This article was originally published by Carey Wedler at the Foundation for Economic Education
Government has long been characterized as inept. It’s easy to forget that sometimes it can be downright cruel.
The latest example comes from Missouri, where the Kansas City Health Department is under fire after employees bleached food intended for the homeless because the people supplying it did not have the proper permit.
On Sunday, officials from the health department, accompanied by armed police officers, stopped volunteers with Free Hot Soup Kansas City from feeding the homeless at four locations, claiming the food had not been inspected.
“Officers and health inspectors demanded we destroy our food and we were violating health code violations by sharing meals with our friends,” said Nellie McCool, who has participated in efforts to feed the homeless for years.
The health department has defended its crackdown, claiming officials had previously informed the volunteer group that they needed to obtain a permit.
“They were notified back in a meeting in September that they needed to get a permit, and they just outright said they refused to do that,” said Dr. Rex Archer, Director Of Health for KCMO, according to KSHB, a local Kansas City outlet.
McCool denies this. “We never had any kind of government official ever come and speak with anybody at any of the public parks,” she said.
Contraband Charity
Regardless, according to the department’s write-up of the Sunday incident, officials destroyed the food, citing the lack of a permit, and insisted the action was taken to protect public safety.
“This operation claims to care about folks, but if you care about folks, you want to prepare food safely,” Archer said, confirming that using bleach to destroy contraband food is standard policy.
In a tweet elaborating on the agency’s position, officials claimed they blocked the volunteers because their gatherings are “open to the general public,” and the food is not stored at the “required temperature for food safety” when it is transported to serving locations throughout the city.
McCool claims that Free Hot Soup Kansas City should be exempt from the regulations, arguing that they are not an official organization and were simply sharing food with friends in a picnic-like manner.
“As far as I know, picnics are not regulated by the same laws as organizations and vendors, so by using our public parks to have a picnic with our friends, I don’t believe we were breaking any rules,” she told local outlet KCUR. Archer disputed her position. “If it’s a family picnic, it’s for the family, and it’s at one location. So it was pretty clear that this was an operation that was operating illegally,” he said.
McCool believes government officials disapprove of their efforts and have sought “to bully [them] into becoming an organization.”
Hurting Those Who Need Help Most
It seems counter to the basic tenets of liberty for a government entity to assert it can restrict others from engaging in acts of charity—or receiving it—because there may be a risk involved. Freedom involves risk, and when people are living on the streets, it seems reasonable to assume they might like the option to take their chances on food donated to them.
Though this incident has sparked heated debate in Kansas City, it is hardly unique. Local governments nationwide have been restricting well-meaning citizens from feeding the homeless for years.
In 2014, a 90-year-old veteran in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was cited and arrested multiple times for feeding the homeless without a permit in an ongoing ordeal that ultimately led a circuit court to temporarily halt the policy. Earlier this year in San Diego, California, a group of activists was arrested for the same offense. Following Hurricane Michael, a viral video circulated of health department officials in Panama City, Florida, apparently shutting down food donations because those distributing it, once again, did not obtain the proper permitting from the health department. (The Florida Department of Health in Bay County did not return FEE’s email seeking to confirm the video’s authenticity.)
In a positive development, the Supreme Court ruled in August that feeding the homeless is protected under the First Amendment after Fort Lauderdale activists sued over the city’s permit requirement.
At a broader level, however, similar nanny state measures have produced everything from regulations restricting what types of beverages can be listed on children’s restaurant menus to banning people from feeding pigeons. Violations of such rules come with hefty fines and even jail time.
Restrictions against feeding the homeless, and in multiple cases outright destroying what is likely perfectly safe food, seem particularly misguided and harmful, as do measures preventing Good Samaritans from providing them with shelter.
As is so often the case with intrusive government policy, those most in need end up the victims. “[G]rown men and women [were] crying as they watched good, hot food made with so much love be destroyed right in front of them,” one of Free Hot Soup’s administrators said of the incident.
***
Carey Wedler is a video blogger and Senior Editor for Anti-Media.
Happy Veteran’s Day, Boomers.
Pigs and military haven’t done a goddamned thing to protect white civilization from the brown hordes.
The Oathkeepers even threatened the Alt Right “racists” with violence.
You really think we’ll have that constitution bullshit when America isn’t white anymore?
Think Stacy Abrams respects the 2nd Amendment? Think Andrew Gillum understands how the Federal Reserve works?
