Life in "Progress" City - Ann Arbor edition

Even the author notes the "progressiveness" of the town.........

This progressive city, long known for embracing the poor and destitute, is learning that its support has a price.

For several years, homeless from around the state have descended upon the city because of a largesse that ranges from social services to the generosity of U-M students toward panhandlers, said city police, social service agencies and transients.

The number of homeless in Washtenaw County jumped from 4,212 in 2008 to 4,618 last year, according to the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County. A quarter of them are from outside the county, said the association.

The influx contributed to a panhandling problem that grew so severe this summer that the police chief labeled it the "No. 1 crime," and the City Council assembled a task force to study it.

"We have people from all over," said Police Chief Barnett Jones. "We're on the cusp of being a victim of our generosity."

To discourage outsiders from coming to Ann Arbor, the city's 75-bed homeless shelter instituted a residency requirement earlier this year. That is, a person's last stable home must be located in the county.

I think we can all agree that being homeless is probably a bad thing; something we should encourage people out of.

Now in my "Redvile" enclave, we have no homeless. I've never been panhandled or seen a bum in the street with the flashing light. We also spend 0 dollars on homeless programs.

So would you agree that we in "Redville" have done a better job in getting people out of homelessness than the folks in Ann Arbor who have spent lots of resources for the homeless only so more homeless can be enabled in their community?

Let's assume that you had a relative who lost his job due to an alcohol problem and you decide to give him a place to stay until he got back on his feet. How long would you put up with this guy if he continued to drink, do drugs, trash your house and not look for a job and/or treatment before you kicked his ass out?

And yet "progressives" feel like they're being generous for enabling people to live in the cesspool of humanity; behavior they would never allow in their own homes.


Being a victim of your own generosity?

Now that's "progressive"!

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