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Dare to buy red roses or a newspaper from a street vendor, and soon you could be breaking the law.
At least in Oakland Park, Fla.
Citing traffic safety concerns, officials in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of 42,000 tentatively approved an ordinance targeting not only panhandlers and peddlers, but the people who give to them or buy something from them.
Under the ordinance initially passed last month, anyone who responds to a beggar with money or any "article of value" or buys flowers or a newspaper from someone on the street would face a fine of $50 to $100 and as many as 90 days in jail.
And I am sure that many of those who supported and passed this ordinance consider themselves to be upstanding Christians. They seem to forget that Christ himself once said that whatever we do unto "the least of these" we have done unto him. In the 21st Century, the meaning of Christianity has been perverted beyond recognition.
"This is a Christian nation. Hallelujah. And all you unwashed bums get out of my sight. I don't want you polluting my beautiful and godly town." :roll:
The Bible says that, at the end of days, some will gain everlasting life, and others will gain everlasting shame. When I finally go to meet my maker, I don't want to be cast out because I called myself a Christian, while refusing to abide by Christ's words. In Christianity, that is the worst kind of hypocrisy imaginable, and Christ did say that there is a special place in Hell reserved for hypocrites.
Besides, giving a little money out to those who need it makes me feel good. Who knows, maybe if my life had turned out differently, I could have been the one standing under that bridge.
I don't want to hear "Those who live under bridges deserve it", or any other BS, and I don't want the damn government telling me what I can or cannot do with MY OWN DAMN MONEY. If I want to give of my own free will, then I will do it, and the government can go straight to hell. Give me the 90 days in jail, and I refuse to pay the fine.
Article is here.
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