Take a walk with Indy's next mayor, by Matthew Tully, Indianapolis Star November 18, 2007
I want to like Greg Ballard. I really do. But this quote just sounds kinda Scrooge-y*. Here's hoping that the Spirit of Christmases Yet to Come pays him a visit before he takes office.
* In case you haven't read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in a while:At another point, we walked past a panhandler who pointed to Ballard, recognizing the newly famous face. The man was one of several panhandlers we walked by that afternoon. When he talked about the issue, Ballard no longer sounded like a bleeding heart.
"I don't like it," he said. "It's one thing to have the resources of a compassionate society, but it's another to show the tough love that might be needed to get them to use the resources."
There will be less panhandling Downtown within six months after his term begins, Ballard said, adding he would use police to address the issue. That, he said, would help send a message about the city.
And what about his vision for the city?
"Really, I want to have an urbane, warm city that welcomes business," he said.
"At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."
"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.
"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
"And the Union workhouses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"
"They are. Still," returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not."
"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?" said Scrooge.
"Both very busy, sir."
"Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course," said Scrooge. "I'm very glad to hear it."
