<p>I’m appalled that he is an elected state representative in our state. Have met him and was never impressed with his intellect or tactics. This has made our state into a laughingstock! It’s clearly a case of attacking victims and presenting the worst role model possible. Maybe he and GZimmerman are drinking the same Kool-Aid?</p>
<p>As an elected rep, he’s supposed to be setting a GOOD example and using the system that HE is a part of to come up with GOOD solutions. Striking out physically is one of the worst possible things he could model. <sigh></sigh></p>
<p>While the initial reaction to the article is sympathy for the homeless, the subject shopping carts are stolen and create a blight and hazard by blocking sidewalks and thoroughfares. </p>
<p>Some cities have ordinances requiring businesses that use shopping carts to affix them with permanent identifying information, and the businesses are fined when the carts are found abandoned or off-premises.</p>
<p>I agree that shopping carts are a problem, but don’t see that using a sledgehammer to destroy them is a admirable solution. Our leaders, legislature and other orgs need to work together toward solutions not just violence and property damage. Various measures are taken by businesses to reduce shopping cart theft, but it IS a big problem and part of a bigger problem. </p>
<p>Some stores have started GREATLY reducing the capacity of the shopping carts, making them much less attractive as a means to transport possessions.</p>
<p>None of this attacking shopping carts or fining owners for thefts really is addressing the mental health, medical, nutritional and shelter needs of many of the homeless.</p>
<p>I saw something that stated Hawaii doesn’t want a lot of homeless on their public dole so they offer to fly them anywhere in the US that they want to go. It saves your state about $40,000 per person to get rid of them.</p>
<p>Actually, my understanding is that many people are given one way plane tickets from their state to come to HI because other states don’t want these people on THEIR dole. It’s all in what you hear and where. Seeing how many people are homeless in our state with NO relatives or friends, I’m inclined to believe that they are given plane tickets from their states and dumped here. It does save the “dumping state” money when they push their problems to another state. Exact $$ figures I’m not sure about and don’t see any source from you.</p>
<p>A legislator offered to buy homeless people whose loved ones wanted them to return to them plane tickets to be reunited with their loved ones instead of remaining homeless in our state. I am not familiar with the details of the program. </p>
<p>Indeed, our state is not doing as much to address aging or homelessness as I think ought to be done, but I still don’t think that violence and property destruction is any part of a good solution.</p>
<p>There’s few things more despicable than kicking someone when they’re already down. </p>
<p>I’m wondering if this legislator was a bully as a kid considering the relish he took in using that sledgehammer. More importantly, isn’t damaging the property of others…whether those belonging to the homeless or third parties illegal in itself?!!</p>
<p>Unfortunately, NYC has its own issues with the treatment of our homeless population judging by what I’ve read in the news and heard from friends who work with the homeless there.</p>
<p>Doesn’t this guy have something more productive to do than this? (And yes, we all know he’s just doing it for publicity)</p>
<p>The shopping cart doesn’t cause the homelessness so his focus seems to be misaligned unless he thinks it’s the unsightly shopping carts themselves that are the issue as opposed to the homeless.</p>
<p>It seems to me that he may be breaking the law by destroying the property of the stores. Has anyone raised this point?</p>
<p>^^That’s what I though. Some store should go after this loser. </p>
<p>I saw how it was done in Sweden - to get a shopping cart out of the “cart corral” one needs to insert a coin into a little device attached to the cart’s handle. Because the coin is visible to the shopper all the time while he shops and because the entire deposit, not just $.25 out of $2.00, is refunded (the coin just pops out of the slot) when the cart is returned to one of the “corral”, frugality takes over. Rain or shine, I have not seen a single loose cart in the parking lot of that supermarket. :)</p>
<p>Solving cart thert is relatively easy… Homelessness problems are much, much harder to solve!</p>
<p>If there are identifying marks on the cart, then perhaps. But if there is a law/ordinance in place that declares them abandoned once off the business’s property, then the local police or code officers probably have the authority to pick them up and destroy them anyway.</p>
<p>I’m surprised Florida legislators haven’t tried yet to charge the homeless using borrowed grocery carts to haul their belongings: ‘grocery cart user license fees’.</p>
<p>Oh, that explains why we have so many in Portland, Maine! The city is known for its lenient policies, so we have many homeless, much more than you would expect for a town with only 64,000 inhabitants.</p>
<p>Hawaii gets most of its homeless from ‘The Price is Right’ TV show. Contestants from the TV game show win trips to Hawaii, get on the island, and then they don’t have money to return to mainland after getting to Hawaii.</p>
<p>I think if I was to decide to be homeless I might pick Hawaii as the place to be homeless - it never gets cold, has tourists to panhandle from and con, has beaches to hang out on, complete with showers and restrooms to use for free, and is a generally nice place to be. </p>
<p>I can’t imagine picking Maine as a place to be homeless. Those people just aren’t thinking very clearly.</p>
<p>One of our stores has that too. Then people stole all the carts from the nearby Petco which happens to be just where the Vons carts freeze up. I found out about it when I stopped in to buy my 40 pound bag of cat litter (they had no carts at all). What a pain. The lady at Petco was NOT happy. There does not seem to be a happy solution.</p>
<p>This guy is a little odd, but I don’t see the big deal. Homeless shouldn’t be taking shopping carts and if someone else takes them away or destroys them tough luck. It seems like the grocery stores may have a complaint against the guy, but not the thieves who stole the carts in the first place.</p>