Politicians Are Panhandlers, Too

Dear Editor,
    Isn’t it ironic that Jennifer Kim is seeking a motion to ban panhandling when she and every other council member makes innumerable individual solicitations to support their campaign efforts. Although the measure has been pulled temporarily, this is clearly a red-meat issue intended to woo the “personal responsibility” voters who find it inconvenient and unaesthetic to look at these folks, let alone acknowledge the reasons that they are out there.
    None of us want to have people begging on the street corners of our neighborhoods, yet very few of us will vote for leaders who suggest we need to pay for services that will help reduce or prevent this. Alcoholism, drug abuse, schizophrenia, and other causes of homelessness and poverty are an intractable part of every society on the planet. Some societies find ways to keep the negative impact of this to a minimum, others continue to elect leaders who vilify and blame the homeless to get votes but do nothing to solve or improve the situation.