Squeegie Ban

The city has made it illegal to squeegie cars for money. The people who do this obviously need the cash. I don't use their service and I don't like feeling forced or obligated to. That said, I think this is a generally harmless thing to do and shouldn't be banned by the government. This is micromanagement of society.

People say, "why don't they get a real job?", but I can think of many jobs which, to some, must seem worse than being self-employed on the street.

People say, "they're just trying to scam money for booze and drugs". I don't care if someone is panning to pay rent, buy food, a can of Faxe, crack, whatever. If you're skeptical about the motives of someone panning, just don't give them money.

I think the crux of this is that the gap between rich and poor has grown to the point where poverty is way more in-your-face than it once was. I think a lot of people find that unsettling (good!), but instead of calling for solutions to help marginalized people, they would rather just have the poor removed from their sight. Like that old anti-littering ad on Maine TV:

Man and young son are out fishing in a little boat. Man has thick New England accent.

Boy (piece of trash in hand): Dad, where's the garbage can?

Man: No gahbage can on a boat, boy. Throw it ovahboahd, the current'll take it away.

Boy: But Dad, where does it go?

Man: .....away.

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Needed some levity to offset the political talk.