Making a Difference, Maybe

The Austin American Statesman is considering my letter to the Ed.  about the panhandling study UT did for the city of Austin.  I gave them permission to print my email- the resulting correspondence should provide good copy for this blog, which I failed to mention.  They ask that the letters be limited to 150 words, and, just so you know I can edit myself, this is it:

In your short article about the UT study of panhandlers, I noticed that there were a few things missing from the list of “barriers” to employment.  In the original press release from UT, the researchers mention that police records and outstanding warrants are the reason that some panhandlers don’t seek identification.  Also, there is no mention anywhere of alcoholism or drug use as being a problem among the “solicitors,” as the study prefers to call them. Is “health and mental health problems” a  politically correct code?  It seems that the city council could have saved some money by simply heeding the sign of an Oak Hill panhandler, “Why lie?  I need whiskey and smokes!”

They might also ask why New York has its panhandler situation under control, and Austin, Denver, San Francisco, among others, are in the midst of an invasion of “spangers.”

Let's hope this makes it to the big time.