Golden Gate Libertarian

An Open Letter to St. Anthony's

Mike Denny

July 4, 2003

Fr. John Hardin, OFM
St. Anthony Foundation
121 Golden Gate Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94102

Dear Fr. Hardin,

Thank you for your letter regarding the St. Anthony Foundation along with your positions on poverty and homelessness. As a Catholic whose parents took the family to St. Anthony's in Milwaukee for Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving Mass, the issue of poverty has special meaning. I study it, bring the homeless and poor into my home, feed them, and make friends with them. One thing I like about St. Anthony's is that you stress the dignity of these and all people. This is a critical starting point for the whole discussion and is what Christ asks of us all.

I agree that solutions involve more affordable housing, counseling, health care and jobs. However, I disagree completely that government has anything to do with these solutions. In fact, after years of analysis, it's become clear that government itself is the primary cause of most of these problems. Let's look at the facts.

1. Government's deinstitutionalization movement released 400,000 mentally ill with no plan.
2. Federal Urban Renewal devastated old low cost rooming houses and SROs.
3. Increased regulations caused demolition or upgrading and raised building costs enormously.
4. Labor and wage laws priced out low-skill jobs.
5. Rent control laws created inefficiency in the rental market raising prices and reducing supply.
6. Government wars have lasting negative impact on those who fight in them.

As you are aware, there are really three problems here. Estimates are that 22% of homeless people have acute mental illness. 60-80% suffer from drug and alcohol abuse (about the same as in 1827 according to Marvin Olasky in The Tragedy of American Compassion). And about 30% are homeless due to economic deprivation. So we need two solutions: One that helps the small number of unemployed or working poor priced out of the housing or job market, and one that helps the mentally ill and substance abusers for whom homelessness is a symptom.

Here are some proposals:

1. Repeal all laws that make it illegal to feed the homeless.

2. Eliminate zoning, land use regulation, growth control and building codes that raise prices.

   Note: Mother Theresa abandoned a NY homeless project because regulators wanted an elevator. Harvard Institute of Economic Research says SF regulation costs $608,000 per buildable acre, more than twice the cost of Anaheim (2), New York (3) and Los Angeles (4).

3. Repeal all rent control laws.

   Note: It's no coincidence that NY and SF have rent control and the highest number of homeless.

4. Phase out government programs and replace them with Charity.

   Note: Only Charity can motivate people to do the hard work needed to help these people. Charity only comes from the heart. Government is simple coercion. It doesn't care and it can't force or pay people to care.

5. Repeal labor and wage laws that make hiring the low-skilled poor illegal.

   Note: Mandating living wage laws defies economic reason and destroys low skill jobs.

Three reforms can solve the problem: encouraging tough-love community charities, ending laws that place barriers between compassionate people and those in need, and eliminating government rules and regulations that drive up the cost of housing and jobs. Only these can put a roof over the heads of most homeless.

To be honest, it surprises me how much people trust in government. In your recommendations, you call on us to do three things but on government to do six things. As Christians, I feel we have to take the words of Jesus at face value. G_d told Moses there was only one G_d. Jesus told us that G_d was Love and that Faith, Hope and Love are all we need for salvation. In the face of that truth, is it prudent to rely, even a little, on the fruit of government coercion, tax money? To me, this approach is inconsistent with Christ's profound truth.

I m reminded of how G_d told Moses that if he needed water in the desert, he should tap a rock once with a stick. It seemed too easy so Moses tapped the rock twice. As he doubted the word of G_d, he never saw the Land of Milk and Honey. In my opinion, trust in government is a false god and an example of limited Faith. Anything that interferes with the free and voluntary nature of Love is doomed to failure. I want better for St. Anthony's.

I applaud your decision to support the Tenderloin Clean Streets program. Supporting this program demonstrates your commitment to the rest of the neighborhood. Hopefully it will be just the beginning of more and better neighborhood communication and cooperation.

Personally, I only support organizations that see government for what it is: a barrier to our cooperative success. So please let me know if your position changes on any of these issues. I'll be happy to write a check and roll up my sleeves as I do for Raphael House, Boys Hope, Girls Hope, Junior Achievement, the Western Addition Foundation for Girls, and Vision Youthz.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please know that I am available to discuss these and other issues at any time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours in Christ,

Michael Denny
Libertarian Candidate for SF Mayor