According to executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless Neil Donovan, “compassion fatigue” is the cause for the new ordinances being passed in cities across the United States outlawing homeless people from living on the streets, anti-food-sharing laws, and anti-camping laws.
But are Americans really growing tired of the homeless? Are we so tired of the less fortunate we want big government to step in and take care of the “problem”? Hardly.
Americans are tired of people living off of our taxes. Americans are tired of being demonized for making money. Americans are tired of the government telling the most charitable among us that they are evil, elitist, greedy and heartless, while they watch their children’s futures are destroyed by their big bloated programs that do nothing but worsen our problems. Americans are quite frankly exhausted of the nanny state causing their children to think they are entitled to everything around them and those that need a hand up becoming sponges of the system who expect a hand out. That’s what Americans are tired of.
Americans are not tired of helping those who need it. Americans are not tired of feeding the hungry or seeing the homeless. They’re tired of the homeless and hungry being used as a weapon by the federal government.
USA Today released an article over the weekend that discussed how cities all over the country are making it harder to be homeless.
Philadelphia recently banned outdoor feeding of people in city parks. Denver has begun enforcing a ban on eating and sleeping on property without permission. And this month, lawmakers in Ashland, Ore., will consider strengthening the town's ban on camping and making noise in public.And the list goes on: Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, Oklahoma City and more than 50 other cities have previously adopted some kind of anti-camping or anti-food-sharing laws, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.
The ordinances are pitting city officials against homeless advocates. City leaders say they want to improve the lives of homeless people and ensure public safety, while supporters of the homeless argue that such regulations criminalize homelessness and make it harder to live on the nation's streets.
Not only are these cities making it harder to be homeless, they’re making it a crime to be – and they’re doing the same thing to the private organizations and individuals who try to help them. These laws are attempting to sweet the homeless away, hidden from the public so that the American people don’t see them anymore.
Compassion fatigue? No – more like a federal scam. ‘Out of sight, out of mind.”
Last week Glenn announced Mercury One’s Restoring Love National Food Drive – this is why. Big government in many respects is the failure of man to be charitable, to be self-reliant, and to be responsible with their God-given rights. As Americans are waking up to this and changing course, government is using every weapon in their arsenal to fight back and keep power.
They won’t win – not in America.
At a time when there is increasing homelessness and hunger, why are city governments across the country making it increasingly difficult for you, your neighbors, churches and synagogues to feed the hungry? Why, when we have a record number of kids going hungry in America, are our politicians trying to restrict acts of charity?
Because we have something they don’t have – something that government can’t have; compassion – the ability to feed their heart and their hunger.
Mercury One launched their food drive with the goal of filling 11 food trucks to send to 11 cities. Within one hour of Glenn’s announcement that goal was met. Now Mercury One has expanded to many more cities with more trucks. As of last Friday enough food for over 1 million meals had been donated.
How’s that for “compassion fatigue”?
For more information on the Restoring Love Food Drive and how to donate click here.
