Jam-packed shelters for battered women have overflowed in past years, and now some women and children are turned away from help. Fortunately, there is a proposition on the November ballot that will help improve this situation, and the situation of others who need help as well.

Proposition 1C allows the spending of billions of dollars on housing for war veterans, senior citizens, the poor, and battered women and children.

Here the decision is whether or not tax dollars should be spent on the people who need it the most. This decision is based on whether or not you care about the well-being of the less-fortunate, and I hope for the sake of humanity you do.

Proposition 1C is a response to the overflow of battered women and children who were turned away from packed shelters in the past. The proposition offers grants and loans to people who typically build low-income housing. The bill also gives money to programs dealing with homelessness, state and local parks, and farm worker housing.

This proposition totals $2.85 billion, with about half of the funds going to development in urban communities, parks and areas around public transportation. The other half of the money goes to low-interest loans and grants for low-income housing, farm worker housing and homeless shelters.

Some of the organizations against the bill claim to be concerned with helping to protect the taxpayer’s dollar. They say we do not need to spend money like this; $2.85 billion is a lot of money and the state is in debt. This is true, but we are always in debt. Ignoring the needs of the poor and homeless is not going to eliminate the debt. We might as well help some people while we’re in the hole, because they are in the hole a lot deeper.

It is kind of like my credit card debt. Most of us are in debt, but still have some credit left on the card. Just because you are in debt does not mean you stop spending money. You might cut back your spending in certain areas, but there are still occasions where something important might come up and you will spend some of that credit.

Proposition 1C is that important thing. The state is in debt like most us are, but this proposition is one of those important things that credit should be spent on. Debt can be paid off, loss of life or human suffering cannot.

Helping the poor and homeless is something that we will need to put money into until poverty is no longer a problem, and we are not even close to that point yet. There is not much else discussed politically that is more important than helping people in need, and these people need it.