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Jan 26, 04
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^i do feel bad for the people who've been forced onto the streets...but i really have no sympathy for the druggies
it was their irresponsibility to abuse drugs, and now they're just dealing with the consequences to get to the state where you can't hold a job or steady income is pretty hard, and you don't get there overnight goat is a perfect example...he was homeless for a reason, and the sad part is that he's still doing drugs...just not jib (sorry) i wish there was a way to fairly divide up the people who deserve our help and those who should stop wasting my money i hate school and i hate working, but that's the way things work.....i really wish i could lower myself to those peoples level and just crack out all day and cry ignorance at the governement to give me things 
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Jan 26, 04
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Besides the visible street bums, there are the welfare bums. Like street bums, some are not there of their own choice, and some are.
I know a few people who are welfare bums by choice.  One of them pretends to be mentally ill so he can get the cushiest form of welfare of all - permanent medical disability. About $850 a month plus a few hundred more from odd jobs. Out here in the boonies, he can afford to have a car, rent a cabin, go to movies, eat junk food, buy porno, and hang out in Starbucks. All this from occasionally going into shopping malls and other places and shouting out "Jesus is Lord" a few times, and then refusing to explain himself to the cops, psychiatrists, etc.
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Jan 26, 04
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"oh I hate those useless bums, why don't they all just get jobs and go away? And why do they just keep multiplying, where are they all comming from? cheez!"
Can none of you see the clear connection between cutting away the fabric of our social system, withdrawing government services to children and families, cuts to healthcare (and mental health programs) and elmination of welfare payments to thousands and the 'coincidental' concurring rise in homelessness? This isn't an accident, its what happens when you put profits and a few extra tax-refund dollars for the middle class over people's genuine welfare.
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Jan 26, 04
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Jan 26, 04
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Jan 26, 04
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Kelly, the ignorance you've displayed in this thread is fucking mind-boggling.
You live in a big house. You don't have to pay any bills. You have the luxury of spending thousands of dollars a year on clothing. You've had the luxury of wasting your parents money on a year of school, only to drop out and try your hand at something else. You'll never know what life is like for anyone who's homeless (FOR WHATEVER REASON). I'm not even going waste my time setting you straight on any of the opinions you've voiced in this thread. Do yourself a favour; pick up a book and educate yourself on fucking hard it is to break cycles of years and years of poverty and drug abuse. Don't even so much as look at me if we ever run into eachother again. Grow the fuck up.
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Jan 26, 04
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to everyone who moans about how much money we're spending on welfare, the homeless, druggies etc....i guess you don't realize that it's been shown pretty conclusively that for every dollar we, the taxpayers, spend on preventative social measures like welfare, rehab, job training, detox beds, counselling, social housing etc.. we save between $5-$10 on policing, emergency room visits, incarceration and legal costs.....when you have a government that decides it's going to cut taxes, cut costs and save money on the backs of the poor, then you suddenly see more poverty all around you as people who were maybe just sort of getting all of the sudden really have to struggle to cope. it also means that ten years down the road you end up paying for it with serious interest...what do you think is going to happen to crime rates and legal and policing costs if the government follows through on their promise to implement a "2 years max out of any five" welfare policy and cut possibly tens of thousands of people off of welfare april first?
one of my favourite rants are the people who see kids living on the street and go "sheesh, they're asking for money, but they obviously had enough money to buy that leather jacket, of those doc martins!" yeah, but considering that the vast majority of kids on the streets come from abusive homes, there's probably a pretty good chance that the clothes on their backs might just have been bought for them by good old dad to make him feel less guilty about beating them or climbing in to bed with them every night... selah
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Jan 26, 04
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I feel so sorry for all you people getting harssed by these bums!
