Are we really going to outlaw street-corner begging in Spokane and pretend it’s about safety? Or are the politicians who represent the homeless, the downtrodden, the drunk and disorderly, the mentally ill, the desperate, the unsavory – are the politicians who represent that population going to stick up for their right to simply stand in a public place in a free country and ask the rest of us for money? Never mind. As the City Council takes up a new ordinance meant to drive the riff-raff out of sight, an uncomfortable truth has popped up: If the riff-raff can’t panhandle from drivers, then neither can charitable organizations. This means, for example, that the Guilds’ School, a nonprofit organization that helps children with disabilities from birth to age 3, is threatened with losing its annual Penny Drive. The annual firefighters’ “Fill the Boot” campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association would be banned/Shawn Vestal, SR. More here.

Question: I couldn't disagree more with SR colleague Shawn Vestal on this one. I'm glad that law enforcement agencies in Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and Hayden aggressively crack down on panhandling. This resort area would be overrun with panhandlers otherwise a la Portland, Ore. What do you think?