The governor of Texas gave the city of Austin an ultimatum about their policies of “lawlessness,” and gave them a deadline to fix it.
Austin's policy of lawlessness has allowed vicious acts like this.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 26, 2019
Austin's inability to restore order will compel the State to act beginning November 1st if action is not taken to ensure public safety.#txlege https://t.co/IBf5WwskTR
Wow. Austin is known for being a much more liberal city than the rest of Texas, and maybe that’s why they’re seeing more of the homeless crisis than other cities. Whatever the reason, I’m glad Abbott is willing to take on the problem.
I don’t want to pretend the solution is simple. I don’t think it is. I think there are a lot of causes for the crisis, and that means there’s probably not one simple solution. But there has to be two principles at work here – for those who really need help, who are homeless through no fault of their own, we need to get them some help. BUT, for those who are just choosing to be on the streets, who simply don’t want to work, they need to be shoved off the streets and away from children and businesses so that they rest of us can get on with life.
The real problem is trying to decipher between the two. The charitable causes that toss out aid to anyone just make the problem worse. In order to regain control of the problem, there needs to be a disciplined approach, or you just exacerbate the crisis.
So now it’s either up to Austin to do it, or the governor will.