Readers call for tough love on E. Hastings (Downtown Eastside)
Vancouver Courier, June 25, 2010
(Below are 3 letters sent to the newspaper expressing angry frustrations at the city government's pamperings to lawbreakers at the expense of law-abiding people---nbp)...
To the editor
Re: "E. Hastings jaywalkers get 65K study," June 16.
As a Strathcona resident and homeowner nestled snuggly into the armpit of East Hastings and Chinatown, I'm sick of seeing shattered window glass on my sidewalks, finding needle and drug use paraphernalia in my yard, and non-tax paying or self-accountable types sleeping where my dog or neighbour's kids might hope to play or enjoy a break from all the concrete.
I'm not thrilled with paying a mortgage, property taxes, hefty income taxes, and all the rest for the privilege of accommodating addicts and pariah that pander to them.
I have a baby due. As many things as I adore and appreciate about Vancouver, East Hastings and the city's inability to do anything about it except pour funds down drains like 40 oz. bottles of hooch for dead "homies" while I'm staring down the barrel of underfunded schools, insufficient daycare, and overcrowding versus a generally insufficient infrastructure leads me to consider relocation with my taxable income to a location where I see some return for my dollars invested. Like Stockholm perhaps. Tough love has reaped some excellent returns there.
My disdain over East Hastings is nothing I feel embarrassed over. My embarrassment is over paying taxes into a system that can't get its head straight, take action, and live with the fact that anyone refusing to be accountable for their own actions is not actually entitled to anything.
Ian Christy,
Vancouver (Click here to read 2 more letters)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
