To the Anti-Poverty Committee
To Anti-Poverty Committee - PICK UP A HAMMER!
No not to vandalize private and public property or threaten your flavour of the month anti-Christ, but to get a job! I know it sounds over-simplified and callous, but there is a basic truth to be realized here. For example: I was at the 2010 Countdown Clock unveiling yesterday and witnessed the absolute disgusting behavior of the anti-poverty protesters. Aside from their total ignorance regarding what VANOC is actually DOING about homelessness in Vancouver, and the fact they were endangering the public by bringing weapons, they were simply just disrespectful and did absolutely NOTHING to advance their cause. All that said, while I listened and watched these idiots chant and shove it occurred to me that if they spent as much energy as they do protesting and throwing rocks at innocent people as they could learning how to, hmmm I don’t know, use a hammer, they could probably get a job with said Olympics. I then did a little digging and found out that VANOC has a program in place working with organizations to help downtown eastside residents get jobs with all the construction work slated in the next 3 years. They also have several programs in place to provide low-cost housing after the games are completed - housing that would have never been there if the Olympics didn’t happen (so no, you wouldn’t have gotten the taxpayer money that went to 2010 anyway morons!). For example: The city has already set aside land to be used for low-cost housing but is currently negotiating with the Province and Feds to provide the actual housing. With that, the Olympics are bringing in these temporary and portable facilities to house media and the like in Squamish during the games. When the games are done they are donating all that housing to be used on said land. Again - would not have happened without the Olympics! And there are plenty of other “legacy” programs they’ve initiated to work with first nations and battered women etc, and they have the highest standards in terms of their sustainability policies both internally and externally. Clearly the folks down at the Anti-Poverty Committee either aren’t informed or simply choose to ignore facts.
Now note: I know the homeless situation goes way beyond simply providing jobs to people. But I’m not talking about the mentally ill or addicts who need proper social programs, I’m talking about able-bodied young people who are clearly strong enough to throw rocks, fight with police or for that matter pick-up a squeegy! Across the country (and particularly out west) the biggest topic among companies is a shortage of labour - both white collar and blue collar, yet there are no doubt thousands of people who choose to dismiss society and refuse to work. And from what I can see (and I’ve lived in downtown Vancouver for 10 years) these are the same people leading the charge at protests. These aren’t people with a structured opinion on the state of the world. They don’t give a rat’s ass about reason or logic - they are professional anarchists who will pick-up any cause as long as it gives them an excuse to disrupt the public. It’s no different than gang warfare, and they are either part of or in league with the Anti-Poverty Committee. Tell me how this advances your cause? Seriously. Use whatever shred of reason you have left in your ignorant brains and explain to me how anarchy gets your message across.
I’m sick and tired of this minority of people whose sole purpose in life is to create anarchy. If the world was perfect they would still find something to protest against. The point is - they are sheep. They have neither the capacity nor the will to think before acting. They follow a cause with blind faith because it gives them a sense of purpose and belonging, regardless of whether it’s right or wrong. I’m sick of these people that put a stain on our city. It’s time for the silent majority to stand-up and make these people accountable for their actions. Don’t just listen to the people that scream the loudest to help form your opinion. There are lots of things going on in the world, including the corporate world, that are doing their part to help society. The problem is these anti-poverty people will never work with them because they are their sworn enemies. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy and they will be irrelevant at the end of the day. Good riddance when that day comes!
Vikrim