Think you will still have freedom of speech?
Boomer cretins. Enoch Powell said “We must be mad, literally barking mad to permit the importation of all these black welfare dependents. It’s like watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up it’s own funeral pyre.”
Black apes have been given how many first world cities by the white man? And what is the inevitable result?
Will you fight for the rights of 68 IQ African immigrants own guns, vote, and serve on juries?
I wipe my fucking ass with the Constitution and the Flag.
I piss on egalitarians.
I think suffragettes should have been hanged.
Police and Military are fucking white-hating cowards without the slightest comprehension of how this country was built and I look forward to facing them on the battlefield someday.
There is no way back from what you Boomer scum have inflicted on this country.
Rot in hell you worthless old scum sucking pigs.
Go sit next to the oversized, meaningless flag on your porch and choke on your hot dogs.
Someone needs to fuck you up.
“Someone needs to fuck you up.”
But there are a shortage of people willing to do that because of Ding Ding, “The Second Amendment”.
Eisenkreutz,
How about have beer and get laid.
Chill dude. Take a walk. Get a dog. Go to church and find a good quality woman. Get out of the house and off the internet. Go play basketball. Go work out at the gym. Get a motorcycle and go up the country with some other riders.
Buy some land, get a brush hog, do some mowing.
Put cows on the land, grab a 6 pack and set in the middle of the herd.
Get a horse, that will you always busy and too broke to get in trouble.
Get a convertible and take woman out of town for a overnight out of town. Women like convertibles and out of town trips.
Hell anything is better than allowing yourself to fall into anger filled dark places.
Get outside in sunshine under the sky. Go fishing.
I wish you well. life is a gift. Use it well. Our days are very short. Life really is not that bad.
Cut off the TV and Internet. You will feel better. Find some balance.
Again, wish you the best. You will be fine.
Eisen, STFU blaming boomers for this country’s problems. You sound like a broken CD.
Maybe you should step up and try…..
“Giving Food to the Homeless Shouldn’t Be a Crime”
No it shouldn’t but at the same time bad actors could start passing out poison to the homeless. We have seen numerous examples of homeless people being murdered and attacked …. just for being homeless.
Don’t think someone out there wouldn’t stoop so low as to drug or poison the hungry homeless. That’s why it MUST be regulated by formal groups and organizations so that there is a responsible party if something goes wrong.
Can you say “HALLOWEEN” ??? 🙂
Spit it out E !!! Don’t hold back !!! LMFAO 🙂
Eisenkluts. You should run for office and make some law changes. Get busy guy, “Not what your country can do for you,… But what can You do for your country.” Get busy.
Doctors Without Borders should all be arrested for treason.
The rescue ships should all be sank.
And the knife crime epidemic has nothing to do with gun laws you idiot boomers. What good is having a gun if you live in a high crime third world 68 IQ shithole?
In every country on Earth, regardless of the law, when you look at race, the crime rate is similar.
Christ what is wrong with you morons?
I wipe my ass with the 2nd Amendment. You ain’t gonna do shit with those guns. And I believe non whites cannot be trusted with weapons.
“The militia is gonna stop the out of control government”
Yeah fucking right. I’m holding my breath for the militia to come save us.
Fucking grow up.
Eisenkreutz
“The militia is gonna stop the out of control government”
As “out of control” the US government is the overall standard of living and level of personal freedom are pretty high compared to the world. Thats why people still want to come here. We’re just a tad cautious with anything approaching that and there are indicators of it being encroached upon. What an armed civilian population will do is make the likelihood of government genocide upon elements of the civilian population too costly to realistically contemplate: Deterrence by existence. Think of it as holocaust insurance.
h ttp://jpfo.org/pdf02/genocide-chart.pdf
Interesting my IP address or E mail can’t be identified with the above post yet its identified with the post under knife bans in the UK posted moments later. Spooky.
Kevin….you are wasting your breathe on that idiot. He is in his own world,its all he knows
His world is evil.
He is just pissed at the world and how it is. He points the finger at boomers because he doesn’t know history or reality. The blame rests on the shoulders of the people alive at the turn of the 20th century. But then, man is too stupid to be free, never has been and never will be….
Besides…. I think his diaper is full.
It’s just like all forms of government. They are pissed because they didn’t get their ‘cut’,i.e. permit fee. Same as making liquor for yourself, gotta have a license. Now you need a license to grow Marijuana. Step outta line the man come to take you away…..
