We're seeing a dangerous trend in Canadian society begin to raise it's ugly but well disguised head. This social experiment, started so many years ago, is now taking on a life of it's own.
I'm writing about extreme left-wing do-gooders who believe they hold the key to both a civilized and utopian society.
Insanity version 1
Recently, a story appeared in an Ottawa daily newspaper about "The Shepherds of Good Hope Shelter". The news item itself is not the issue but rather the result of the issue or of - what I consider - a failed social experiment.
The news article talks about the lack of respect both the Shepherds Organizers seem to have for the police and the laws and the same issue with the homeless who take shelter here. Police are called nightly to this location ... when they arrive they are asked NOT to press charges but just to break up the disturbances and keep an eye out - in other words, Police babysitters.
In the same time frame the City of Ottawa tells the media they have ear-marked 3 million dollars to build a new shelter so those worst people - the ones causing the problems at the Shepherds can be removed and taken to this new housing project.
So - in other words, lets build a new home for the worst members of society and take them away from the other worst members of society. "Move the problem and maybe it will go away?"
Oh, by-the-way, all the taxpaying citizens, who work 40+ hours a week, and pay property taxes - get to cover the cost!
Insanity Number 2
This is an old issue, but just doesn't seem to go away. Supplying needles and drug paraphernalia for drug addicts. The various cities and provincial governments have figured the best way to stop the spread of diseases is to supply these addicts with needles. Not to mention that they constantly warn teenagers about the dangerous of teen-age pregnancy, yet give them free condoms and many events.
This is how you mess up young and fragile minds.... tell them one thing but do the opposite.
Give teenagers free condoms, but tell them not to cause teenage pregnancy? How retarded is that? In other words, its okay to do the action, just don't get caught by a broken or badly manufactured condom. Have these same people ever thought that maybe, just maybe - they should try telling young people that sex is NOT okay at 13-14 years old??? And maybe trying to get parents to put a few rules in place for their children!
Give druggies free needles and tell them NOT to share it? This is like taking a bath while wearing a raincoat! Maybe they should try NOT giving free needles and get these drug addicts into a rehab program... while they are at it, tell them that if they are stupid enough to share needles, then suffer the consequences!!!
Oh, by-the-way, all the taxpaying citizens, who work 40+ hours a week, and pay property taxes - get to cover the costs!
Insanity Number 3
Those poor prostitutes! Oh those poor working class girls, who pay no taxes - but offer quite the service! Our leaders - in their infinite wisdom, have decided they should not make prostitution illegal so these girls are no longer slaves to the sex trade or sex traders.
In other words, make this legal, and relax the laws so they can stay on the street longer! Do these lawyers and law makers actually think that relaxing the laws will allow these girls to get off the streets and become functioning members of society? I think someone forgot to tell these do-gooders that prostitution is both illegal and dangerous. Changing or relaxing the laws won't make it any safer! All this will accomplish is to make prostitutes more visible and give the hormonally challenged public easier access. (Sorry - the pun was just too good to pass up!)
The influx of venereal diseases and other medical treatments for free and easy sex will be a future issue for our genius leaders to tackle. Oh and lets not foget the pig-farmers in BC who preyed on these women who were on the streets night-after-night. Legalizing prostitution won't stop a serial killer.
Oh by-the-way, all the taxpaying citizens, who work 40+ hours a week, and pay property taxes - get to cover the cost!
Insanity Number 4
Legalize Marijuana! What a stupid thought this is! I'm sorry for all those people who are behind this movement, but they must be stoned. There is one purpose for Marijuana, and that is to make your head spin. Whether it's for a short time or a long time, where its just for a buzz or to help relieve stress, its for one purpose! Its already a proven fact that driving a vehicle after smoking a doobie is as much of an impairment as using a cellphone or having a couple of beers. So what is the logic behind this? Its call government control and taxation.
I can just imagine the amount of car accidents related to stoned drivers if this is legalized!
Oh by-the-way, all the taxpaying citizens, who work 40+ hours a week, and pay property taxes - get to cover the medical and insurance costs!
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So what are the solutions?
An ancient Chinese proverb says, "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll eat for life".
Our governments, both municipal, provincial and federal are giving away the fish. We need to start teaching these people to fish. Get those relying on social handouts to earn a living - make them work for their room and board and food. Right now they are kicked out of the Shepherds and other shelters and allowed to roam freely. They inevitably end up begging for coins downtown or on street corners to feed their drug/booze habits. At the end of every day, they are given their place to sleep and eat all without having to incur any cost.
