January 31, 2009 Ottawa Citizen

First of all, a big Thank You to Mr. Bryan for his letter (see above) in today's Citizen.
I may be wrong but I think the problem goes beyond Ottawa City Council. And it starts with an attitude that seems to be dominant here in Ontario. I keep hearing that the powers that be have taken the stance that 'Everyone deserves a home'. To deserve means to be worthy. Using that definition, Everyone Does Not Deserve a Home!

And for darned sure Everyone Does Not Deserve a Home that is paid for by the taxpayer. How do the folks on Parliament Hill, the Premiers Office, and the Mayors Office figure that people who kick in doors, rip down ceilings, break bath tubs and sinks and toilets among other things are 'worthy' of a home that is paid for by the taxpayer? These are active drug addicts, not seriously recovering ones I'm talking about.

Right now, if someone leaves school and gets involved in drugs and prostitution, the government will support you! What a deal! Never work a day in your life! Never pay a cent in income tax! Party hard and get yourself a virus or pregnant and the Federal Government will dole out to the Provinces who will dole out to the city, who will put a roof over your head. And while the Province is busy doling out to the city, they will dole some out to you directly - money to live on. When that runs out, you can steal from and terrorize your neighbours. And when you get sick, they will take care of you. When you give birth to a baby you are not able or prepared to bring up, the various government agencies will pay for that too. Then when they reach adulthood, they too can survive on the dole and on and on and on we go!

What a system! And fool that I was for forty years, I worked, sometimes at two jobs! Paid taxes! Put food in the Food Bank Boxes! And then had to fight hard to have myself put on the list for subsidized housing - after one battle with cancer and before a second go-round with the Big C. All that time I could have been, with government help, a drug addict and a thief. Do you work and pay taxes? Do you know you are enabling, via the various levels of government, these addicts and prostitutes? Now you do!

How on earth did we ever get to this low level? I'm a Liberal but this is not liberalism. This is not Conservatism either. But it seems to be part of the new conservatism - the monthly cheques for having babies when you do not really want a baby but you do want the cheque. We have a few of these girls living here. What is society going to look like in 20 years? I really thought my generation was going to leave a better world than the one we came into. It isn't going to happen that way. Not without some very fast, very hard back pedalling. This is Anarchy we are looking at right now!

Want to complain? Well JoAnne Poirier is one place but have a heart! She already has me nagging her. :o) But I would not say the same about your City Councillor. You can find him/her here:-
http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/mayor_council/councillors/index_en.html

Do not stop there. Complain to your M.P.P. You can find them here:-

http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/go2.jsp?Page=/members/members_main&menuItem=mpps_header&locale=en

Money is always a problem but in this particular case, money is not the problem entirely. It is the laws and the rules and regulations. If you really think that the taxpayer owes a bunch of bums and thieves a home and an income, well then go after separate housing for them. Personally, I would give them nothing unless they were sincerely wanting out of the lifestyle they have chosen for themselves. And just to be very clear here - my complaint is against active addicts, not those trying desperately to get off and stay off today's drugs. We have some of those here too and the ones I have met are decent tenants. Helping us, helps them.

Until things change for the better......

Shame on you Ottawa! Shame on you, Ontario!