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Commentary: All homeless people are not drunks and drug addicts

Homeless? Bah Humbug!

The CBS morning news carried a news item about the growing number of homeless in California. Two things caught my attention. One is that in California it is illegal to park on a public street and sleep in your car. Two, the people breaking this law are newly displaced former home owners.

These criminals that are breaking the law by sleeping in their cars were law abiding middle class citizens just a few months ago. Why would normal law abiding middle class citizens turn to a life of crime overnight?

One answer is the economy. As the gap between the haves and the have-nots gets wider crime tends to increase. The economic policies of the past eight years have been designed to eliminate most of the middle class. Laws that the middle class passed to protect itself from the lower class are now having an adverse effect on the very people that voted for these laws.

When the economy was good and these criminals were homeowners they did not want anyone sleeping in cars in front of their home. So they passed laws making it a crime to sleep in your car while parked on a public street.

Now these do-gooders, as president Bush would call them, have no place to sleep. Most have lost their jobs. Without a job it's only a matter of time before they lose their home. Once they lose their home, they become evildoers (law breakers).

In Fort Worth, Texas it is against the law to live in a house that is not connected to the city water supply and/or is not serviced by an electrical company.

This law applies to all property. That is to say, even if your home is completely paid for, you may not live in it if you cannot afford the utilities. Doing so could subject the people living there to a $2,000.00 per day fine.

It is also illegal to remain at a public park past 11:00 pm. It is also illegal to sleep on the sidewalk. It is also illegal to ask for a job while standing on public property. It is also illegal to go door to door asking for a job, unless you have a city permit, which costs a lot of money.

All is not lost. As the economic policies of the current administration continue to develop and shape our economy it may be time to pass more aggressive laws. Every state in the union should pass a law making it illegal not to have a job. Anyone over the age of 18 that has not been employed and/or in school in the immediate last two months should be fined $2,000.00 or six months in jail or both.

This law will not only eliminate unemployment but will also create a budget surplus for most cities. As for our federal government, with everyone working and paying taxes, why shoot, we can even afford another war.

The democrats have it all wrong we CAN legislate prosperity. If you don't believe me just ask any Department of Defense contractor.

Learn more about this author, Pancho Villa.
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