Shelter Update and NDP Uprising?

First, one of the 2 shelters talked about in the previous post has closed, having lost its funding. Some of the residents were given housing in a hotel basement on the DTES. Others declared they were going back to living under another bridge. It was interesting listening to some of the shelter residents being interviewed. They have no idea; they think we're useless. They think we need to provide everything for their "entitlement" perspective. It does not occur to many of them that there are things they could for themselves. In any case, I haven't heard any more complaints, so conditions must have improved at that location.

Longtime NDP members gathered yesterday to review the direction of the party. They are urging other members to support a turn to the left. They believe the move to the centre since they lost power last time will perpetuate a second place finish. They believe they have moved away from core support and that's why they lose.

Well I hope they do move left, because they have been getting too close to victory by disguising their socialism in a veil of centrism. A move left will at least give them an honest face. And they will lose any election they fight when they are honest about who they really are and what they stand for. Socialists devastate every economy they touch. I'll take my chances with a democratic, capitalistic structure. At least the individual has more control over their lives.

Some of the people involved were on Bill Good's radio program today and the topic of the minimum wage came up. One of the guests told the audience that a $10 minimum wage wasn't nearly enough; it should be close to $16. Bill questioned how a small business person could pay that much. This guy (I missed the name) said that if they couldn't pay that much, their business was a failure and they don't deserve to be in business. Question is, could you vote for a party that with that kind of philosophy?

The problem is not the minimum wage. The problem is staying at the minimum wage level. There is no need for that. There is free language training for immigrants. Free skills training, free educational opportunities through government programs. And there are low cost training programs for those who prefer to pay their own way. We get paid for the value we bring to society. If you want to be paid more, you've got to make yourself more valuable.

The minimum wage is not a bed. You're not supposed to be comfortable with it. It's a ladder. Yes, it's the bottom of the ladder but the direction is clear: up. Up and away.

HEAT SHELTERS

Watching Vancouver city council, led by Mayor Gregor Robertson is very much like watching a train speed down a mountain, rounding corners, and knowing that the inevitable derailment is bound to be spectacular. Heat shelters are one of the issues on the train.

His Worship (anyone know where that term came from?) campaigned on the homeless issue. When a hard to house woman accidently burned to death while trying to keep warm, it seemed to galvanize the citizens of Vancouver and most people applauded when Mayor Robertson acted quickly to open the 2 heat shelters under the Granville Bridge. These shelters were designed to accommodate just about anyone. Many homeless people have their dogs, and their prized possessions piled high in their stolen shopping carts. Yeah, go ahead ....bring that in too. They can't get into regular shelters, because they won't give up their pets or their stuff.

Now, the weather has turned ..... they don't need heat to stay alive but the City has kept the shelters going for fear they will lose the funding from the province altogether. The funding is due to run out at the end of June. The liberal government has been unavailable for comment (especially the housing minister Rich Coleman and that new MLA who is terrified of actually having to make a statement that might contradict her new political masters (rather than all those people who voted for her). The strategy seems to be to let Mayor Robertson twist in the wind, which I'm sure he deserves. Trouble is, that strategy is going to hurt everyone.

And the problem is, the shelters are on the doorstep of some of Vancouver's nicest real estate developments; a neighborhood that paid dearly for their initial investment, only to see it deteriorate to the point of wanting to sell. The trouble is, "To Whom?"

Reports say the people using the shelters aren't the problem; it's the drug dealers that come to service their needs that are causing the problem. It's not about blame. It's about restoring the neighborhood. It's obviously the wrong place for that kind of shelter. The debate about whether these types of shelters should even exist, or why we let known drug dealers take up space and freedom in our streets is for another post.

Poor Gregor. He's trying to help ( I think ) and now it's biting him in the rear end. That's what left wing dogma will do to you. But that's the reality in many cases. I tried to help a homeless guy a few years back. Gave him a fresh start, a job and some regular meals. But in the end, he couldn't beat his addiction. I didn't have the skills or the resources to truly turn him around. I couldn't help even one life for more than a week or so. And so he stole from me and went back to the street, where he is so very comfortable .... in all sorts of weather. Failure is much easier to deal with than success.

What should be done with Vancouver's homeless? Do you want a shelter in your neighborhood? How can we expect another neighborhood to accept it if we won't?