Taking responsibility for the problem
Yours truly (the author of this blog) has an opinion column in today's Chapel Hill News addressing some of the recent controversies surrounding homelessness and IFC's desire to relocate the men's homeless shelter.

Also of interest in today's edition is a column by the Reverend Robert Seymour, who was the first president of IFC and continues to be a community advocate for progressive issues. Reverend Seymour does a very good job of dispelling many of the fictions of our so-called "ownership-society".

Related to this is an article published by LiberalslikeChrist.org, "A Day In The Life Of Joe, Middle Class Republican Conservative" which I'll post below.

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"Joe gets up at 6:00 am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure they are safe and work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

Joe walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation days because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn't think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It's noon time, Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposits are federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards.

Joe arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican's would still be sitting in the dark). Joe is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

Joe turns on a radio talk show, the host's keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn't tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, "We don't need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I'm a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have".by John Gray, Cincinnati, Ohio

- jgray7@cinci.rr.com -A TvNewsLIES Reader contribution - Published July - 2004

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-# posted by Michael McGee @ 5:45 PM 0 comments

 
Town to consider homelessness partnership
From the Daily Tarheel, an article about the Chapel Hill Town Council and Orange County Board of Commissioners considering resolutions to join in a 10-year partnership to end homelessness. The article also discusses other recent events such as residential opposition to a relocated IFC shelter as well as the challenges IFC has faced in keeping the shelter open.

-# posted by Michael McGee @ 3:07 PM 0 comments

 
Just put 'em out by the landfill
An account that was originally in the Durham Herald-Sun of the Town Council meeting at which Lynne Kane presented a petition on behalf of the residents in neighborhoods around Legion Road in Chapel Hill opposing the relocation of the IFC men's homeless shelter. So just like the residents of Merritt Mill Road, opposition organizes before IFC has even come anywhere near making a decision on a site. And much of it is based on misconceptions and fear about who the homeless are; there's a lot of good old-fashioned NIMBY-ism here. But then, that's the American way, even in "progressive" Chapel Hill.

I spoke at this meeting along with Maggie Silton, who serves as a pastor at the men's shelter and what was striking to me was how even the Town Council members seemed appalled by Lynne Kane's remarks. Mayor Foy kept asking her to wrap it up, as she went well over her time for what was supposed to be simply reading a petition. The Mayor was correct that this was not a public hearing, but it seemed to me it was only fair that if the opponents of IFC were going to make a 10-minute argument, that someone from IFC should get a chance to respond. The fact that a public hearing would be held later would not change the fact that Ms. Kane, had the Mayor stuck with his original ruling, would have had the opportunity to make a case without any sort of response in an official forum. Fortunately, the Mayor reversed himself and allowed representatives from the IFC to present our side and I commend him for that sense of fairness.

Ms. Kane said that homeless shelters are nuissances much like sewage plants, landfills, and jails. Of course, what she and the other residents are really doing are comparing the homeless to sewage, garbage, and criminals, much as they might try to sugar coat it. The residents say they are appalled at the idea of a homeless shelter in their neighborhoods. On that point, I am in agreement with them, as I too am appalled. I am appalled that in the richest nation in the world, we have people sleeping on sidewalks, park benches, and under bridges. These include families with children, people who have served this nation in the Armed Forces, and victims who had to flee domestic violence. And I am appalled that so many people would rush to attack and judge their fellow human beings whom they don't even know anything about.

The homeless are not "the creeps on the streets". They are, as Maggie Silton put it, "our brothers in the greater human family. They are not people to be feared. They have a lot in common with you." And as the old saying goes, there but for fortune go you or I.
-# posted by Michael McGee @ 2:32 PM 0 comments

 
NIMBY..but at least the Town is doing something.
Ryan Tuck, the city editor at the Daily Tarheel is doing a great job of covering homeless issues in this community. There is a good account of the recent Town Council meeting at which residents of neighborhoods around Legion Road presented a petition opposing location of a shelter near there and IFC presented a response. Also, at the recent Town Council planning retreat, a resolution was proposed to make Chapel Hill part of the Partnership to End Homelessness in Orange County.
-# posted by Michael McGee @ 3:16 PM 0 comments