I lived in Florida most of my life before moving to Texas. I lived in Pasco County Florida for most of my time in Florida. The people who live in Pasco County know all to well the motto of the system that is “Come here on vacation, leave on probation and come back on a violation.” We joke about it all the time because it is a known fact. The truth is a person will be better off committing a felony in Pasco County because they will not make money in the state prison system. They get a light punishment with waivers on fines and probation fees. They will get a light sentence with a reduced charge bumping down from a felony to a misdemeanor so they can serve weekends in jail and community service. They do make money off misdemeanors keeping people locked up in the county jail. They receive more leniency than a person driving without a license is. Driving on a suspended or no license, Florida throws the book at the person with the max sentence. There is no profit in protecting the citizens. That is just one county I use as an example of how far we have fallen.
We are seeing the anti panhandling ordinance is almost law in Pasco County. The City of Tampa Florida now is looking into passing the same anti panhandling law too. I would see people hold up signs saying "will work for food". Some people I notice have a Ford Explorer parked around the corner doing this scam. There are swindle artist making it hard for the people who really need help. I admit that for sure. First, I would like to say, I am not for anti panhandling laws. It is the public sidewalk. This is something we have to tolerate in a free society. The people have the power to say "no" to give or not to give. It is the discretion of the person to decide. I understand there is an obligation to keep away panhandlers who are disrupting patrons of a business establishment. I understand the business protecting their clients. Under the easement rules in Property laws, they can tell the homeless to leave within the law without infringing on people's rights.
I do not believe the government has the authority to pass ordinances banning people asking for money. There is a price to maintain our personal liberties. I wonder what is next. It would not surprise me to see another ordinance being in the works criminalizing giving money to a panhandler. Being generous might be a violation soon. Will the politicians find out there is no money fining the homeless? It is a possibility they will go after the person who can afford to give. In these politicians minds, if a decent person can spare a dollar for a homeless man. Therefore, a good samaritan can spare a few more dollars for revenue enhancement. Another fraud Politicians can use to squeeze more money out of the producers of society.
In Orlando Florida, the Police keep arresting people for feeding the homeless. These city politicians might see a backlash with unintended consequences to follow. These politicians do not think through these ordinances before passing not foreseeing the long-term ramifications. They just react to people complaining about the problem. People who complain about panhandling and feeding the homeless in a city park have to understand for few simple things. If we want to live a free society and retain our liberties, there is a price. We have to tolerate things we do not like. When we allow local governments to attack freedom not allowing people to panhandle is the camel’s nose under the tent. I get annoyed when a drunk wants a dollar to buy a quart of Night-train. I do not like seeing drunks begging for money to support their vice either. I live with it and tolerate it.
We have seen these city ordinances infringing on private property rights with smoking bans in Restaurants and Bars. If we want to keep our freedoms, we have to tolerate the things we do not like. If a person has to tolerate second hand smoke and the homeless to preserve basic freedoms, which is the price of liberty is accepting the good with the bad. We cannot have our cake and eat it too. We must retrace our steps and we will see when we assaulted the freedoms of others, ours is attacked today. This is the reason why we will not have the right to prune our trees in our yards by some city ordinance because of long-term consequences. The reason is that people cheered the smoking ban years before without thinking of long-term effects that will follow. Once people support attacking private property rights of other people, in time politicians will attack their rights as homeowners in the name of your safety.
Does anyone remember when Tampa passed an ordinance against lap dancing? The dancer had to be a distance away from the client so they could no up close and personal interaction in the name of public health. Only such lunacy can come from city government. Where did the city of Tampa find the authority to interfere with two consenting adults? Do you know how much money was costing on sting operations looking for people violating the lap dance ordinance? It was madness. A lap dancer and the person who pays to for the service is a personal matter, not the city of Tampa to interfere in an agreement between the dancer and the client. It does not harm me or infringe on my rights. What happens in a topless bar is none of my business. It is none of the city's business in what goes on between two consenting adults in a topless bar, just as long their behavior does not bring harm to an innocent person. Thank goodness, the law was repealed years later. If that law was still in effect. Where would the city of Tampa go after next interfering in the choices people make that is non-criminal?
