A cry for help

St. Louis mayoral candidate/school board member Bill Haas (D) says in his blog "that loneliness, depression and financial problems have led him to consider suicide." Haas writes that his blog "his 'last day' may come sometime this spring or early summer after he euthanizes his three-legged cat and other pets." Haas: "In a nutshell, I'm 60 years old, still all alone. ... Unless something breaks professionally in the next couple of months, I'm going to be out of money and then I'm going to put the animals to sleep and take my life."

Haas "confirmed" to the Saint Louis Post Dispatch 1/25 "that he posted the blog and has contemplated suicide." Haas: "Being out of money and alone are bad things for me. I'm not going to be on the street and watch my life spiral down." Haas "has moonlighted as a sex columnist" while on the School Board, "ran ads for a rich wife" to help fund his '97 mayoral bid, applied for "American Candidate," ran for the House, the MO Legislature and circuit atty, "and continues to bombard the city's media daily with meandering e-mails." His blog is titled "Run Bill Run." The subtitle: "Bill Haas' journey in the Mayor's Race of St. Louis, but mostly about his life, and possible death."

Haas, who has two Ivy League degrees, is an adjunct instructor at Harris-Stowe State College "and a customer service manager at Wal-Mart" (Wagman, St. Louis Post Dispatch, 1/25).

I don't know if I should be drawing any further attention to him, since clearly that is what he wants. He seems to crave public attention and perhaps even sympathy. I am sorry that his life hasn't panned out the way he hoped but sucicide and in particular killing your pets is NOT the way to go.