Tag: Orange County Register

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Jason Johnson, politics editor at The Root, and Susan Shelley of the Orange County Register about the political fight over the border and President Trump's visit to Iraq. And then the fight over border funding has kept parts of the federal government closed for a full week now. So the Democrats who are coming into office seem to believe that, OK, standing up against this wall will work for us. And they don't want to fight - the Democrats - for the border of our country - doesn't make a lot of sense. They want to hear the president say, I am proud of you; I'll take care of you when you come back home; we're looking after your families; we appreciate you. The president using this trip as an opportunity to argue about an obscure domestic policy that is not of concern to the soldiers there is reprehensible. He doesn't do it the way other presidents do it. SHELLEY: I'm watching for the last chapter in the great mystery of our time, who did what to whom during the 2016 presidential election? SHAPIRO: And Jason, what's the big political story you're keeping an eye on? SHAPIRO: Jason Johnson of The Root and Susan Shelley of the Orange County Register, happy New Year to you both, and thanks so much for joining us today.

Under the prodding of a federal judge, the plan was to move the residents into temporary tent cities in Irvine, Huntington Beach, and Laguna Niguel. In the homeless case, Orange County protesters say the homeless deserve better than tents. The real reason for their opposition, of course, is that no one wants a homeless shelter in their backyard. In the SB 827 case, says one councilman, the problem is that “Los Angeles has a long and painful history of displacement in the name of progress, and of well-intended bills that uproot communities and destroy neighborhoods.” The real reason is that no one wants lots of poor people and lots of traffic in their backyard. The second similarity is that in both cases someone is trying to force a solution on local residents. In the case of Orange County’s homeless, it’s probably to quietly face reality and make sure that homeless shelters aren’t put in affluent residential communities. This is both appalling and unfair, but is it worse than never finding an answer for the homeless that can actually move forward? If you want their support, you have to genuinely do something about the traffic problem. There’s a limit to what you’ll ever be able to accomplish in the face of entrenched local opposition. Do you give in to selfishness and ill-will in order to accomplish some good things?