I have to wonder. If the people are under arrest for feeding the homeless and people down on their luck asking for help are being cited with fines. If the group the feeds the homeless finds a place outside the city park to serve people in an area where no one is bothered. Will the police send in undercover officers to see if the soup kitchen is clean and they have a permit? Can we see Law Enforcement waste resources doing undercover operations looking for panhandlers using marked bills to entrap people? The homeless will not have to ask for money. There will be undercover police will offering money. When the homeless accepts it. They will be under arrest for panhandling by entrapment. I would not put it past police to use such tactics since the homeless person can not afford a good lawyer. Never mind the person's house being invaded down the street. There is no revenue in protecting a person's life, liberty and property.
We have to conclude. We cannot blame these politicians and Homeowners association for everything. We have to blame ourselves too. We pushed these smoking bans and law against panhandling with good intentions. We complained to the homeowners association because we did not like the color of a mailbox. We never gave it any thought what the long-term effects would be. We never thought about how future politicians and bureaucrats would use this precedent as an excuse to pass ordinances that are more draconian. We allowed them with our consent. When we complain about homeless eating in the park and panhandlers because we do not like it. Remember we just attacked our own freedoms assaulting theirs. It will not be long before city government or Homeowners associations will change zoning laws. When a person invites the homeless into their home to have meal with a bible study, rent out a spare bedroom and grow their own garden to keep themselves fed. It might be against the zoning laws because someone complained and the politician cowered to pressure.
It is very hard for me to complain about things. I mind my own business. I do not care if a person has a garden in the backyard or wants to put in a special type of mailbox up on the curb. Live and let live. Some panhandlers can be a minor nuisance at times. I really do not mind homeless being fed in the park, just as long they do not interfere with everyone's right to enjoy the park too. The homeless being an eyesore to the annoyance of beggars on the streets is not the issue. We can whine about second hand smoke at a restaurant or the bars. If you do not like it, go somewhere else that is a non-smoking establishment. Nobody forced you to breathe second hand smoke. Just because a person may not like what our neighbor does inside their homes or backyards. What ever a person does not like, grin and bear it. It does not mean it should be against the law. If we attack the rights of the homeless, panhandlers, smokers and businesses because we do not like it. As a result, we attack our own rights.
You cannot justify your reasoning anymore. I will tell you why. I do not care if a person is an illegal alien, the immigrant, the homeless, a smoker, mentally ill, handicapped, the Good Samaritan, rich, poor and middle class. Rights are God given. We have no right to take them away because we feel they are less deserving. If we attack the rights of certain people who consider the lower denominator in our society because of status or quality of life. We attack our rights too. If your attitude is, still go after these people because you may feel they are not worth basic human dignity and God given rights. Then you not worthy these precious liberties either.
We are seeing the anti panhandling ordinance is almost law in Pasco County. The City of Tampa Florida now is looking into passing the same anti panhandling law too. I would see people hold up signs saying "will work for food". Some people I notice have a Ford Explorer parked around the corner doing this scam. There are swindle artist making it hard for the people who really need help. I admit that for sure. First, I would like to say, I am not for anti panhandling laws. It is the public sidewalk. This is something we have to tolerate in a free society. The people have the power to say "no" to give or not to give. It is the discretion of the person to decide. I understand there is an obligation to keep away panhandlers who are disrupting patrons of a business establishment. I understand the business protecting their clients. Under the easement rules in Property laws, they can tell the homeless to leave within the law without infringing on people's rights.
I do not believe the government has the authority to pass ordinances banning people asking for money. There is a price to maintain our personal liberties. I wonder what is next. It would not surprise me to see another ordinance being in the works criminalizing giving money to a panhandler. Being generous might be a violation soon. Will the politicians find out there is no money fining the homeless? It is a possibility they will go after the person who can afford to give. In these politicians minds, if a decent person can spare a dollar for a homeless man. Therefore, a good samaritan can spare a few more dollars for revenue enhancement. Another fraud Politicians can use to squeeze more money out of the producers of society.
In Orlando Florida, the Police keep arresting people for feeding the homeless. These city politicians might see a backlash with unintended consequences to follow. These politicians do not think through these ordinances before passing not foreseeing the long-term ramifications. They just react to people complaining about the problem. People who complain about panhandling and feeding the homeless in a city park have to understand for few simple things. If we want to live a free society and retain our liberties, there is a price. We have to tolerate things we do not like. When we allow local governments to attack freedom not allowing people to panhandle is the camel’s nose under the tent. I get annoyed when a drunk wants a dollar to buy a quart of Night-train. I do not like seeing drunks begging for money to support their vice either. I live with it and tolerate it.