Your lives must be so tough! I feel for you I really do! I mean they're all the same right! Ignorant and drug addicted and ANNOYING!!! They don't have mental problems or anything and they can all get a job whenever they want right?! I'd hire them! Wouldn't you? I wish they'd just like...get a life or something! Although half the people on this board can't find a good job I'm sure it's easy enough for that guy who yells at himself with the scabs on his face to get one We should just put em all to work! Make them work for their money! Thats what they did with those coloured people back in the slavery days. Racism isn't cool anymore but these annoying people asking for a quarter are driving us nuts! So if we can't be racist lets be prejiduce! Cause bums are all the same!!! All of them! [/ignorance]
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Jan 26, 04
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It's a shame that narrow-mindedness is so comfortable. What really gets me is the people whose little personal bubbles seem to get completely shattered when someone less fortunate approaches them. Does verbally attacking these people and then laughin to your buddies about it make you feel like a bigger person? How hard is it to just say something like "no, sorry" or even nothing at all. Yeah fine they're all over the place and can be rude and whatnot but are you really that tightly strung that something like that would set you off? I just don't get it.
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Jan 26, 04
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I suggest a bunch of you read From Prison To Parlaiment by Frank Howard. The true story of a guy from an abusive, broken home, who took to the streets, and, through his own desire, ended up as a member of the government. Granted, it took several decades for him to accomplish this but it just goes to show it can be done, if one isn't willing to give up.
We are human beings. We can accomplish amazing things... if we really want to. A year and a half ago, I could quite easily have become a welfare bum, living off of your tax money. Instead, I wasn't going to allow myself to stoop to that level and decided to make something out of nothing. I know this is a touchy subject and I'm all for giving people on the streets a shot at making something out of nothing by providing them with temporary housing. A guy I knew was once a heroin addict. Through one of these programs, he was able rebuild a bit of his life and, eventually, ended up an assistant custodian in a Yaletown apartment tower. It can be done but only if they are willing to make it happen. This is why I tend to have little to no sympathy to many street people downtown. When I hear about such individuals like the 'Quarter Lady', seemingly content to ignore social programs in favor of living off of the rich's loose change, I can't help but feel pertubed by their lack of motivation.
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Jan 26, 04
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homelessness is not somehting that will ever go away..you can throw all the money you want at the problem yet there will always be homelessness. Theres just so many different causes and so many different reasons why people make the decisions that they do, there is little you can do to alleviate such a complex and persistant social problem. i personally believe that education regarding drugs, jobs lifeskills, wahtever is the ebst way to tackle the problem but at the same time it will never ever alleviate it, homelessness is not something that will go away.
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Jan 27, 04
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yea i'll probably never really know how hard life is for a homeless person, but i've got the jist of it and i know it's not pretty but i'm also not going to dwell on someone elses misfortune especially when there's not much i can do about it
i used to give money/buy food for bums, but now i don't i dont' want to be supporting someones drug addiction...like those kids with the 'change for weed' signs if i could distinguish between the people who'd spend my money on drugs, from the ones who'd spend it on food or a place to stay the night, i would have no problem with giving out money to the latter i think that there should be more funding towards getting the less fortunate people back onto their feet, but i think it's not fair trying to help the people who aren't trying to get anywhere i am really fortunate, but i don't get everything handed too me Last edited by Kelster; Jan 27, 04 at 04:47 AM.
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Jan 27, 04
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As much as I dispise the problem there are some people that have fallen through the cracks and are on the street. That being said I do not give pity to those teenagers and other who chose their path due to being to proud or stubborn to try living life.
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Jan 27, 04
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I don't really know how I feel about the whole homelessness problem. I do get pissed when I see some kid on Grandville street in a outfit that probably cost more than mine begging me for money. I also don't want to give money to the people that clearly want to turn around and spend it on drugs or alcohol.
