MEET THE NEW BOSS-Y

Just when we thought the Obama administration, like previous administrations, had us solidly in their rear-view mirror. Well, what do you know? They have appointed a "Homeless Czar." That's like the Drug Czar, and the Homeland Security Czar, but without the uzi.

Actually, it's a Czarina. And, no, it's not Martha Stewart. Her name is Barbara Poppe. Barbara is in charge of the newly minted - drum roll - United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Actually, the USICH was created last October. Somebody forgot the key to open the door, so that Barbara and her staff ....all ten of them.....had to wait a few months to get inside the office to start the ball rolling on their mission: To end homelessness in America by 2020.

If that sounds a tad familiar, it is. Past presidents have told us of the light at the end of the tunnel, turning the corner in the War on Drugs, and more recently, in 2003, Victory in Iraq, a cool seven and one half years before the actual (maybe) event.

Anyway, we can only hope that this Interagency Council has more luck ending homelessness in America than all of the coalitions, alliances, projects, foundations, associations, commissions, committees and boards before it.

But we have to remember, this new USICH is staffed with the same Inside the Beltway advanced degree totin' spear carriers who have always been elbowing their way up the bureaucratic ladder in Washington.

Working for this and that Association, Guild, Think Tank, Alliance, Agency and so on, issuing grant proposals, studies, profiles, strategic plans, ad infinitum. I tell ya, the word processing software package per capita in that swamp must be staggering.

And the USICH is up against some stiff competition who have also been working tirelessly to end homelessness in America.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness, has been at it for nearly thirty years. The National Coalition for The Homeless...well, we don't really know, they don't answer their phones, but a good guess would be since The National Coalition Against the Homeless went belly up, and all of their employees banded together and thunk up a new way to get money.

However, USICH does have an ace in the hole....their boss of bosses, the President, has his own nuclear submarines.

And they might need that ace. The entire roster of those ten staff members, and the many many board members does not include one...not one....person who has ever been homeless; been nearly homeless; missed a payment on the Beamer....or had to scrabble together enough quarters to buy a lotto ticket.

You show me one person in that group who has the fire in the belly required to make a success of this venture, ending homelessness in America by 2020, and I'll show you somebody who was using the curling iron in the wrong place this morning.

In fact, I hate to say it, but I'm not real hopeful about this new mission to end homelessness by 2020. The next thing we know, they'll be calling for a whole bunch of meetings to take place when they should be out there looking for ways to actually help homeless people.

these dolts will have a meeting to decide which train to take out of the beltway to get to where the homeless people really are. Hint. try the streets and parks and alleys around your house.

Then they'll be calling for a study to figure out why nobody can make it on time to the meetings to decide how to go to see the homeless people. Then they'll want to form a council they can dialogue with...and then, hey a whole coalition of councils.. yadda, yadda yadda.

It's the Inside The Beltway version of "Let Mikey do it!" all over again.

Y'know on second thought, maybe they should replace the new Czarina with Martha Stewart.

Hey, she's done hard time in the slammer, she's learned a few things....and at least we'd get some nice towels out of it. Maybe even some chocolate scones.