Homeless, Provincial

Nice work if you can get it …

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“I don’t think there was any recognition of that in the budget. The best way to help the homeless is make sure they have the opportunity to find a job” Dave Hayer, MLA for Surrey-Tynehead, said Thursday the budget focuses on giving people opportunity to grow out of the lifestyle of living on the streets.

I sent the above quote to our Abbotsford Mal’s Mr. De Jong and Mr. Van Dongen asking if this was in fact the government policy and whether they agree with this policy. At this time they have not extended me the courtesy of a reply, perhaps it is that they do not view the homeless as constituents. Now I had planned to point out the ideological government doublespeak in referring to homelessness as a ‘lifestyle of living on the street’. The idiocy and ignorance of suggesting that homelessness is something one can ‘grow out of’. That before throwing the word opportunity around they might want to look up the definition:

Opportunity n. a possibility due to a favourable combination of circumstances; “now is your chance”

Chance n. 1. the unknown and unpredictable element in happenings that seems to have no assignable cause; 2. a favourable set of circumstances; an opportunity; a chance to escape.

Apparently this government’s ideology is so bankrupt of ideas that to get back onto their feet the homeless are to rely on ‘the unknown and unpredictable element’. Although how they are to take advantage of ‘a favourable set of circumstances’ when faced with barriers such as no fixed address, no telephone, no access to bathing for personal hygiene, no laundry for clean clothes, no transportation, etc I do not know. Maybe, since chance implies luck the government expects the homeless to be walking out of (their once in awhile access to) a shower, in clean, presentable, donated clothes and have an employer bump into them and exclaim “You are just the man/woman I am looking for! You’re hired!” Fat chance. I guess the homeless are just on the wrong side of the Liberal’s ideological spectrum.

But forget all that. I was reading Vaughn Palmer’s column in the Saturday March 11, 2006 Vancouver Sun about Partnerships BC. The person heading up Partnerships has a base salary of $329,000 and with bonuses can make nearly $600,000. His last salary reported by the government was $499,134. Fat cat. There are 38 employees at Partnerships BC and the budget is for an average salary of $160,000. Nice work if you can get it. Obviously these people are on the right side of the government’s ideological spectrum.

Mr. de Jong. Mr. van Dongen. Mr. Hayer. Never mind about programs that would help me and other homeless be prepared to take advantage of opportunities to get employed and back onto our feet. Forget that. How do I get one of those Partnerships BC (or similar type) jobs??? Who needs a little help when they can belly up to the public trough and pig out on fat salaries $$$,$$$. I am positive that with even an average salary of $160,000 I would have no trouble ‘growing out of the lifestyle of living on the streets’. Better yet I would not have to depend on the unknown and unpredictable whim of luck or accident. Just hand me a Partnership BC salary opportunity and I will seize the opportunity for lifestyle chance.

Carpe Diem! Carpe Pensio! Carpe Spolium!!!

Hmmm

QUOTE

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Any profound view of the world is mysticism. It has, of course, to deal with life and the world, both of which are nonrational entities. Albert Schweitzer

Creating a new theory is not like destroying an old barn and erecting a skyscraper in its place. It is rather like climbing a mountain, gaining new and wider views, discovering unexpected connections between our starting point and its rich environment. Albert Einstein

One can travel this world and see nothing. To achieve understanding it is necessary not to see many things, but to look hard at what you do see. GIORGIO MORANDI

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Letter to editor, Abby News March 16, 2006

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Not a Christian city

Mar 16 2006

Editor, The News;

I have to say I am not looking forward to the casino debate. I am anticipating a multitude of letters arguing that we are a Christian community, and therefore cannot allow such a thing. I am not even going to give my opinion on the proposed casino; instead I would like to address another issue.
As a Christian who is very familiar with the Bible and the words of Jesus, I would have to argue that we are not a “Christian community.” In fact we are far from it. Just because there is a church on every other street corner, and a large population in our community attends church, that does not make us a Christian community. If you think we are such, consider the following arguments. In a Christian community the food bank would not have to beg for donations, and would never be running short of supplies. In a Christian community a youth shelter with ample beds would have been established many years ago. The one we have now took blood, sweat, tears and years, and only has space for two.

We would have a better homeless shelter. As it is, a homeless person can find shelter only two nights per month in Abbotsford. Tell me how the homeless are supposed to know which will be the two coldest nights in a month? We would also have drug rehabilitation for teens, and more for adults. There would be breakfasts and lunches provided at every school, every day for the children who come to school hungry. If you think we don’t have that problem in Abbotsford, spend a few days in a downtown school, and see how many children come without a lunch. There would be social housing provided by churches. I could go on and on.

We have no excuse for state of things in our community. Our churches are overflowing with people, and many have multimillion dollar budgets. Many have new, elaborate buildings and state-of-the -art multimedia equipment.There is no shortage of money in our churches. Why do so many leave it to the Salvation Army to take care of Abbotsford’s neediest people?In a truly Christian community, every church would be doing what the Salvation Army does. Every church should have it’s doors opened to the needy and be known for it’s social programs.

When Jesus talked about who he would welcome into heaven in Matthew 25, as he separated the sheep (those who would enter heaven) from the goats (those who would not) he didn’t commend the sheep for fighting for social and moral justice, he didn’t praise them for building beautiful churches with wonderful programs, instead, he praised them for feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, sheltering strangers, and taking care of the sick and imprisoned. Jesus said that whatever you do to the least of these, that is what you are doing to him.

If we want to be known as a Christian community, all of us need to join the ranks of those who are doing what Jesus actually told us to do. Let’s start meeting the needs of those in Abbotsford who have the least. While the needs of the least of these in our community are so wholly unmet, how dare we even begin to take a moral stand. It will only be regarded as gross hypocrisy.

S.R. Klassen
Abbotsford