Mayor Nutter: Yes to Needles for Addicts, No to Mummers

The City of Philadelphia maintains a $375,000 a year needle exchange program.  (Kudos to the Public Record for revealing this.)  Such programs are illegal everywhere in the Commonwealth except Philadelphia.  The “purpose” of the needle exchange is to “stop the spread of HIV and AIDS among users.”  Everyone is in favor of stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS but how about stopping it by getting people to stop using drugs?  And, just how may fewer cases of HIV and AIDS are spread because of this program?  Typical of liberal government programs, they remain whether they work or not. 

 What makes this story even more ridiculous is that the City is cutting back on vital city services like Fire Departments and libraries while drug addicts still get theirneedles.  Even a Philadelphia institution like the Mummers was forced to go to the City hat in hand to even hold their parade.  2008 will go down as the year that those that played by the rules got screwed.  Enough is enough.