By now, you may have heard of Charleston, SC, city councilman Larry Shirley. He recently advocated sterilization for parents who can't take care of their kids:
"What we've got is a failure in society" [...]
"We pick up stray animals and spay them. These mothers need to be spayed if they can't take care of theirs. ... Once they have a child and it's running the streets, to let them continue to have children is totally unacceptable."
Good luck with that, Larry!
Now (of course) he says he was just trying to "start the dialogue." Let's imagine that dialogue, shall we?
INT. City Hall. Council meeting. NIGHT.
Larry Shirley: Let's spay negligent mothers!
Everyone in the country: You're crazy!
END SCENE.
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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