| Seeking answers for homeless
You've probably seen them shuffling along the edges of Sundance Square or maybe the West End area of Dallas. Their clothes are frequently dirty, their hair tousled and their hands clutching a bag or bedroll. If you take a moment to look at their faces, you often see a hard picture of resignation, sadness or defiance. The homeless population in North Texas is growing, and currently Fort Worth and Dallas do not offer them many options for shelter or food. A recent article in the Dallas Morning News said the city of Dallas indicated there were more than 3,000 homeless people in Dallas alone, up more than 1,300 from two years earlier. In August, the Arlington Star-Telegram profiled the growing problem of homeless persons viewing the Arlington Night Shelter as a permanent, rather than transitional, home. In Fort Worth, the presence of homeless people is obvious to anyone visiting central downtown and the Sundance Square area, particularly at night. If you peer into alleys and doorways you can often catch glimpses of sleeping bags and backpacks, piled up to act as a makeshift barrier. Most of the homeless population is not composed of people who are simply unwilling to work or provide for themselves. Their problems, mental or physical, often run more deeply than that, rendering them unable to work and rise up out of their situation. Now they are facing an even greater hardship. As the trend toward "urban renewal" grows, more citizens are moving back to the downtown areas. In Dallas, for example, renovation projects are converting formerly vacant office buildings and warehouses into downtown condominiums, lofts and apartments. This is a great boon for the cities, which have longed for this kind of rebirth to take place and bring people back from the suburbs. With that influx of more middle-class residents to these urban areas, the homeless are finally being noticed - and disliked. In addition to the higher numbers of homeless people, the Morning News reports a higher number of calls to police about them - everything from criminal mischief and burglary to public urination. Dallas police have responded with "zero-tolerance enforcement," which some critics call harassment. The Rev. Karen Dudley, founder of the Dallas International Street Church, told the Morning News she has seen it happen. "(The police) are just bent, for whatever reason, on harassing these people," Dudley said. "How does the city expect these people to get up and get out of here when they suffer constant harassment and degradation?" What needs to happen now is a more pro-active plan to deal with this growing problem. Rather than just purchasing more food for the soup kitchens, or buying more blankets for the night shelters, city officials need to set up a simple program to get homeless people out of the downtown area by providing them with the tools necessary to get off the streets. If behavioral problems are the reason some homeless people cannot hold a job, those problems need to be addressed. In this great gestalt called the workforce, the training can be provided, but workers must have the ability to behave appropriately. Why can't Dallas and Fort Worth come up with volunteer-taught behavior modification programs to simply show people how they need to act to hold a job? Local industries can provide the basic training needed for these people to fit into different work situations, but the cities need to be the catalyst that begins the process. Instead of merely trying to hide or remove the problem, leaders need to deal with it in a way that will reduce the number of homeless people wandering our streets and help those persons re-enter society in a productive manner.
Alan Melson is a senior broadcast journalism major from Richardson, Texas. He can be reached at (atmamelson@delta.is.tcu.edu).
Ventura: Don't let door hit you on your way out I'm a member of the Reform Party. As is typical of many other Reformers I've met, I'm also the same type of person who Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has flippantly dismissed as weak-minded because of my practice of faith. I want my denunciation of this man to be clear, and if you want to take a swing at the national embarrassment known as Jesse Ventura, get in line behind me. The Reform Party is the culmination of years of hard work by dedicated people who have spent thousands of their own dollars and countless hours in a volunteer effort to build the organization into viability. But imagine my dismay at the prospect of having to come to class right on the heels of the publication of Ventura's Playboy interview. The term "profoundly embarrassed" just doesn't seem adequate to cover my feelings. I was linked to bigoted and repulsive statements by association whether I liked it or not. How could I hope to express an apology for this man's actions? The events were beyond my control and ironically come from Ventura's God-given right of free expression as it is affirmed in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. I wasn't responsible. Russ Verney and the National Executive Committee of Reform Party USA had already called for his resignation from the Reform Party. Then came understanding. Ventura knew exactly what he was doing and has come full circle. Jesse "the plain spoken no-nonsense everyman's candidate with the colorful past" Ventura is now Jesse "the calculating and venal professional politician" Ventura. By being subtly offensive to as many people as possible, especially those who hold traditional moral values in high regard, he hopes to blunt the advance of those who would shove him from the limelight and limit his ability to promote himself. It would also put an end to all that media-driven schlock about his having taken "control" of the Reform Party. Think about it. The man has spent an entire career in the most lowbrow version of show business that has ever existed, but the excuse that old habits sometimes die hard is unacceptable. Ronald Reagan and Sen. Fred Thompson were both actors and have acquitted themselves very well in public life. That is more like what we had in mind. When Ventura, the candidate, presented himself to the RPUSA National Convention in Atlanta, that is who we thought we were getting. Now the only question in my mind is which is worse: The impression that Ventura actually holds repugnant views or is too arrogant and stupid to use discretion in expressing them or that these views are self-designed weapon of political expediency? To me, it no longer matters. The net effect is the same. The actions called for are limited and not customary in American politics, but they are necessary and will be pursued Reform style. Ventura will walk the plank. It isn't that we can't afford to lose our highest-elected affiliate; we can't afford to keep him. We in the Reform Party have expectations of our office holders, and we either believe and stand by our founding principles or we don't. By a short extension of logic, his words and actions have constituted an ethical breach that is specifically forbidden in the written document that embodies our founding principles. Ventura can say whatever he wants and can cultivate his over-sized ego to his heart's content. But the Reform Party is under no obligation to put up with it. You're fired, Jesse. Don't let the screen door hit you on your way out.