While simply teaching these people will help, they also need to be motivated. Currently their lone goals is to survive the day and get their daily fix. We need to help them find their own goals and help them start working towards their dreams.
Lets make these people work! if they want a room and a meal, make them earn it - just like the rest of us. For crying out load there are hundreds of jobs that don't require a college education they can do. While were at it, lets make them seek drug rehab or AA as a condition to their re-integration to society.
Perhaps if they are taught a skill, they won't need a shelter, they may be able to pay for their own housing and food requirements. "Teach them to Fish." Perhaps - once they have a life and a few goals to work towards, they won't revert to their previous life-style?
At the same time, lets NOT make prostitution legal, lets re-integrate these people also. Teach them about how to do others jobs that require their minds rather than their bodies. Stop handing out goodies like free needles and condoms - and stop encouraging lewd and drug induced behavior.
Lets put those who break the laws in the tank. You know, if they are smoking a joint while driving a car, take their license away! If they are caught DUI do the same thing. Never-mind these liberal sentences or a 30 day removal of their driving privileges - lets just make it so they lose their driving ability for 5 years - Yes, that MIGHT cause a hardship, but they will learn the lesson!!!
If they are caught hooking or causing disturbances, lets give the police the power to throw them in a drunk tank for a night - or longer. Never-mind this non-pressing of charges, allow the cops to do their job.
Wow! Imagine showing people that their are consequences to their actions!!! This would be the opposite to spending 3 Million dollars on giving the cause of the problems their own mini-hotel to screw up!!!
Right now, in our liberal left-wing society, there are far too few consequences for people who break the law. Murderers get 6 years behind bars, drunk drivers lose their drivers license for 30 days, Rob a convenience store and get "time served".
ENOUGH I SAY!
Colin, I generally agree with you and your blog. But this time, I need to comment: the Item 1 - I have stayed at the Les Suites in Ottawa many times over the years and find it ridiculous that in that area, the shelter if allowed. Frankly, moving them somewhere else may be a better solution.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I'm not pro either side, I just think, if I'm paying that much for a suite per night, the last thing I want to deal with is a bunch of drunk / stoned homeless guys fighting. Frankly the cops should arrest them, or move the dam thing somewhere else altogether. We will pay for it either way ....
Item 2 - Addiction (I have some excellent experience with this thanks to my marriage), is primarily an emotional issue. Giving these people needles will not solve the problem. Putting them into a 30 day treatment program will not solve the problem. Many of these individuals need longer term care (6 months to 2 years) to get over the issues. But, at the end of the day it is their desire to get better that will allow them to get better. Frankly,I have little to no sympathy left for addicts. At a certain point in time it is their choice to use. But, giving users access to needles that are clean and sterile is better. It may not solve all the issues around addiction, but it will at least help with some of them. Again, the sad part is that either way you slice it, we end up paying for it.
Item 3 - Agreed .... but, technically, as I understand it, in Ontario (at least) prostitution is not illegal, but solicitation is. A fine line .......
Item 4 - There really is little to no difference, at the end of the day between marijuana and alcohol. Alcohol, IMO, is a bigger killer and a larger danger to the general public than marijuana. The same can beside for codeine, a far larger threat to the general public versus marijuana. Frankly, at various points in the past marijuana was legal, the only reason it became illegal was the alcohol companies had a broader reach into the powers that be, and they saw money going away if marijuana was kept legal.
The point to all this? I am not a fan of the Liberal left wing politics in Canada, every time the liberals are in power our taxes go up, our services go down, and yet people seem OK with it. Frustrating.
Frankly many of the issues raised are not about left or right, they are about dealing with a side of the our culture we are not entirely comfortable with. What do we do about that? Sweeping it under the rug won't help, a purely capitalist approach will take us dangerously down the path of the US (there are many things good about that, but equally as many, if not more, things that are [let's say] bad about that, as well). So, given that we must do something .... btw: drunk drivers do not just lose their license for 30 days, they can actually have it permanently taken away, and they can, and do, get jail time.
well said .. and I do agree with your points, just didn't want to elaborate too much on the blog. The section about the homeless was just to show how silly governments are that they will spend tax payers money to make a new shelter. As far as drivers licenses go, I was elaborating on the recent news article about the woman who was convicted a few days ago, given a 90 day house arrest and loses her driving privileges for 5 years minus time served(2 years). Plus she has been charged in 2 separate incidents in Calgary. This person should never be given a licence again, plus she killed her passenger!
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