We have seen these city ordinances infringing on private property rights with smoking bans in Restaurants and Bars. If we want to keep our freedoms, we have to tolerate the things we do not like. If a person has to tolerate second hand smoke and the homeless to preserve basic freedoms, which is the price of liberty is accepting the good with the bad. We cannot have our cake and eat it too. We must retrace our steps and we will see when we assaulted the freedoms of others, ours is attacked today. This is the reason why we will not have the right to prune our trees in our yards by some city ordinance because of long-term consequences. The reason is that people cheered the smoking ban years before without thinking of long-term effects that will follow. Once people support attacking private property rights of other people, in time politicians will attack their rights as homeowners in the name of your safety.
Does anyone remember when Tampa passed an ordinance against lap dancing? The dancer had to be a distance away from the client so they could no up close and personal interaction in the name of public health. Only such lunacy can come from city government. Where did the city of Tampa find the authority to interfere with two consenting adults? Do you know how much money was costing on sting operations looking for people violating the lap dance ordinance? It was madness. A lap dancer and the person who pays to for the service is a personal matter, not the city of Tampa to interfere in an agreement between the dancer and the client. It does not harm me or infringe on my rights. What happens in a topless bar is none of my business. It is none of the city's business in what goes on between two consenting adults in a topless bar, just as long their behavior does not bring harm to an innocent person. Thank goodness, the law was repealed years later. If that law was still in effect. Where would the city of Tampa go after next interfering in the choices people make that is non-criminal?
I have to wonder. If the people are under arrest for feeding the homeless and people down on their luck asking for help are being cited with fines. If the group the feeds the homeless finds a place outside the city park to serve people in an area where no one is bothered. Will the police send in undercover officers to see if the soup kitchen is clean and they have a permit? Can we see Law Enforcement waste resources doing undercover operations looking for panhandlers using marked bills to entrap people? The homeless will not have to ask for money. There will be undercover police will offering money. When the homeless accepts it. They will be under arrest for panhandling by entrapment. I would not put it past police to use such tactics since the homeless person can not afford a good lawyer. Never mind the person's house being invaded down the street. There is no revenue in protecting a person's life, liberty and property.
We have to conclude. We cannot blame these politicians and Homeowners association for everything. We have to blame ourselves too. We pushed these smoking bans and law against panhandling with good intentions. We complained to the homeowners association because we did not like the color of a mailbox. We never gave it any thought what the long-term effects would be. We never thought about how future politicians and bureaucrats would use this precedent as an excuse to pass ordinances that are more draconian. We allowed them with our consent. When we complain about homeless eating in the park and panhandlers because we do not like it. Remember we just attacked our own freedoms assaulting theirs. It will not be long before city government or Homeowners associations will change zoning laws. When a person invites the homeless into their home to have meal with a bible study, rent out a spare bedroom and grow their own garden to keep themselves fed. It might be against the zoning laws because someone complained and the politician cowered to pressure.
It is very hard for me to complain about things. I mind my own business. I do not care if a person has a garden in the backyard or wants to put in a special type of mailbox up on the curb. Live and let live. Some panhandlers can be a minor nuisance at times. I really do not mind homeless being fed in the park, just as long they do not interfere with everyone's right to enjoy the park too. The homeless being an eyesore to the annoyance of beggars on the streets is not the issue. We can whine about second hand smoke at a restaurant or the bars. If you do not like it, go somewhere else that is a non-smoking establishment. Nobody forced you to breathe second hand smoke. Just because a person may not like what our neighbor does inside their homes or backyards. What ever a person does not like, grin and bear it. It does not mean it should be against the law. If we attack the rights of the homeless, panhandlers, smokers and businesses because we do not like it. As a result, we attack our own rights.
You cannot justify your reasoning anymore. I will tell you why. I do not care if a person is an illegal alien, the immigrant, the homeless, a smoker, mentally ill, handicapped, the Good Samaritan, rich, poor and middle class. Rights are God given. We have no right to take them away because we feel they are less deserving. If we attack the rights of certain people who consider the lower denominator in our society because of status or quality of life. We attack our rights too. If your attitude is, still go after these people because you may feel they are not worth basic human dignity and God given rights. Then you not worthy these precious liberties either.