Well they assume that licensed and permitted people don’t poison the food. Ever check the ingredients of food at MacDonald’s, and they got a permit to poison people. Lemon aid stands are not licensed either. WTF they putting in the lemon-aid?
Jim,
Ever had a bad day? Ever had a rough patch in life?
Ever had the rug pulled out from under you. While on your ass, then you get kicked in the balls by yet another life event? Then another event boot kicks you in head.
Ever go on leave, then return to duty, then get sent out, where you picked up body parts of your best friends collecting pieces of meat in garbage bags. Not sure of what part belongs to who. Meat that was once living breathing human beings. human being you cared for as brothers.
You never know what someone has gone through.
Never know what loss they have endured.
So you might have some compassion, understanding.
Not name calling like a fifth grader.
Don’t add jp8 and a lit match to someone that is obviously not doing well at the moment.
Maybe talk them off the ledge.
Otherwise when they jump they might fall on you.
But what do I know? All sunshine cotton candy and bublegum here. Life is good. Frosty. More beer in fridge.
I can see Kevins2 IP address. He is in Florida. I can see everybody’s IP addy. Like Dep Ren.. He’s back in N GA again since before the election. His satellite Radio reverse GPS’s his location.
Time for mommy to give Eisen his meds and tuck him in.
Does anyone give a shit they say this is illegal? I’m going to give food or money to anyone I like.
Menzo, if I want to give food to someone I’m doing it, period. I also don’t give a shit about any law concerning it.
Deplorable ReneTard lives in his sister’s trailer, one step away from being homeless. If you have food to donate, give it to him. He needs it.
This is a two sided coin,on the one side we have compassion for those that are down on their luck and human nature is that we want to help them out, but on the other side of the coin, the better you make it for the homeless the more that you encourage it. So do we feed them and become a California or do we discourage them and force them to seek a different life style. Trekker Out
I try whenever possible to err on the side of humanity.
I would rather it was a local, charitable effort. When .gov decides to get involved to “help”, that’s when things go wrong. At least when efforts are local, you stand a chance to weed out the freeloaders/lazy. And eventually if your efforts are just enabling people to make no effort to help themselves, local people will either stop helping or adapt to help only those that deserve it.
Government at work. Situation normal:
When are you boot lickers and stateist supporters going to wake up?
Government sole purpose is to rob-steal-lie-control YOU.
Governments purpose is to serve themselves. Enrich themselves.
Government are NEVER there to “help” you.
-I live in a city that spent 360 MILLION dollars for a bridge without a purpose. Just as an “attraction”.
-I live in a community that spent 70 MILLION dollars for high scholl football stadium. 70 Million for high school kids to toss a football around. Is this sane?
-This same community bulldozes and clears out homeless camps. Police here harass homeless people endlessly.
-Same community has streets worse than third world.
-School district refuses to build new schools. But they built themselves a new Admin building. Is this right?
-360 thousand dollars spent to remove a hundred year old statue of Robert E. Lee. Because ten people felt “oppressed” by a historical monument. Is this rational?
-All the while my taxes go up up up up. Being forced to sell my paid for home because of taxes.
Point to all this is that government is there to oppress and keep peasants in line for the rich. Police are to protect rich from YOU. YOU are the enemy. Do you understand that? YOU are the enemy to government. YOU are the enemy in the minds of Police.
We live in a country in CONTINUOS warfare. Read your history.
We live in a country that cuts up babies in their mothers womb and calls it a medical procedure and “choice”.
Abortion is legal. Government says cutting a baby up in it’s mother is legal.
Government hates:
-You. You are to be milked, sheered, slaughtered.
-They hate Your family. They hate the traditional family unit.
-Hate men. Especially strong men of faith and courage.
-Hate Christians
-In my area they hate white men. Most city workers here are black, mexican, and other foriegners. They are all very rude and unhelpful. Arrogant. (Just like the Police. Except the Police will murder you in cold blood.)
-Hate independent people. Hate rural people.
-Hate homeless because they have nothing left for government to steal.
-Hate a peasant like you being armed. They will have those guns. They will cut off your ammo supply. Peasants will not be allowed to defend themselves. Defense is only for the rich.
