A recent study revealed that mother dogs who showed “tough love” toward their offspring raised more independent, self-sufficient pups. There’s a lesson for humans here.
The homeless are neither canines, nor our children, but they’re under our care. And the indulgent way we’ve been treating them hasn’t encouraged their desire to be independent and build a life off the streets.
I visit Waikiki on a daily basis, and have many friends among the homeless. I’ve yet to meet a single person who wants to enter a shelter.
Why should they?
Life near the world-famous beach is great! In addition to their $300-month food allowance, they can count on a generous meal daily from churches, plus free pizza on Tuesday afternoons.
On top of this, the homeless receive free health care. Consider:
I recently noticed that the big toes of a homeless friend of mine (“Bob”) were bandaged. What happened?
“I got sores on my toes.”
“Were you treated at the Waikiki Health?” (A few blocks away).
“No,” he said. “Queen’s Hospital!”
“How’d you get there?”
“I called 911 for an ambulance and went straight to Emergency.”
Waikiki residents tell me there’s a never-ending parade of emergency vehicles that cater to the health problems of the homeless. Fire trucks are the first responders. Then ambulances.
What would happen if I were to call 911 and demand an ambulance for sore toes? Or for a cut on my finger? Laughter? And the cost? $1,000 or more?
But Queen’s treated Bob right. Staff bathed his feet, applied dressing, bandaged him up, and sent him back to Waikiki (by taxi, no less), courtesy of the hospital.
How’d he pay for this wonderful service?
“I’ve got HMSA QUEST,” he told me, which is free for the homeless — and very expensive for the hapless Hawaii taxpayer. Most likely, he could have fixed his problem at an ABC for a few bucks.
So, Bob tied up a squadron of medical professionals for over an hour. What if a real emergency had occurred while he was happily riding to the hospital? Like, someone having a heart attack?
Another example:
A friend — Fran, a 78-year-old, retired teacher — has serious mobility issues. She uses a walker and travels to Waikiki by bus. Returning home, she likes to rest on a bench near her busy bus stop. But a homeless lady was taking up the entire bench with her stuff. When Fran kindly asked her to move her things, the woman screamed:
“I have spatial anxiety!”
She angrily refused, and then unexpectedly punched Fran on the arm!
It was her bench! She “owned” it, and nobody was going to move her!
Along the shoreline, homeless campers occupy the grass and the arbors. They’re there, night and day, often drinking, with their suitcases, inflatable mattresses, blankets and garbage, as if they possess a deed to the property. They deprive beachgoers, especially parents with kids, of shady areas away from the burning sun.
And our visitors? Waikiki is not the“paradise” they thought. They are appalled by the squalor.
The homeless are our “children” — selfish and spoiled — and by foolishly enabling them to live on the streets, with free food, medical care and a “home” in public places, we’re doing a terrible job of parenting.
The H4 project, which will provide health services in Iwilei, is a giant step in the right direction. But we need to do much more than that. Until we start treating the homeless less like infants and more like adults, they’ll never grow up to be responsible.
Time for a little “tough love.” Mother dogs know best.
