Stephanie Greene’s recent letter (“Explore a system in which panhandlers are held accountable for profits,” Dec. 2) calling for “accountability” of panhandlers’ “profits” was an example of failure on many levels.
Its Regan-esque assumption that the poor are takers, a blight on polite society, is as incorrect as it is cruel. The author’s notion that because she doesn’t understand how much money a person might receive means that the sum must be extravagant is groundless.
The repetition of grandiose rumors about organized panhandling rings as silly as it is baseless. But worst of all is the complete failure of empathy for the neediest among us, and the willingness to shake out the pockets of the poor to account for a handful of dimes — or to have someone else do it at arm’s length.
Our country is failing the poor, and it is attitudes like these that let that failure persist.
Sara Amoroso
Easthampton