Housing Official's Bumper Sticker Draws Ire

CECIL COUNTY, Md. -- A Maryland housing official is coming under fire for a bumper sticker that takes a derogatory shot at poor families.

Dave Mahanney, who runs Cecil County's Housing Authority, has a bumper sticker on his car that reads "Can't Feed 'Em? Don't Breed 'Em." GOOD FOR YOU. I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

"He's the director, driving around with this bumper sticker saying if you can't feed them, don't breed them?" said Niakkia Battle, a mother of five. "Am I supposed to be sorry that I had my children? I love my children." NO. BUT GET A JOB AND STOP EXPECTING US TO PAY FOR YOUR KIDS UP BRINGING.

Battle told 11 News she will be evicted from Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 program. She has a friend babysit her kids when she's in her nursing class.

"Because of an assumption that I had an unauthorized person living with me they, Section 8, terminated my assistance," she told 11 News reporter John Sherman. IF YOU HADN'T HAD 5 KIDS, YOU MIGHT NOT NEED THAT ASSISTANCE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Confronted about the bumper sticker, Mahanney said he would not comment.

Sherman: "Your bumper sticker says, 'Can't feed 'em, Don't breed 'em. A lot of the people you deal with did just that. Naikkia Battle said she was offended by that. Could you understand why?"

Mahanney: "I don't do interviews." ME EITHER. BUT I STAND BY WHAT I SAID ABOVE.

Cecil County Delegate Michael Smiegel said he is outraged by what has happened.

"Here you have a mother of five, who's going to school to be a nurse, who's doing everything she can to improve her life, and you'd hope she'd be on the system a short time," he said. "And yet you're going to now complicate it by throwing her and her children out on the street. It makes no sense if you want to use government dollars wisely."

Michael Peters, a disabled man also set to be evicted, is getting help fighting back.

Trey Perkins and Luciene Parsley at the Disability Law Center have taken up his cause. Parsley said all Peters did was forget to fill out a form.

"We've had problems with the housing authority before," Parsley said. "And in my discussions with other housing advocates, it's clear this agency has been a problem in the past."

The Disability Law Center has asked in five different ways for an expanation of Mahanney's actions, Sherman reported, and hasn't had a call returned. When Sherman asked Mahanney about that, Mahanney again repled that he doesn't do interviews.

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MY THOUGHTS:

I understand things happen and sometimes you need help. Been there, done that. But how many years did she pay into the tax system to justify getting that money? I paid in 17 years by working and paying taxes. Then when I lost my job, I only qualified for $100 in food stamps. After paying a hell of a lot more than that in 17 years in taxes. Give me a break. You have people with 5 plus kids living in the low income housing paying little to no rent or utilities, yet they are driving around in Caddys and Lexus'wearing diamonds and gold. See a pattern here?