I admire and appreciate the poor, the homeless and the street people for their significant contributions to our communities.

They live for survival and need, not greed. Creative shelters such as tents, vehicles, camps and vans are better than mega-mansions that deplete our natural resources.

They use water for consumption and cleanliness, not swimming pools, hot tubs, golf courses and laws.

They get most of their food from church groups, low-cost grocery stores and government subsidies — not restaurants, bars and online speciality items.

They minimize their carbon footprint by walking, cycling, taking public transportation and carpooling instead of driving assault vehicles to burn fossil fuels, intimidate, terrorize and endanger.

The best work and jobs are in building, cleaning, recycling, maintaining and serving the more privileged instead of corporate and unaccountable robots.

We should shop locally, use it up, wear it out, make do, do without — not shop ’til you drop.

These are decent human beings struggling to survive in an inhumane system with policies to destroy their shelters, make their lives as miserable as possible and ultimately disappear them.

We profess our values. The poorest among us live those values.

Sue Bastian

Tumalo