The lead editorial in the Honolulu Advertiser 8/27/06 “Perpetuity key to public housing sale” by its very title suggests that the Advertiser editorial writer foresees perfectly a large body of needy people feeding off of the body politic forever.

It’s as if that is something to be desired and thus guaranteed perpetually. How depressing. Why not be looking toward making every individual productive, self-sufficient, independent and paying rent or buying where they desire.

That should be the goal.

To lock poverty into perpetuity in a contract is hardly good public policy.

But it does lock in place big intrusive government and all that feed upon it. Maybe that’s the desired end result.

If so, say so.

Dick Rowland is the president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. More about the institute at http://www.grassrootinstitute.org