www.WrensJournal.blogspot.com

On this date in: 1759 - George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis who’s wealth and management ability enabled him to play a key role in the founding of the United States. 1914 - Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage of $5 for a day's labor. Henry Ford wanted his employees to be able to buy one of his cars and to have time to enjoy it with their family. 1943 – Death of George Washington Carver, American educator (b. 1860) who encouraged independence through individual initiative and hard work. He would have hated the idea of a Neighborhood Czar.

The Mayor wants neighborhood organizations, churches, and other volunteer groups to come up with plans for getting sidewalks shoveled by the poor and disabled who can’t do it themselves, can’t afford to hire help, and who won’t ask neighbors and family for help. Can you smell a Snow Tax or a Neighborhood Tax in the air?
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/05/city-looking-at-volunteers-to-help-with-snow/
Here’s my tongue-in-cheek comment to the article about this in today’s paper:

I ask my Libertarian friends who want almost no government, what about snow removal? Aren't we better off centralizing it, turning it over to the government and allowing them to tax us? And if we expect the government to clear the roads, why not the sidewalks and private parking lots?

We need to recognize the fact that volunteer neighborhood organizations, churches, and neighbors have disappeared, that the disabled and elderly would rather not have to develop good relationships with their neighbors and family, and that functions that were once done by volunteers now need to be done by government employees.

To get the poor and disabled in Denver to show up for their Feb 5 precinct caucus, why don't we promote this as a resolution in Denver: "Denver government should hire people in each neighborhood to develop and execute a Neighborhood Snow Removal Plan that includes sidewalks. The people hired should be called Neighborhood Czars, and their budgets should be made part of the annual city budgeting process."

This could be an effective way to get people thinking in a more cooperative way about using the government to provide a higher level of care for all citizens, to enable the poor and disabled to not only get shelter when they are "homeless" but to also stay in homes which they can no longer care for, to be independent, and to not have the burden good relations with family and friends and asking for help.

The Neighborhood Czar program would provide a good foundation for the replacement of neighbors and family with dependable government help, and it could be expanded eventually to include house painting and maintenance, lawn care, gardening, shopping and other help that will provide the help the disabled and elderly need to enjoy their golden years, while living independent and free of meddling family and neighbors.

I suggest we call the program "Shelter: First, Last, and Always."