"In Orlando Florida, the Police keep arresting people for feeding the homeless."
ReplyDeleteSigh. I was really hoping you wouldn't mention that. Because in doing so, you've bought into the misconception that they want you to buy into. Let me explain.
The group- named Food Not Bombs- was not arrested for "feeding the homeless". They were arrested because they set up food stands, in the middle of the park, in the middle of a Saturday day, on the playground, with ZERO crowd control, ZERO security, and ZERO respect for the rights of others.
And why did they do this? Because they WANTED to be arrested! Food Not Bombs is not a group primarily concerned with feeding the homeless. Their primary concern is to make people aware of the homeless. Which they do by pulling stunts like this. They KNEW it would be a disaster. They PLANNED for it to be disruptive. That was the whole point!
If they really cared about the homeless, they'd join the literally hundreds of other groups that fee them on a daily basis, without disrupting other's rights, without getting arrested, and without controversy.
Your article is just bad reportage. It would have taken three minutes of research to see that these people are self proclaimed anarchists. They did this for the press, not the oppressed. And you swallowed it. Hook, line, and sinker.
But really I have to ask. If you support the rights of the homeless to take over a park, what of the rights of taxpayers, whose monies actually PAID for that park? Do they get any rights here, comrade?
I once met a drunk in Eola Park, Orlando, Florida, as he crawled out from under a bush. He was as bedraggled as they come. I gave him some money for a bottle of MD 2020, Mad Dog he called it. He was particularly well spoken, he was once a vice-president of PP&G. Pittsburgh Paint and Glass which was a Fortune 500 company. He told me that he once had a beautiful wife and children, an Ivy League education, a mansion on a lake, summer house in the mountains,luxury cars and private schools. His taxes and his charitable work probably created some beautiful parks in his town. He probably only drank occasionally at social outings, at first, but eventually it took over his life. I thought it was a bargain, $1.20 (40 years ago)for a bottle of Mad Dog in exchange for a valuable lesson in life because it could be me someday crawling out from under that bush but for the grace of God.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first moved to Florida in the fall of 1972, after paying for first and last rent for an apartment, my brother, a friend and I had only 31 cents between us, on Thanksgiving. We walked around Eola Park, hungry, looking for a soup kitchen or anything. We ended up eating a 28 cent bag of potato chips for our holiday dinner. We weren't homeless, but we weren't very much better off. I would have taken a free meal from anyone no matter what their political agenda. That was another valuable life lesson and I would never, ever condemn a hungry or homeless person today.
NobodysaysBOO! :
ReplyDeleteWhat the HELL do folks in MEXAS care about FLORIDODU? Go tell this crap to jeb bush and the floriDODU that elected his criminal brother!
You want to help people in MEXAS then show some of the south MEXAS POOR!
MEXAS would be a nice place AGAIN if ALL of you imigrunts including bush GO the HELL HOME!
You mentioned THE WAR ON COMMON SENSE, since when is avoiding the previous FALSE ASSUMPTION a good idea in MAKING A DECISION ? TRUE Information is required to reach a true conclusion...What small cabal of dung doodling STOOL SCULPTURE DEITY CULT members of the Synagogue of Satan PRINT THE CURRENCY and OWN THE MEDIA in America/Texas ? [THEY HATE THE TRUTH -that is the basis for their so-called "RELIGION" = TALMUDIC TERRORISM] Why should America/Texas have homeless people and poverty ? THE ANTI-Good Faith - Anti-good Samaritan ...EXTRA SPECIAL CABAL of Economic Terrorists...who...DIG THIS CHUTZPAH!!! Have massmurdered over 300 million people and STOLEN more than 3 quadrillion "DOLLARS" from the worlds inhabitiants in the last century....Is Texas running short of land ? Do we have a Truth deficit in OUR country thanks to Talmudvision and the "MAINSTREAM TURD FLOATING" jewish media...which just this morning was promoting a string of "JEWISH" lies one after another...like flies on a stool sculpture. Time for Khazars to make Exodus to Khazaria...Incidentally do we need to increase "OUR" Debt Limit...? To Economic Terrorists ? They're soooo extra special...! See Willie Martin Files Outline. PS- Government defined for Texans and Americans is not Economic Terrorist/Talmudic Terrorist..just sayin'
ReplyDelete