Dirty Homeless People

It is always interesting to listen in to other communities and their debates about the homeless people in their midst.

Politicians are great benders of reality. In Lakewood, New Jersey, they're trying to close down a homeless encampment. I found this quote interesting:

Lakewood's mayor called conditions there "disgusting" and "horrendous."

The truth of the matter is that homeless people generate no more garbage or (excuse me) poo than the rest of us. In fact, because of poverty, they probably generate LESS garbage than the rest of us.

But, they have no access to the subsidized sewer and garbage collection system the rest of us take for granted.

Seattle's former mayor wanted to justify the clean-up of the greenbelts in the Queen Anne neighborhood, so he took the reporters out to an informal camp site and pointed out the horrible conditions - garbage and human waste. Oh the humanity. Literally. It was quite a media event, everyone wringing their hands.

That same day, 10 million gallons of human poo, from the same humans that were wringing their hands, was unleashed into Puget Sound. Now, who was being "disgusting" and "horrendous."

Whether you're homeless or not, your garbage and your poo stinks. Remember that, next time your local politician wants to get tough with homeless people.

For more on the story, click here.