This is Amerikka in 2018. WTF up. This is reality. If you live in a better place. Where is that? I will move by next week. My area is terrible and getting worse each month. There are cop cars, cop towers, cameras in your face at EVERY store. Like a prison. At Walmart they actually lock up car headlight light bulbs in a locked case and have cameras watching that. It is insane. And this is during supposed “good” times. What will it be like when economy crashes?
Homeless are on most main street corners here now panhandeling. Lots of broken people. Many are Veterans. Many homeless have booze and dope problems. Drugs are out of control.
Make America Great my ass. We are in real trouble. Ship is taking on water and listing. Titanic comes to mind. How can people be so blind to what is before them?
Doubt this is posted. But story annoys because it is obvious to any thinking person about the charachter of the so called government. Any evil this government does is not suprising. Again, YOU are considered thier enemy. They are here to serve themselves. Face it and grow up.
Everyone seems oblivious to the obvious. All are stuck in their cell phones. Please Explain this? Why are people so addicted to video games, social media, cell phones?
anon,
“This is reality. If you live in a better place. Where is that? I will move by next week.”
Move away from the city and get out of your county if you can. I used to commute up to 36,000 miles a year in order to live in a rural area.
I knew people that did over 60,000 miles per year. I knew people that lived in RVs or boats during the work week and flew or drove to their ranch on weekends. I knew of one guy the flew to work daily (he was a union crane operator).
Get out!
Soon we will have nowhere to go but up……
Well gee stupid, why do you live there then? That shit isn’t a problem where I live. Whiney beech you are, grow up and move then! Put on yer big boy pants and start fresh somewhere else. I did it with a handful of shit and made it….
Here you go. It already just recently been ruled on! However, what Kansas City is trying to do is use safety violations against the food going around constitutional protections. Kansas City will lose in court as how can Kansas City prove by having a permit the food is still safe or not. It’s all about control and revenue by taxation.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicksibilla/2018/08/27/federal-court-first-amendment-protects-sharing-food-with-homeless-people/#7d3e30ee4884
Federal Court: First Amendment Protects Sharing Food With Homeless People
“The court’s opinion recognized sharing food with another human being is one of the oldest forms of human expression,” said Kirsten Anderson, litigation director at the Southern Legal Counsel and lead attorney on the case. “We think this decision strengthens our message to cities across the country that they need to invest in constructive solutions to homelessness instead of wasting government resources on punishing people who seek to offer aid.”
You kind of wonder if the health dept didn’t have better things to do. Dumping out food is criminal, but I did some Instrumentation contract work in a food factory once and I understand why bad batches of food must be destroyed.
For years I donated to the Union Gospel mission in Seattle. Basically people have to come to them for food, overnight shelter, and a sermon. But they have permits, insurance, and all the legal crap government makes you deal with. That more or less concentrates the homeless close to where services are available. Which is a good thing unless you live in the city or near where the services are.
If I see a person who truly looks like they just need some help I will help them. Those who look like they do it for a living I ignore. Genius helps those who help themselves….
I’m not surprised Satanic followers/worshippers have infested this Health Department and made it an on-earth department of HELL.
As Dr. Peck wrote, “Evil is that which destroys” and he said such destructiveness is in OPPOSITION to the life force, so by criminalizing that which EXTENDS and GIVES life, they show their true satanic colors!
Well, people of GOODNESS or of LIFE are not going to put UP with this shit because that is what it is.
One LAST thing.
After EXTENSIVE study and ANALYSIS, I have concluded that Eisenkreutz is a government agent or saboteur paid to derail both articles and posts and distract from cogent thought.
The proof?
Study each and every one of his posts.
So Eisenkreutz, is the pay that good for you to write what you do? Hasn’t the thrill you get that people believe you are a real person worn off yet?
Do you sleep well at night?
Do you really like your job? Is it really that fulfilling?
Why not get a job or a career where your TRUE God-given talents and abilities can be put to both good and fulfilling use? I encourage you to do so.
Until THEN, consider yourself unmasked!
– the Lone Ranger
“Feed the man dying of hunger because if you have not fed him, you have killed him.”
– Gracian
“To thine own self be true. Thou canst not be false to any man. Or woman.”
– Shakespeare
Consider this, our ancestors came here, not to live in crowded urban environments where it’s nearly impossible to own a home, but to move to the frontier so they COULD own a home and inexpensively by their labor and sweat.
Urbanization is the great evil and it’s due to observations that Malthus figured out.
