Alcoholics, it goes without saying, aren’t exactly the highest-esteemed members of society. At best, they’re regarded as lost souls; at worst, they’re viewed as cretins and screw-ups.

                 Well in the Netherlands, the alcoholic’s moment of respectability and worth seems to have finally arrived. And the best part? They don’t even have to change.

               Thanks to collaboration with a charity known as the Rainbow Foundation, the Amsterdam government has launched a program employing alcoholics to clean its streets. Only instead of a paycheck, these fellows receive…beer.

               Leave it to the Dutch to think of something so deviously clever.

               Morally questionable? Certainly. Tasteless? Maybe. After all, quite a few would object to the idea of enabling men with a serious addiction.

               But hey, the Dutch get clean streets, and the alcoholics are now apparently more aid than bane to their fellow citizens.

               And to be fair, the Western Hemisphere isn’t exactly free of substance-abusing public servants. Ahem, gentlemen?