By D. Gene Murray Santa Monica
Three cheers for Randy Walburger’s eloquent letter (SMDP, March 24, page 4). He correctly outlines some of the major problems which affect our homeless population. I can only echo some of his concerns.
There are many hundreds of people in our area who go without safe shelter, adequate food and medical attention, or viable employment options. Surely the wealth-iest country on the planet has the resources to deal more effectively with this crisis.
It appears to me that there is indeed something fundamentally wrong with a society of people who can rationalize this neglect and poor management of our resources. The current trend of society is to treat this as if it were a criminal issue. More laws are created and vast amounts of money are spent for police, courts and correctional institutions. It is simply not economically feasible or morally correct to pursue this as our only option while we ignore the true roots of homelessness and continue on our path of providing inadequate services for those who are in need.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 28, 2005. Read the original PDF.