Put a bunch of healthy free ranging chickens in an overcrowded shelter and you will see cannibalism, disease, infanticide, etc.
Urbanization is NOT normal. It was created by crazed leaders who wanted to be more than chieftain. They stole craftsman, soldiers, amd taxes from the rural regions to make the urban…wealthy. But ultimately it led to crime, fire, disease, and every kind of corruption.
Ever wonder why the homeless congregate in urban centers? Aha…this is where the odessey of the mind begins. Why are the homeless there and what do they intend to gain? There’s your answers.
There are plenty of Churches and designated places called food banks that hand out free food. If you are inclined to help, donate through a Church or food bank, volunteer.
_
The best way to end homelessness is to make damned sure that you don’t become one of them yourself: one less.
1. Don’t jump into bed with anyone but someone you’ld marry. Have high standards. Then when you do marry, stay married. Divorce is a terrible thing when there are children involved. And divorce is the main factor leading to the poverty of both the woman and the man as well as their children.
2. Don’t take out loans to buy cars, furniture, or an education. Avoid a mortgage. It is better to buy used cars from an individual seller, not a new car with future payments. Even a mortgage is taking a chance. But if you do, get an old shack in a decent area. Get enough land for a garden.
3. Grow your own food, as much as possible. Avoid eating out.
Prepare for the lean times.
4. When you’re doing well financially, pay down any loans/pay off the mortgage. Then use your excess money for home repairs and if really doing well, remodel and expand the house.
5. Buy rentals. Having rental property can give you a source of income. If you can not work for money, you need to make money work for you.
6. Learn a trade and start a part-time business in addition to your full time job or career.
7. Do not blow your money trying to keep up a front of phony success. Live frugally and become genuinely successful.
8. Help people by offering them work not charity. That includes family and friends. Who better to employ than your own children. There are no free rides. Everybody helps out.
_
I’m sure the hungry and homeless don’t give a damn if you have a permit or not. Some more asinine shit from the “wanna be” controllers of the world.
When are we going to fight back????
Soon. It’s coming from the democratic socialist/ communist left. You will recognize it when it arrives.
When its too late and death or jail will be no worse than the current situation youre in.
Listen to Jesus’ wise words. Emulate the humility of Christ.
4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him , (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
John 21:4-17
I have asked myself difficult questions about what rich people do with their money, have made deliveries, donations, and performed security, under the table.
The choices given to an indigent person — if he is discovered — are prison, halfway house (not allowed to leave without permission), or housing projects.
It usually involves some easy labor (within the scope of a sleepy, trained monkey) but with hard, psychological abuse.
I think, it is feckless, to associate with some political party, without first acknowledging that slavery exists, as the base of that social pyramid.
The situation requires you to say what is your part, in slavery.
Maybe, this means the safest space you can provide is to be the abstentionist master, who talks softly but carries a big stick. Maybe, you would fraternize with the help.
But, willfully homeless people are usually in the same philosophical position as a runaway slave, if you should choose to harbor that person.
The state can pay you to be yard duty teacher, on the playground, with all the right paper work. You can be the formal babysitter of mental children.
Or, you charitable dissidents are still going to be doing the same things, rationing food, wiping runny noses, for free, illegally, for the underground railroad.
Either way, you would still be that ‘white savior’, trying to provide faster than they can consume and keeping them from hurting themselves.
As if the half rotten food the homeless dig out of the dumpsters is safer for them than freshly prepared soup.
Great comment Ronna.
Time to trap that big raccoon that’s been into mischief around my place. 3-2-1 Recipe: Smoke it open on the grill for about 3 hours @150 degs, then wrap it in tinfoil for 2 more hours baking still at 150 degs, then debone it, chop it up fine, add BBQ sauce and open smoke it for 1 more in a pan, all at 150 Degrees. Serve on a large crispy roll bun for a nice sandwich. Add a pickle for a side. Smoke with Charcoal, Jack/oak and Hickory.
As rich is the US in, there is no EXCUSE for anyone to go hungry.
We apparently do not just produce, but throw away, enough food to feed the world. Ask anyone who has worked in a grocery store or restaurant.
Hunger is either a matter of incompetence or design, but not a matter of shortage.
The USA is not rich–we owe more than we have–the USA is bankrupt.
What comes around goes around.
BUT they don’t mind giving the homeless free vaccines or free flu shots full of poison.
some unjust arrests should be stopped by the bystanders