December 21, 2005

Drunk Dorms
—Michael Medved

The city of Seattle is dedicating a stylish 75-unit apartment building reserved exclusively for homeless alcoholics. Constructed with $11.2 million from city, county, and federal governments, the new project, already nicknamed "Drunk Dorms," will be open only to residents who have been addicted to alcohol more than 15 years, and failed at rehab at least six times.

These lucky derelicts will--amazingly enough--be allowed to continue drinking in their taxpayer-funded apartments: the project's director admits their chances of getting sober are "nil." This appalling waste of public money involves two assaults on Judeo-Christian values: first, by encouraging long term alcoholics to continue their addiction, the "Drunk Dorms" abandon the idea that change and redemption are always possible.

Second, providing free housing to drunks who regularly collapse in the street shows a shocking willingness to reward, rather than punish, anti-social, self-destructive behavior.

Michael Medved is the host of The Michael Medved Show.

Michael Medved is the author of Right Turns: Unconventional Lessons from a Controversial Life.