"For I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat..."
I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. Matt 25:35
In Las Vegas, Jesus would have gone to jail. The city council voted on July 20th 2006 to make it illegal to give food to "a person whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive [public welfare] assistance." Thats right, if you see a person who you believe is homeless or poor and hungry, you can be arrested and sent to jail for sharing a meal with them. Apparently in Las Vegas it is criminal to be hungry, but even more criminal to feed the needy.
When the mayor, Oscar Goodman, was asked by a reporter how city Law Enforcement Officers would identify the homeless and target their charitable benefactors, he said: "Certain truths are self evident; you know who's homeless." What was missing from the report was the secret handshake and wink shared with all the casino operatiors in Vegas. You see, in one of the most wealthy cities in the world there is an epidemic of homelessness. More and more working families are finding out that they can no longer afford housing in a city that makes a billion dollars a day. Jobs are being taken by illegal aliens at astounding rates; and the average wage for unskilled workers is steadily falling. 5 Years ago employees of Kentucky Fried Chicken received starting wages of $12, and paid an average of $700 per month for a 3 bedroom apartment in the suburbs.
Now, casino waitresses and fast food clerks make minimum wage and pay $1300 a month for the same apartment. Skilled tradesman are feeling the pinch too. Union electrical workers who formerly made $27 an hour routinely find themselves unemployed. Non-union contractors using illegal alien labor do the same job for $9 an hour. The profits of business owners have skyrocketed, and the idle wealthy are purchasing large tracts of land seized from the working class under eminent domain actions. The average family in Las Vegas has both parents working 70+ hours a week and barely survive. Many working poor have to resort to Soviet-esque communal living arraingements with 3 and 4 familys sharing one home.
Las Vegas has a great problem of homelessness, caused by increasing housing costs and decreasing wages, that they have been trying to legislate away. Thousands of families would move elsewhere, but cannot afford the costs of doing so. They are wage slaves, terrorized by huge international corporations and boot-licking lackies in the government. The homeless, many of them working family's who can no longer afford housing, are being arrested and sent to jail for the crime of being without a home, through NO fault of their own. Family's are being ripped apart and children are being put into a foster care system that is ripe with physical and sexual abuse. All because of robber-baron businessmen and their bought-off politicians. In las Vegas YOU WILL WORK, or you will GO TO JAIL.
I shudder to think of what would have happened to the Good Samaritan in Vegas...
In Las Vegas, Jesus would have gone to jail. The city council voted on July 20th 2006 to make it illegal to give food to "a person whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive [public welfare] assistance." Thats right, if you see a person who you believe is homeless or poor and hungry, you can be arrested and sent to jail for sharing a meal with them. Apparently in Las Vegas it is criminal to be hungry, but even more criminal to feed the needy.
When the mayor, Oscar Goodman, was asked by a reporter how city Law Enforcement Officers would identify the homeless and target their charitable benefactors, he said: "Certain truths are self evident; you know who's homeless." What was missing from the report was the secret handshake and wink shared with all the casino operatiors in Vegas. You see, in one of the most wealthy cities in the world there is an epidemic of homelessness. More and more working families are finding out that they can no longer afford housing in a city that makes a billion dollars a day. Jobs are being taken by illegal aliens at astounding rates; and the average wage for unskilled workers is steadily falling. 5 Years ago employees of Kentucky Fried Chicken received starting wages of $12, and paid an average of $700 per month for a 3 bedroom apartment in the suburbs.
Now, casino waitresses and fast food clerks make minimum wage and pay $1300 a month for the same apartment. Skilled tradesman are feeling the pinch too. Union electrical workers who formerly made $27 an hour routinely find themselves unemployed. Non-union contractors using illegal alien labor do the same job for $9 an hour. The profits of business owners have skyrocketed, and the idle wealthy are purchasing large tracts of land seized from the working class under eminent domain actions. The average family in Las Vegas has both parents working 70+ hours a week and barely survive. Many working poor have to resort to Soviet-esque communal living arraingements with 3 and 4 familys sharing one home.
Las Vegas has a great problem of homelessness, caused by increasing housing costs and decreasing wages, that they have been trying to legislate away. Thousands of families would move elsewhere, but cannot afford the costs of doing so. They are wage slaves, terrorized by huge international corporations and boot-licking lackies in the government. The homeless, many of them working family's who can no longer afford housing, are being arrested and sent to jail for the crime of being without a home, through NO fault of their own. Family's are being ripped apart and children are being put into a foster care system that is ripe with physical and sexual abuse. All because of robber-baron businessmen and their bought-off politicians. In las Vegas YOU WILL WORK, or you will GO TO JAIL.
