The Star Has It Right Today About Any Possible Panhandling Ordinance

Yes sir and ma'am, I think our Star newspaper has this correct today.

Kansas City's panhandling proposal 

would wage war on the poor

Not only is this obviously and logically an abridgment of people's First Amendment Rights, as the Star so rightly points out, but what, exactly, are we attacking here? What are we, as a city, trying to correct?

If they're out there, possibly humiliating themselves, begging, after all, frequently either in boiling hot or freezing cold temperatures, and harming no one, what's the problem? As a supposed "Christian nation", why wouldn't we leave them alone? Where's the harm? Or are we just ashamed we have poor in our midst and don't want to be reminded? Or, worse, we don't want outsiders, visitors, seeing we have poor?

What is it, exactly, Kansas City?

They inconvenience us while we sit at the traffic lights?

The writer/author Studs Terkel once said he intentionally kept money on him in case he crossed paths with anyone asking for help. He said he knew it was tough out there and they didn't do this because it was fun. Or easy.

But we'll have none of that in our evirons, eh, Kansas City?

How dare they be poor. Or mentally-challenged. Or to have made poor decisions. Or whatever.

Right?