But I do understand that at one point maybe some of these people had a family and they had a good life. And I don't think it makes a difference where they came from. I've seen people from west van from good caring families down on the street. Not just those born on the east side. I know that some people don't take advantage of services that are available to them though. And those people I don't really want to support. My dad tells me there is a place where homeless people trying to get a job line up every day and he comes and gives them work doing basic jobs for his construction buisness. I think that is so much better then just giving them a quarter. I also used to see this man that would go out and actualy buy sanitary gloves and new clothes so that he could continue to collect bottles to servive. Those people are actualy trying and want to live a normal life. There are some people I don't think should be helped because they have chosen not to help themselves. And then there are the disabled and the mentaly ill that I think just need to be directed to a facility that can help them. But I guess the people that make me really upset are those that are pushy and make you feel like you owe them for the choices they made. Or the kids on the street that left because they just didn't like living at home.Not because they were abused or anything. (I've actualy heard some left because they thought it was punk to live on the streets) Those people I don't give money too. I try not to say nothing though when they beg because I think a lot of them are probably depressed by being an outcast of society. To be completly ignored probably makes that worse. I at least say I'm sorry I don't have any money to spair. Ususaly I don't. I gave a man my steak dinner though once when he told me he was hungry. I knew I wasn't gona eat it and it was a decent meal. I felt good knowing that I gave someone a meal. I think thats what should be done. Don't give them the option to go buy drugs. Give them what they are begging for. If they are lying well then thats there problem. Thats just my two cents. Last edited by Kandyapple; Jan 27, 04 at 09:31 AM.
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Jan 27, 04
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Wow...I must say that I barely read thru some of these posts and I would have to say that some of your POV's are totally harsh.
Each to their own...But the social epidemic in BC is huge- especially in Vancouver. These are people which have been lost by our social infastrucutre. Most of these people suffer from mental illnes & most don't even have a clue. (like some of you) I'm only informing that you should read the news once in a while to read facts as to why this is happening. Homeless people are not selfish, they just need a hand for getting back on their feet. Somehow society has failed to notice that these people are falling throught the cracks, and by the time someone finds out that there is something wrong...it's too late. I still don't know what to think of the homeless epidemic in Vancouver, but I have taken the steps to make an informed desicion as to what I think may be the source of the problem, which is what some of you should do...At that time you can decide if it's the fault of our Government or if it's these (homeless) people to blame for their own actions. I don't mean to come across I such a rude way (if I am) But I'm seriously shocked as to what some people think of this problem. Thanks for hearing me out. Peace, C²
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Jan 27, 04
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another note:
there's a huge difference between being homeless and pan handling. two extremely different issues. as for using me as an example, i learned my lesson. as for doing drugs, i've been high once at new years since. the difference between now and before, i don't go-a-flailing for the next 12 days. before it's was an escape, totally. now, it's more of a social thing. i wouldn't trade any of my homeless experience for anything in the world, i am who i am today because of it. neither do i wish that upon anyone however. also, i never pan-handled once (besides bumming the occasional smoke) during that time.
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Jan 27, 04
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I just adore those streetkids wearing Nikes, smoking a cigarette and wanting change for a pizza.
Obviously he/she failed Marketing 10 in high school.
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Jan 27, 04
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Some people just want hand outs...some poeple need help alltogether. Good point dude.
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Jan 27, 04
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Giving money to beggars is like putting a band aid on a shot gun wound... it doesn't help. As said it just encourages people to stay on the streets by supporting that life style.
On the other side of things if you really want to help people in need than it needs to be done through organized efforts. For example write a short letter to City Hall [email protected] even though our Premier is huge part of the problem it might be good to let him know [email protected] and try as they might to ignore us out west the federal government could use an earful once in a while, if you live down town contact Hedi Fry (what a bitch) at [email protected] otherwise look up your MP's contacts at http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html The way things are going these days problems like poverty and homelessness are only getting worse. While there are many factors beyond our control there's a lot of things that our governments are doing to make the problem worse. Social programs serve very important purposes and while cutting them does save money in the short term it costs a lot more in the long run. At the heart of the problem is how people want to look at the issues, either the glass is half full or half empty. No matter what system we have our society will never be perfect and because of that some people will say "fuck it, why try and make it better if it will never be perfect." These people are typically just out for them selves and don't care about any one else. Otherwise there are lots of ways to make our society a better place, which believe it or not makes all of our lives better. Take a look at a group like the Tides Foundation, http://www.tidesfoundation.org/index_tf.cfm They're a local group that invests seed money to help people start business' and projects that are based on the principles of profitability, social justice and environmentalism. Anyway I have to much work to do to go on much more but in short I think it's really sad to hear how little compassion people have for each other. It makes me sick to think that some of you would want to kill someone because they are a street person. For those of you I encourage you to imagine what it might be like to be in that situation or if it was your Mom...
