Two kids are testifying about why this Arlington shelter is a bad idea — cursing, 2nd hand smoke. Their parents should be horse whipped.

— Michael Neibauer (@NeibsWBJ) December 14, 2011

These two pre-10yo girls just told the Arlington board that they may take the wrong path in life if they have to live near homeless people.

— Michael Neibauer (@NeibsWBJ) December 14, 2011

Arlington Board agrees to buy (or seize) 2020 14th St. N, to serve as office space and homeless shelter.

— Michael Neibauer (@NeibsWBJ) December 14, 2011

"A New Jersey woman is devastated that her precious sports car — just repaired and fully gassed up — was wrecked by a suicidal man's 40-story attempted death leap on the Upper West Side…. "I miss it. It's my baby," moaned Maria McCormack… 'Why? Why my car out of all the cars in the city?'…. Meanwhile, a Dodge spokesman credited the car's 'high-strength steel structure' for helping absorb the blow." Really, everyone comes out a winner in this one.

I have been feeling a good amount of despair recently. Not on a personal level-I'm generally as happy-go-lucky as a leprechaun with a head injury. (It's weird!) But the constant reminder of the American lack of empathy is astounding. It's everywhere. (Do we need to drag in the case of the woman who attended the Glenn Beck rally in D.C. over the weekend and her point of view that Jesus would hate welfare?) And so it was with great wariness that I approached the comments section at the end of this first-person story by a man in Nevada who, driven into destitution by disability, family medical bills, [...]