It simply beggar’s belief how the outcry over what can only be described as the disgusting conditions that continue to plague the use of public and private property in our city has eluded any reasonable action from our civic leaders other than moralistic rhetoric or the need to study further the obvious results of what is euphemistically described as the “homelessness” situation.
The 1930s depression that spawned hobos, rough living and soup kitchens is long past. What we are experiencing today is nothing more than an entrenched and deepening drug culture supplied with the byproducts of modern chemistry.
It’s an aggressive industry that requires tough solutions that in my opinion have little to do with human rights. When a society creates a “community” that becomes denigrated by filth, assertive actions or the potential risks of disease from discarded needles, any right-minded person would act to protect their community.
This is obviously not an option open to the “general public.” We are, unfortunately, fettered by politicians, an uncharitable comment according to a recent article by Alyson Witts who seems to think that dissing politicians tars the few to the detriment of the many that serve our interests.
Well, Alyson, hang on to your hat. Our inert civic leadership has taken the stance that we all must tolerate the downside of drugs on our streets and “hate the act but love the individual.” This does little to engender my civic pride and abandons me as a taxpayer in the face of bylaws that could easily deal with some of the more egregious aspects of the issue.
In my opinion, the truly “homeless” will never be a burden on the citizens of Vernon because we are not a community of mean-spirited people. The evolving and endless downside of the drug culture is another matter.
We are becoming a society of “sheeple,” penned to the dictates of the elected who, as I alluded to in my opening sentence, beggar belief in their propensity to inaction. I’m not convinced we will be any better served in October.
Alan D. Wilson