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Jan 27, 04
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Wow.
I didn't realize how many insensitive ignoramuses we have posting on this board. It really doesn't take alot of effort to realize that every human being has a life story, and unless you were there to see it all transpire, your perception will be greatly clouded. Stop judging so quickly, watch Requiem for a dream and get over yourselves. http://www.requiemforadream.com/ <---- 7RiPPY 5i73!!!1 ... The middle class is slowly disappearing. It's evident that there is a huge homeless problem in this city, but there are a few factors that many here are just too stupid to grasp so I will usurp some of my time and let it be known. Affordable housing. Do any of you know how ridiculously expensive rent is in the lower mainland? Do you know why there were camp sites set up at Victory Square and Science World downtown? Think about it. As for the drug addicts situation, this society begs people to go and get fucked up. Cigarettes and Alcohol are legal for a reason. Example: You're a parent and you ask your child not to go into a certain cabinet while you're away doing groceries, you know when you leave that the first thing that child is going to do is try to get to that cabinet. We have a society that bases entertainment on escapism. Drug addicts are a fine example of this. Sadly, many people who don't use drugs have the notion to feel superior over those that decide to use/abuse...especially those of the homeless variety. They may also go home and watch TV shows like Survivor. I would like to see Survivor: "Concrete Jungle" edition come on and see the yuppies try and make it as a Bum for even a week...maybe eat out of a garbage can or something to that effect. Truth is, you don't know what it's all about until you've tried it for yourself, and even then you still might not know. I realize the paradox, so go fuck yourself. Safe injection sites work, that's why they're on the news, but they are institutions that make recovery cases a very sad state of affairs, and here's why: It was the government who prohibited drug use that has isolated people with substance abuse problems in the first place. These people have nowhere to go to abuse these substances but deserted allyways and under bridges. Instead of just starting social programs for education, safe injection sites, and other rehabilitating programs to curb this problem before it started, governments prohibited drug use to create this low class. They then allow the problem to grow, as it surely would under it's current state, to create an epidemic. Then you roll out the social programs that should have been happening in the first place, all the while making these "Bums" that make a full recovery feel thankful and indebted to repay the society that supposedly helped them get back on their feet. The fucked up thing about this situation is THIS SOCIETY MADE IT AN EPIDEMIC IN THE FIRST PLACE BY PROHIBITION AND NO SOCIAL PROGRAMS! Not only that, but since they feel indebted to the society, they will fight to protect it (ie: Go to War if there is a draft, vote for the wrong politician, brush their teeth...etc), even though it is the very system that brought on so much of their suffering. Wake up to your world people, before it's too late. Planetary peace. PS Quarter lady pretends to have a British accent sometimes.
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Jan 27, 04
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Half the people in this thread are fucking morons. You have been fortunate to grow up in a family that feeds and clothes you and provides a shelter. Not only that but you were brought up with care. Do you actually think that someone who has been forced onto the street because their dad was beating the shit out of them since they were 5 years old wants to be there? Probably not, but they have no choice and most likely are not in the right emotional state to "clean themselves up". Next time you make an ignorant comment about a homeless person think about that, and be thankful that you were fortunate enough to be born in a nice family instead of one where your father beat the shit out of your mother and started sexually assaulting you when you were 12 years old. Jesus fucking christ what the hell is wrong with people these days.......
peace
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Jan 27, 04
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oh and by the way
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both parts of me thinks that youre an ignorant dumbass, you really should re-read your posts in this thread...i mean i actually feel sorry for the way you think
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