DENVER (CBS4) – Some Denver voters will soon be asked how they would feel about paying increased sales taxes, property taxes and other taxes to raise $50 million to $55 million a year to support Denver’s homeless population. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless said Tuesday they are hiring a pollster to begin the process of getting a tax increase on the November 2020 ballot.
“We really want to explore as many options as possible so voters can tell us whats the most palatable to them,” said Cathy Alderman, Vice President of Communications and Public Policy for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
Estimates are that the city of Denver currently spends about $50 million per year on homeless services and other charities, and nonprofits contribute another $90 million, according to a 2019 report. Alderman says that’s not enough to help out the more than 5,300 people in metro Denver who are homeless.
Alderman said there have been ongoing, informal discussions with some Denver city council members about a tax increase. She said she believed this was an appropriate time to ask voters to increase taxes to support the homeless although she said, ”I anticipate some push back and lively debates and discussion. But we think it’s time to come together as a community and do better.”
Gosh, Cathy looks well-fed. Maybe she should just donate her lunch money. You know she's pulling down a six-figure salary as a Veep for her "non-profit organization".
But why should people be guilt-tripped into taxing themselves even more than they already are to "support the homeless"? Why do the homeless need "support"? Didn't you support yourself and your family, as I have? I'm sure we're all willing to extend a hand up, but less willing to extend a hand-out. Yet the enablers like Cathy have built entire industries out of marketing the need for "services to the homeless". Frankly, they tick me off. The "homeless" in general don't need the "services" - they need to get off the drugs and off their dead asses and go to work like you and I do.
Sure, there are a very few who actually could use our help - but that's where the "hand-up", rather than a hand-out thing comes into play. People like Cathy make good money by steering people to hand-outs.
It'd be amusing to see how long she'd be able to hold up in a real job.
