Isn’t this nice? Las Vegas city council has passed a law that makes it illegal to feed the homeless, with a maximum penalty of $1,000 and six months in jail. Apparently, large numbers of homeless use the city parks (and I’m sure Las Vegas is a bastion for public space!) inconveniencing “others” (i.e. money-spending tourists). So the inconvenience of having homeless in parks justifies starving them to death. The law is garbage. Apparently, the judgment of who is poor or not is left up to the “others” — that is, “whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive assistance.”

Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman seems a sharp fellow. “This is not a punishment; this is to help people,” Goodman said. “The people who provide sandwiches have good intentions, but they’re enabling people not to get the help that is needed.” If you have thought, feel free to email him.

My advice? If you are thinking of going to Vegas, think twice. Because your presence there motivates council to starve the homeless. If enough people boycotted Vegas, I wonder if they would come to there senses and realize that starving poor people is inhumane?