LUST & RUM

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office has announced that housing support payments to the New York City families left homeless by Superstorm Sandy are to be stopped. It seems compassion and decency has its limits within the halls of absolute power and these victims are a disposable commodity. Like most political cowards, city officials waited until the nation’s gaze has moved on to other things and then lash out from the shadows. Superstorm Sandy’s victims’ desperate situation will now miraculously disappear from the ‘things to do’ list at City Hall and will make Bloomberg’s record look a little neater when he is finally dragged from his office kicking, grimacing and posturing at the end of this year. The removal of financial aid for temporary accommodation will leave thousands of New Yorkers with nowhere to go, hundreds of families will be cast onto the streets and left to fend for themselves through no fault of their own.  Disgraceful? Callous? Shameful? Yet another example of the rungs at the bottom of the ladder being sawn through? Yes, yes, yes and yes. But hey, on the brighter side, the NY job figures in the private sector have reached an all time high. Well done Mike!

With over 50.000 people already living in shelters or on the streets here you tend to think that there isn’t room for even more of the desolate and the broken. But this is New York, the greatest city in the world, there is always room, come on in, make yourselves at home and repeat after me: “can you spare any change?”