Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Eating humble pie.

Okay, Frankie pulled me aside yesterday, as did a few others, pointing out that my blog was rather unkind to the homeless, the illegal aliens, and freeloaders.  And I'm sorry I lumped what seemed to some folks all the homeless and illegal aliens into an all rotten barrel of apples.  As for the freeloaders who have corrupted and taken advantage of the Federal and State Government agencies designed for help the down trodden...well, I'm still not sorry for any of them.

Anyway, to the homeless who are mentally challenged, physically or emotionally unable to hold a job and have no family to help support them, I do understand they need our help and we should at the very least provide some sort of shelter for them. The same holds true for some of the illegal aliens who have come here to provide a better life for their families, and who work (off the books, for cash) doing jobs most folk find to 'beneath them and tedious' to want to do, and are living like I do, just trying to make ends meet the best we can.  I'm good with them, we should at the very least provide shelter for them and their families.  It's my wish they would be able to be here legally, and perhaps, some day they will.

After all Lady Liberty standing in the New York harbor, clearly welcomes all.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
"The New Colossus" is a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus 

I still like to believe we would never turn those homeless, tempest-tost away from our golden door. However, I also (sadly believe) the world has changed drastically since that sonnet was written, and in this era there is a group of people who I call the 'professional homeless, and illegal aliens' and of course those ever present freeloaders who have taken advantage of our 'good nature' and have run amok with federal and state funds they are not entitled to, and have not just bent but broken our welfare system.  It was to these folks I vented my anger at yesterday.

And, if indeed, the facility I wrote about yesterday is made into a place of comfort for the downtrodden, let's make sure it is for those who legitimately need the help. That's all I ask.  But, and this is important...I also still want the following to apply:

1.  Whatever monthly government subsidies you receive, 95% will go to support the facility, taking the burden off the tax payers to pay staff salaries.
2.  There will be no smoking, alcoholic beverages or drugs allowed on the premises. Use of them will be cause for immediate expulsion from the facility.
3.  You will work, in the kitchen, in the maintenance of the building, in keeping the grounds in immaculate condition.
4.  You will commit to random drug testing.
5.  You will surrender your animals to qualified shelters so they can spend the remainder of their years in loving, caring homes.
6.  You will endeavor to reconnect with family.
7.  You will look for permanent employment...McDonald's is better than nothing.
8.  You will shower, shave, shampoo, wear clean clothes daily.
(Readers: Feel free to add to this list.)

Yes, if you follow the rules, you will be entitled to participate in whatever this new facility is going to be called. But, also remember, this is not a free ride, it is your opportunity to turn your life around, through hard work and dedication.  America used to be all about the stories of the guy who pulled himself up by his own boot straps.  I still love those kinds of stories.  

There you have it...I'm eating humble pie.  I hope you all accept my apology for my outrageous rant yesterday.  Sigh.  Frankie said  "Get over it."

No comments:

Post a Comment