Twisted priorities

I know that this is going to truly annoy some people. But what the hell is wrong with people who will bend over backwards to help someone who has come here from another country who is struggling, but would literally step over a homeless citizen of Vancouver in the street who is trying to survive right here? I mean, wtf? I’m all for support for refugees, but I’m disgusted by the lengths that people will go to in order to help someone foreign when those same people turn up their noses at equally deserving people who happened to be born here. Our government will hand out money, medical care, housing, etc, to someone whose own corrupt government (no I’m not talking about Ukraine) doesn’t care, when they won’t do that same thing for their own citizens! It’s nothing but a freaking photo op for them. “Let’s help these poor unfortunate people from foreign lands because we’re such a magnanimous and generous government. But let’s completely ignore the people who might actually vote for us because they’re not as popular a cause.” I’m thoroughly disgusted. I’m on a neighbourhood fb group where someone just asked everyone to shell out for a “struggling family” from Africa because our government hasn’t given her enough money for a decent apartment, clothes, a good job, and food. I mean, seriously? Has this woman even looked around at our own neighbourhood and city to see the suffering happening every single day? Does she not read the local news? Obviously she is so clueless that she doesn’t comprehend that our government doesn’t give it’s own disabled and poor/disadvantaged citizens enough to even buy food nowadays, let alone a decent place to live. No. It’s so much more popular and IG and FB friendly to loudly proclaim your support for everyone else except for the citizens of the place you actually live. I want to puke.

24 Comments

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Totally Agree

May 27, 2022 at 12:04am

Thank You, I have been saying this exact thing for so long now, and I'm sure I'm looked at as uncaring. Charity begins at home is the old saying, and I firmly stand behind it. What is wrong with our government and our citizens?? No problem letting Canadians struggle and go without, but make a huge deal of helping refugees or newcomers. Things really need to change, I am sick to death of this crap too. Do gooders should help their neighbor first. Now that would be worth bragging about!

25 5Rating: +20

Anonymous

May 27, 2022 at 4:04am

Canada should have manged its natural resources better and created a Norwegian type Superfund, with that it could have given everyone UBI, instead they country practically gives its resources away.

27 1Rating: +26

Make belief

May 27, 2022 at 4:38am

People are who they want to be online, who they want others to see, or the trend de jour. A good example is that a bazillion democratic politicians ripped on Florida for the entirety of the pandemic, yet those same people were constantly photographed their maskless enjoying the sun, telling people not to go during spring break but the reason they went was because they had business there.... during spring break. you are who you are when no one is watching.

10 2Rating: +8

Not that easy

May 27, 2022 at 7:35am

We get over a million dollars a day in funding for the DTE. Mental illness and addiction is the problem. Homelessness isn’t going to change unless these problems are addressed seriously. Yes, we have a housing shortage. But many don’t take housing for various reasons. Too many rules etc…We try to feed them give them their meds the best we can. It’s a battle. We try to help but still get abused every day. You have no idea what that refugee family has gone through. You would deny them help because they aren't Canadian?

21 7Rating: +14

Doncic

May 27, 2022 at 9:32am

If you have ever travelled you would know that being homeless in Vancouver is still 100 times better off than being poor in many other countries. The amount of resources available for homeless here is staggering. If you cannot make it here, you cannot make it anywhere.

14 8Rating: +6

I am...

May 27, 2022 at 11:24am

... very surprised that the censors allowed this to be posted. I have friends on disability who are not 'expected to work' but who, for all intents and purposes, would be homeless if they did not work. I also know people on PWD benefits who are literally unable to work.

Here is the basic problem, just considering PWD. The Province has somewhere around 100k PWD cases, give or take. So, for every 100 dollar increase to PWD, you have 120,000,000 in new spending.

Let's say that we agree CERB was bare minimum, who could survive on less than $2000/month? This is hardly "living the high life" anywhere in Canada---many people on assistance can't live in rural areas, they are warehoused in cities even though international law says that should have ended decades ago: disabled people are supposed to be able to choose where they live, within reason. Maybe you don't get a Penthouse, but you shouldn't be de facto forbidden from living in a small, quiet, rural community because you cannot afford gas and a car.

PWD benefits currently amount to about $1358 a month. So, that leaves a deficit of $642. We would need 770 million in spending every year to add that much money to the PWD rate. That would require either cuts to other parts of the budget, or increases in taxes, somewhere. The budget is somewhere over 65 billion/year in expenses, so 770 million is about 1.2%, give or take.

It is completely doable in any number of ways, but there is no political will. A friend of mine once had a meeting w/ a minister of the government (NDP) concerning this issue, and the clawback of CPP Disability money for PWD. The Minister said it "wasn't being talked up on social media" so it wasn't a big deal.

And this is presuming the only issue is a dispassionate spending decision, where everyone agrees the rates are too low. You have all sorts of people who think the rates are fine, that disabled people are "lazy," all of the "sturdy beggar" stereotypes that emerged in Elizabethan England (and earlier) still exist.

Most people would rather throw $200 once a year at a refugee family in private charity than have Government introduce 3/4 of a billion dollars in new spending for PWD.

7 5Rating: +2

I get what you’re saying

May 27, 2022 at 12:30pm

I too believe we should take care of our own local population before others not from here. That being said, there is no shortage of people to help in this world. I could allocate money to my parents, siblings, coworkers who have Ukrainian relatives, the SPCA, seniors groups, there us so much need out there I am conflicted in where help should go. Giving help is never a bad thing in my mind. But when things are so expensive in Vancouver for the locals, disabled people on fixed incomes, etc. yes I totally get the outrage over prioritizing giving assistance to non-Canadians.

15 2Rating: +13

Thank you for saying the unsaid

May 27, 2022 at 12:51pm

I volunteer with Rainbow Refugees, and as happy as I am to help the exact some thought occurs to me as well. I'm a working professional, immigrated here without any support and have struggled to make a life here. I also see my fellow Canadian struggling to find housing, food, wondering if they can pay rent or stay where they are living....these are all people with solid "middle class" jobs. I can't imagine what it's like for someone wokring minimum wage or less. We contribute willingly to refugees and make sure they have better living conditions than we do, we housed a refugee recently and he lives in a nicer and bigger space than I do. I'm starting to resent this a lot and I'm wokring to help them.

16 3Rating: +13

@i am…

May 27, 2022 at 1:14pm

You’re surprised? Hahaha such an authoritarian. Let me guess, you’re in university?

5 5Rating: 0

There are only….

May 27, 2022 at 2:58pm

….about 3 billion people that would gladly take the place of anyone in the DTES — as bad as it is — just to get a crack at citizenship. Unfortunately, nothing ever seems to improve down there; it only gets worse.

9 6Rating: +3

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