earth is currently at war with us because of global warming at the same time our infrastructure is failing. The defense department has always prepared for a war in two theaters of operation at the same time. Is this what they were thinking about? How do we protect against flooding due to global warming when our damns and levy systems are at risk? I have to say that on the day of the Cleveland Convention Center groundbreaking I will be taking the day off and spending it in a cabin far away from the downtown.
Brian
Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.
2 comments:
Curfew does not dig deep enough. I see these bums on a daily basis. there are those whom honestly need support. probably 70% percent of those do-nothings should be working at something other than begging. Aside from working with them, I also, have to deal with them at the gas station. They intimidate the elderly, such as my mother. They cause almost everyone to have reason to be frightened. This new crop of beggers seem to feel they are supposed to beg, and
we are supposed to give them something, usually to buy beer and/
or wine. The old HOBO'S at least seemed to have some dignity about themselves. A few still offer to do work for money or food. We need to curtail their presence for the quality of life issues for the greater masses. These beggers are criminals, as well as nuisance. They make a job out of begging, just as the drug dealers harass people, all criminals.
I don't understand what this has to do with homeless people and the curfew. Most panhandlers are not homeless. To your point, laws do not work to prevent people asking for money. Just go to any other city in Ohio who have much stronger anti-panhandling ordinances and see that it makes little difference. It is just a feel good legislation.
Besides, if we go with strategy to dramatically expand these laws how many innocent people go to jail? You said yourself that only 70% are "bad." What happened to the concept that we should allow all to go free if we jail one innocent person? How many elderly men who defended America in Southeast Asia and returned with only one leg that now cannot survive on their disability check will have to go to jail to make sure you do not have to "deal" with poor people at the gas station?
Brian
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