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Ok….my hot button issues

Posted by crunchy | July 7, 2007 .

Being that the deadline is  tomorrow (July 8)…I better get going here right?

As the ladies at WCW know AND any of the one or two that visit me at Crunchy Ramblings, I have massive issues with the upcoming Olympics and destruction of Vancouver and BC by the greed of big business and real estate.

My big issue these days seems to be homelessness.   Not only do we have the shame of the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver, but housing prices are insane, rental housing is becoming scarce and any plans or promises for MORE affordable housing appear to be pipe dreams and words to buy votes and popularity.

There seems to be no room for those less fortunate or mentally ill, or heck, there seems to be no room for the lower and middles classes in Canada anymore.

Services are being cut left right and centre.

Care for families with special needs is practically non existent.

Care for seniors below a certain income becomes scarcer and scarcer.  They have no facilities for seniors yet they cut the funding for any sort of home care.

There seems to be such a disregard for anyone below a certain tax bracket these days.

Don’t earn over $70K, then you are nothing in the eyes of the government,  be it on a civic, provincial or federal level.

Too many people are being swept under the proverbial rug.

The media helps with this…..our papers are filled with hyping our already out of control real estate market, selling us the magic of a 450 square foot condo and the idea of ‘densification,’

They rarely mention what happened to the business that once  stood where the glass towers of condo’s now stand.   The businesses that employed people.

Where are these new condo dwellers supposed to work?

The Olympic committee promised social housing as part of their project.  This is now becoming obviously untrue and was never really planned for.

Again we are lied to and again we seem to all sit back and take it.

The radical Anti Poverty Committee use violence and in your face tactics to make their point…they media paints them as anarchists with no heart.

I disagree.  I think they are a symbol of how bad things are becoming.  Of what is seems to take to get attention these days.

The infrastructure to support people and families is failing.

It needs attention.   It needs help.

Canada needs to support ALL its citizens…not just the rich one’s.

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14 Comments so far
  1. Daisy July 9, 2007 7:44 am

    Well said. Very well said. Your sisters to the south of the border are experiencing many of the same problems.

  2. Dirk Bauman July 9, 2007 1:25 pm

    You are pulling me into this blog more and more with every post.

    Is it okay if I add you to my blog roll?

  3. Scattered Mom July 10, 2007 8:03 am

    I absolutely agree with you on this one. Housing prices where I live has made it nearly impossible even for families with two parents working in decent paying professions to buy a house. Rental housing is ridiculously high and hard to come by.

    There are many people who were middle class who are now living close to the poverty line because of this, and those that were just hanging on have been devastated.

    I have a real problem with a 14 day party that the majority of the population can’t afford to attend. I mean heck, many are having a hard enough time just paying the rent.

  4. earseyeswideopen July 19, 2007 10:07 am

    High five, to your truthful words:

    “I disagree. I think they are a symbol of how bad things are becoming. Of what is seems to take to get attention these days . . . Canada needs to support ALL its citizens…not just the rich one’s”

    Today I hear that the Anti Poverty Committee is calling for the Olympics to be canceled - wise words.

    The real problem is not the Olympics but the little old boys circle controlling Vanoc for their OWN vested interests - it goes deeper & wider than the public knows.

    Vanoc is completely controlled by Premier Campbell’s circle starting with Poole & his company Concert Properties, not to mention his side kick Ken Dobell.
    Is it any coincidence that David Podmore, Poole’s President of Concert controlled the original referendum on the Olympics & had a huge role on venue development. How come all British Columbians never mind all Canadians didn’t get a vote - it is ALL of our billions being funneled into this scam. Did anyone notice who took over from Dobell on the Trade & Convention centre now drowning in cost overruns? None other than Pod more. People dig a little deeper & look at the linkages - it is a cesspool.

    Where are the athletes in this horror story? They are the last to benefit struggling along on loose change while the BIG BOYS rake in private profits.

    Someone whispered in my ear that a huge scandal is going to break over the Callaghan Valley where the most expensive white elephant: the Nordic Venue & it won’t be through the mainstream media that is in partnership with this old boys network.

    Stay tuned . . . .

  5. earseyeswideopen July 19, 2007 11:36 am

    Has anyone thought of setting up an online petition to stop Vanoc & its kissing cousin: the Campbell Govt., from their dangerous games plundering British Columbians assets on behalf of their own & their pals vested interests?

    Sometimes it takes the strong voices of WOMEN supported by good MEN . . .

  6. crunchy July 19, 2007 1:06 pm

    Good idea Ears and Eyes…
    I don’t know what else gets their attention, the media and the citizens attention…

    I have been emailing city council about a housing question and got NOTHING!

  7. earseyeswideopen July 19, 2007 1:37 pm

    Hi Crunchy ~

    You know the old saying:

    “The power of one is great -
    It becomes the power of many”

    This site would be fabulous to start an online petition.

    Good heavens, when you think that the unfair closing of a hamburger stand drew well over a thousand & still growing . . .think what a petition dealing with Vanoc’s closed dealings would draw???

  8. Chris S July 19, 2007 6:58 pm

    Check out 2010 Watch. There used to be an opinion poll on cancelling the Olympics. The idea of a referendum is a great one and one we called for back in 2003 (remember only Vancouver voted in a non-binding plebiscite, ie., an opinion poll). If more people knew that the costs were well over $6 billion and heading higher, if they knew that some 100,000 trees had already come down for the “greenest games ever”, do you think they’d care? I do. If this website can get something started, we can link it up with 2010 Watch. We just need a juicy scandal to kick the media into action. As one of the voices on this site has noted, things are in the works…

  9. earseyeswideopen July 20, 2007 11:49 pm

    I care, too Chris S along with just about every decent British Columbian I speak with. Even the lady at the London Drugs counter today echoed our feelings posted by all us above.

    So what do you think Crunchy? Chris S idea sounds excellent - re: a cooperative link to 2010 Watch. I just read a similar editorial to yours re: the Olympic horror story on the Care2 Petition site.

    There is nothing like PEOPLE POWER.

  10. crunchycarpets July 21, 2007 7:12 am

    Hey ears and Chris…why don’t we take this over to my forums…click on wet coast talk….lets see if we can get more voices involved in this……

    and for sure do the link…I will work on that today.

    I would love to hear from everyone one else on the subject..this and the whole housing issues, etc.

    I will set up a forum for this and spread the word folks…send people this way to the forums….

    I am a bit busy this week to really focus on a new project (going out of town) but am all for stirring up SOMETHING!

  11. Hollie Pollard July 21, 2007 11:35 am

    are u tellng me VAncouver services have slide that much, wow I can remember when they were on the cutting edge side of things!

  12. crunchy July 21, 2007 11:49 am

    Hollie…yep.
    It doesn’t get talked about.
    It get’s ignored…but it is like ignoring the elephant in the room.
    Staring at the pretty mountains won’t make this go away

  13. earseyeswideopen July 21, 2007 11:52 am

    Wonderful news, Crunchy. I’ll be watching for big news re: the cooperative efforts on the petitions between you & Chris S!!! I’m quite excited about the potential for good.

    In the meantime, have a nice break! I really congratulate you on your site.

    Synergy can create such good results when the intent is ethical.

  14. eareyeswideopen August 22, 2007 5:08 pm

    “Someone whispered in my ear that a huge scandal is going to break over the Callaghan Valley where the most expensive white elephant: the Nordic Venue & it won’t be through the mainstream media that is in partnership with this old boys network.”

    Hi Crunchy! That whisper was were right!!!! Wow this article by Bob Mackin broke in the subscription paper Business in Vancouver a last week!!

    I’ll post the article on Wet Coast Talk