The Final Thought: It would be appropriate to allow Jeff Jacobs to remain on his houseboat for the winter given the hardships he has endured.Let me state this another way:
The Final Thought: It would be appropriate to allow the homeless to remain homeless for the winter given the hardships they have endured.That just sounds absurd.
I agree that Mr. Jacobs circumstances are extraordinary and that they deserve considerations, but the "considerations" the NW are advocating for are potentially fatal and don't help Jacobs out of his situation at all. The paper is essentially asking the city to turn a blind eye to the problem, asking readers to channel any sympathy for the man into a general sense of apathy.
Mr. Jacobs primary source of heat is a wood-burning pot-belly stove and his primary source of electricity is a generator that runs on combustible fuel, not exactly a safe combination. He has no long-term lavatory, which throws the sanitation of the boat into question. The ice could crush the boat at any moment. If this were a free standing structure on dry land, which the boat has essentially become now that it is immobile, it would be classified "unsuitable for habitation."
What more in terms of "health and sanitary issues" does the NW need?
Houseboats aren't made for the winter. There's a reason why people put them in marinas for the season. The ice on the Fox River doesn't care if Mr. Jacobs is rich or poor, if he's a nice guy or an insufferable jerk. Neither does the open flame in his bot-belly stove, nor the combustible fuel that runs his generator. These things only care about the laws of thermodynamics.
The only "consideration" the the city and the NW should take into account is the safety issue. After that, there's really not much else to discuss.
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"The only "consideration" the the city and the NW should take into account is the safety issue."
Both his and the recue teams that will be called in to assist.
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