I shudder to think of what would have happened to the Good Samaritan in Vegas...
posted by Medula Oblongata at 3:38 AM
5 Comments:
If KFC ever gave a starting wage of $12 now or five years ago, I might have actually considered working there. I lived in Las Vegas for close to ten years, fast food places back 5 years ago had starting wages well below that mark, we're talking like 7-8 dollars an hour, if that.
There's another aspect to this story, the homeless people camping street corners in Las Vegas are often participating in an organized criminal business. It might seem like a load of bunk and heartless to say that but it's true. They are real homeless people, however certain seedy organizations deliver these people to the various popular corners, they spend a certain amount of time there, then they are collected and someone else is left to "tend the shop", they get a very small cut of whatever people have given them during the day and maybe a meal. A law like this might actually be trying to target the people who run these kind of beggar stations, giving the authorities legal recourse to pick up the operations side of this scam.
The KFC at 412 N Eastern Av, Las Vegas offered $12.25hr starting (+ tips, mileage, and insurance) to delivery drivers. I know this because my step brother was the asst. manager until a couple years ago and I visited him at work and saw the help wanted sign.
I am also aware that many of the people holding the "will work for food" signs are absolute frauds. I had a few electrician's apprentices a few years ago that would moonlight as "homeless" because they made more money begging than working for a living.
I am simply demonstrating the absurdity of this Mayor by being absurd.
I agree with what you are saying about Mayor Goodman and his policy. The man is an idiot. What I don't understand is how many of your arguments have anything to do with homelessness in the city of Las Vegas. For example; you said, "Jobs are being taken by illegal aliens at astounding rates” Really? I have met many homeless people and many who are on the verge of homelessness but I have yet to meet a homeless person who is homeless because they lost their job to an illegal alien. I'm not suggesting that illegal immigration is not a problem. I do not think it has anything to do with our homeless problem. One thing I see regularly in this city is homeless people standing on the same corner as an illegal Mexican who is selling a bucket full of roses. Suffice it to say my wife gets a lot of roses because that man chose to do something productive.
Besides this I think the other problem with your discussion is that it fails to recognize our ability to adapt and survive as citizens. For example; if I saw that my line of work was beginning to suffer from less pay, outsourcing, or the threat of illegal aliens I would do what I had to ensure my survival. This might mean saving money to move to a better market for my skills, educating myself for a different type of job, and/or reducing my cost of living by changing my lifestyle to something more frugal. It doesn’t really matter what I do but I would have a responsibility to my family to plan for the future. It would be foolish for me to expect that job security is something guaranteed. I pay Aflac so that if something unforeseen happens to me I can have some sort of insurance and income. I can afford Aflac because I have a good job. I have a good job because I went to college. I went to college because I had a scholarship. I got a scholarship because I did not blow off high school and actually studied and put forth an effort and I did that because I had parents that actually gave a damn about me and my future and taught me the value of a good education and hard work. It wasn’t hard but I did have to make the effort. Usually those who end up as so called victims of society, victims of outsourcing, victims of higher housing costs, victims of whatever are that way because they failed to make the right choices in life even as far back as high school.
Nevertheless I do realize that there are many unfortunates who are being punished for their past mistakes, and I do my part and the part of many others to help these people. But I guarantee you that for every legitimate homeless person who is doing his God honest best to get back on his feet there are 50 others who are in their situation because of crime, drugs, alcohol, sheer laziness, and plain old apathy.
If your essay was a commentary on the failing economy of the city of Las Vegas I would agree with most of your statements…but as far as homelessness goes…I think a closer look is needed. That said, I really enjoy your website. I can say you and I think on the same lines with regards to many of the topics discussed on here. Everything I say is in the spirit of promoting thoughtfulness and productive discussion.
-Adam
I meant the entire blog as "tongue in cheek," I was simply demonstrating obsurdity through being obsurd.
However MANY in technical and construction trades have lost their jobs due to illegal immigrants doing the job for less than half price.
And there IS an unholy alliance between the Casino's, the Government, and organized Crime.. I mean labor brokers...
Suprise, suprise!
A federal judge has declared that the prohabition against "feeding people who look poor" is a violation of the US Constitution and has struck down the ordinance.
Not suprisingly, the Mayor has stated he will look for ways to modify the ordinance to get around the ruling.
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