Finally, an innovative idea has been presented that will decrease the homeless population: release the wolves.

This absurd proposal says more about the state government’s unwillingness to recognize homelessness as a real social issue, than it does about the wolf population.

Last Thursday, Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young argued that gray wolves should be taken off the endangered species list during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing. Many fail to see the connection between wolves and the homeless population, but Young clearly does.

He stated that none of the congressmen who support their protected listing actually have wolves in their district. At the meeting, Young bitterly spat: “I would like to introduce them in your district. If I introduced them in your district, you wouldn’t have a homeless problem anymore,” according to The Huffington Post.

Needless to say, there are so many things wrong with Young’s offhand statement. Yet, what is most revealing about his comment is it demonstrates the conservatives’ outdated view of homelessness, and the party’s unwillingness to look for real solutions.

According to The Washington Post, Young’s spokesperson claims he used the homeless problem as an analogy in order to make a point about wildlife management. However, it cannot and should not be ignored that in his harsh and insensitive analogy, Young proposed letting wild wolves feed on the homeless in order to eliminate the problem they pose.

Obvious demonstrations of complete disregard toward the homeless population by Alaskan politicians are extremely problematic due to the high rates of homelessness in the state.

In 2013, the National Alliance to End Homelessness noted in a report that Alaska, with a rate of 26.5 homeless persons per 10,000 residents, ranked ninth highest among the states in homeless populations, according to the Alaska Justice Forum.

Unfortunately, homeless individuals in Alaska must also cope with dangerous obstacles due to their environment. Temperatures in Alaska often drop well below freezing, and many homeless individuals lose fingertips, toes and ears to the unforgiving cold.

This is in addition to the obstacles all homeless individuals face across the nation. Our country is known for criminalizing our homeless populations and failing to provide adequate support for them.

The United States’ unforgiving nature towards the homeless population is not going unnoticed by the rest of the world. In 2014, “the U.N. Human Rights Committee condemned the criminalization of homelessness in the United States as ‘cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment’ that violates international human rights treaty obligations, and called upon the U.S. government to take corrective action,” according to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.

Our state and federal governments should be ashamed they have mistreated the homeless population to such an extent that it has attracted international attention.

Right-wing politicians, such as Young, are known for preaching the bootstrap mentality. They commonly attribute an individual’s homelessness as a direct result of their own poor decisions and laziness. These viewpoints stand in opposition of vast research that reveals many individuals are homeless due to mental illnesses, physical disabilities and a lack of support.

Instead of dehumanizing the homeless population and viewing them as a problem nature will solve itself, state governments should provide the homeless with the support they need. State and federal laws that criminalize the homeless population should be overturned, and new policies should be implemented that actually help one of the most afflicted groups in our society.

As a state leader, Don Young should think more carefully about his choice of words, and leave policy-making to representatives more in touch with the reality of social issues.