"the plan does have a hefty price tag: The resource center will cost $2.8 million to $4.2 million, with an estimated $600,000 in annual operating costs."What brought about the belly buster for me?
Well, consider that we currently spend some $12 billion each month fighting a ridiculous war in a country that had nothing to do with the reason we went there in the first place, nor did it even have what our illustrious "leaders" tried to convince us they did have when they finally settled on a reason to convince us why they did attack.
So I did me some more "cipherin."
As I cranked up the cobwebby part of my coconut that handles the horrid "math" processor, I do believe that I discovered that when one divides $12 billion by a month's worth of days (I was generous, too - I used a "long" month with 31 days in it), one arrives at the astronomical amount of $387,096,774.19
a day.
Now can someone tell me how it is that we can spend what I strongly suspect is $387 million dollars each day fighting a war we shouldn't have started in the first place, yet we cannot afford to pay the measly, paltry, drop in the bucket sum of $4.2 million to take care of our own, who by the way, are suffering just as badly - and quite probably much worse - than about 99 percent of those who had to "endure" living under Saddam Hussein's rule.
That is one serious case of misplaced priorities, imho....
I laughed so hard I coulda fallen outta my chair and broke my neck so it's a good thing I began crying instead because I could have been seriously hurt, which would have caused me to lose my job, which would then have caused me to rely on my country to help me....
Food for thought: Isn't it odd that while I literally have to beg for help to care for my fellow citizen, if instead I wanted to go kill someone across the globe, my country would rush to assist me (but only to send me. I'll be back on my own when I return)?
EDITORIAL: Homeless Plan Will Take Commitment
Posted on: Wednesday, 12 March 2008, 03:00 CDT
By The Wichita Eagle, Kan.
Mar. 12-- A community task force deserves kudos for crafting a breakthrough plan to combat the scourge of homelessness. Now it's up to the Sedgwick County Commission and Wichita City Council to adequately fund it.
The Taskforce to End Chronic Homelessness will present its final draft report today to the County Commission, which should endorse the plan. After months of study and input, the group identified two proven strategies for ending chronic homelessness: a new resource center to give individuals one-stop support services, and a "housing first" program to connect the homeless with what they need most -- a home.
As the task force pointed out, helping people break the cycle of homelessness isn't just the right thing to do morally -- it's also smart economically, considering the huge costs that the chronically homeless impose on public institutions, from police and hospitals to social services, year after year.
But the plan does have a hefty price tag: The resource center will cost $2.8 million to $4.2 million, with an estimated $600,000 in annual operating costs (the lead agency, United Methodist Open Door, is expected to pay half of that, about $300,000).
The other piece, permanent housing, depends on existing housing and rental units and requires no capital funds. But annual operational costs could be $471,000, according to the report.
The report doesn't identify exactly who will pay for what.
Task force member Janet Miller told The Eagle editorial board that the group expects nonprofit agencies and the faith community to take the lead on capital costs through a traditional fundraising campaign. However, she's concerned about the operating costs, which are less tangible but no less crucial.
"It's hard to get people to donate money for lights, utilities, toilet paper, etc.," Miller said.
But that ongoing funding -- estimated at $993,400 a year -- will determine whether the new homeless plan is sustainable and effective.
To their credit, city and county leaders have expressed initial support for contributing funds to the homeless plan. Given how the City Council didn't have much problem finding $4 million to build a cowboy theater at Old Cowtown Museum, or $6 million to help build an animal shelter, it and the County Commission should be able to locate money to keep the homeless program up and running.
The report suggests that United Way of the Plains, local foundations and businesses could help raise operating funds, too. This is a community project that will require broad-based community support.
As the report recommends, local leaders also should create an oversight committee to replace the task force. Among other duties, the group could coordinate fundraising and provide accountability to the public, much as a school bond issue committee would do.
The task force has done its job. A plan is in hand. Now city and county leaders must step up and do their part.