Charles Foster is a part-time student from Abilene. He is the secretary of the Tarrant County Reform Party of Texas and can be reached at (crfzap88@flash.net). Mastering responsible drinking takes maturity, planning It was 2:13 a.m. Saturday, and the flashing lights and crumpled blue fiberglass seemed out of place on that usually dark stretch of road. Who's little girl was lying dead in that cold ditch just a couple of miles from my home? Was she driving, or was it the one who's crying over there? "This road's too dangerous to be drinking and driving," said the officer walking beside me. He was irritated because he had the flu. This accident was no news to him. He's seen it before, and he'll see it again. The reason for the hushed tones and the tears was something I understood. Yet, there were so many questions racing through my mind. What was she thinking about as she dressed for the evening in her cutest little outfit and platforms? Did she wait in line 20 minutes just to get inside her favorite bar? Was she the karaoke star, or was the evening a drag for her? Who's going to tell her parents their little princess is gone? I'll never know the answer to these questions. What I do know, however, is how accidents like this can happen so easily. I've been there more times than I'd like to admit. Like those of you who choose to drink and drive, I should have known better. I should have known that driving home with one eye shut to curb the double vision was no more intelligent than playing Russian roulette. I still told myself I was a superior driver, and everything would be OK if I just modified my habits a little. Fortunately, I'm still alive at 28 to tell you how wrong I was. For me, it took age to finally realize just how lucky I've been. We are bombarded in society by the same old slogan, "Don't Drink and Drive." The trick, however, is having the maturity to fully comprehend the magnitude of those four little words. One must not only believe in this phrase but also make it an absolute way of life. I understand better than anyone that heeding the warning is much easier said than done. One of the greatest mistakes you can make is setting a limit for yourself so that you can drive later. This plan sounds good, but in reality, it usually fails. How many times have you planned to drink a certain amount and ended up drinking twice that much? There's always that wild party buddy or that certain someone you're crazy about who shows up. Everyone's having a blast, the music is raging, he or she buys a round of shots, and you don't say no. By 2 a.m., how many more drinks have you had than you intended? Now, there's a car in the parking lot and a lot of people around you in worse shape than yourself. But of course, you know you're OK to drive because a Captain Morgan tells you so. After all, you've done it before and nothing happened. So off you go on a drive that might very well be your last. The one and only way to master responsible drinking is to do it sober. A plan has to be made BEFORE you take that first sip. Otherwise, the cause is lost. Think about it while you're in the shower or putting on your make-up. Know before you shut the door behind you that your driver will be sober. Likewise, take with you a number for a friend or relative who would gladly drive you home in case of the unexpected situations alcohol tends to cause. Don't ever lie to yourself by saying you have no choice but to drive. There's ALWAYS an alternative if you're smart enough to find it. Further, think of others who lack the maturity to care. Realize that you have the power to save their life and plan for them, too. Understand that driving while intoxicated can and will take a life, given the slightest chance. Never leave home without your plan unless you don't care whether or not you return. Understand that I speak to you from the bar stool and not the pulpit. I've been where you are now and have the scars to prove it. Saturday, as I stood just feet away from her lifeless body, I knew it should have been me a hundred times. My only wish now is that I could stop it from being you. For those of you who know right now you will drink and drive again, I have but one suggestion left. Sit down and write a note today to place in your glove compartment. Explain to your parents and loved ones how you only meant to have one or two. Try and make them understand why it was necessary for you to drink and drive. Tell your mother you love her and not to cry. Let her know that it was an accident and why you felt it could never happen to you. Explain why you ignored the warnings and why the child they loved is now nothing more than a statistic. Finish your note before you hit the bars tonight and pray that no one has to read it tomorrow.
Lisa Perdue is a senior political science major from Aledo, Texas. She can be reached at (LisaTCU@-aol.com). Untitled It's finally here. But what do we call it? Recent advertisements in the Skiff introduced a contest to name the new Pizza Hut area in the Student Center. One lucky winner who suggests the winning name will get $850 added to his or her meal card ... just enough to cover the cost of a smoothie and a fresh-baked pretzel. Winners will be chosen by the Student Government Association Dining Services Committee and Administration. The Skiff always encourages student involvement in campus activities. So in our attempt to be fair and just, we've come up with a few nominations of our own. Here they are, in no particular order: 1. "The New Pizza Hut Area in the Student Center" - catchy, but a tad vague. Also, there's no cheesy link to make it specifically TCU (ahem, Frog Prints, Froggie Five-0, etc.). 2. "Untitled" - this overused, under appreciated name for a place for which words cannot express our love. 3. "That Place Everyone Ends Up Going After They See What The Main Is Offering" - we like this one, but we also think it might be too long to fit on the sign. 4. "Candyland" - 'nuf said. 5. "Pizza Plus" - perhaps our only half-serious contribution. Don't try to steal it. We challenge all students to come up with better suggestions than these. Put your nominations in the boxes by the cashiers at The Main by Friday, Oct. 15. Just don't be too disappointed next month when you walk into The New Pizza Hut Area In The Student Center and find us buying a smoothie and a pretzel with our $850. Now all we need to do is convince Pizza Hut to deliver on campus. Or at least to the Moudy Building. |
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