Recycling In Style

"SEOUL (Reuters) - Some South Korean homeless are dressing in style after the government gave away thousands of fake designer garments confiscated by customs agents.

The Korea Customs Service distributed more than 3,500 fake pieces in the southern city of Pusan this month with the permission of the fashion houses whose designs had been pirated."

Pete's Points:

As the government ponders what it is going to do for its citizens when it adjusts welfare payments it could do well to consider the example of the customs department in South Korea. If our Customs department recycled the goods that it has confiscated to those who are the have nots in our society we would be able to advantage the disadvantaged.

Just imagine the effect on the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and the other capitals.

No longer would our homeless be capable of being considered a disgrace in our large cities, no longer would they be able to alarm or bring concern to the eyes of tourists. Instead they would be dressed in rip off Gucci, Pucci or Fiorucci fashions.

What were previously called 'bag ladies' would now acquire the height of fashion and only store their only belongings in rip off bags that look as though they are from all of the famous labels.

The shopping trolleys would have to go of course but I am certain that there are rip off designer shopping carts on wheels that could substitute at a pinch.

Allied with the cardboard housing developed by design school students in Italy and of course recycled fake CDs played on confiscated MP3 players and boom boxes our modern day homeless persons could even become the object of a faux fashion parade as they parade their new finery in front of this new and most definitely affordable housing.

Then again, the government could consider what it really wants to do to assist the poor, homeless and destitute in our society.

If the government can afford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars assisting our poor Japanese neighbours to the north to feel safe as they restore some of the damage caused at the cost of more millions of dollars in Iraq, and billions of dollars in assisting our neighbours in the immediate north with restoration after their devastating earthquake, then it can afford a few million to look after its own citizens.