Long live the Convictionless Stelmach

End homelessness. Sure Ed lets do it. But let’s consider that maybe ending homelessness is more complicated than building a bunch of houses. A voluntary committee says it will only cost 3.2 billion dollars up front. “Only” is a word that you use when it’s not your money that you are spending.

Let’s recap. Ed announces that he is arbitrarily increasing royalty rates on oil and gas resources by up to 50%, and now, 7 months later, with drilling levels at their lowest in a decade, with layoffs happening during Alberta’s busy season Ed wants to open a soup kitchen. How fair. How typical. Socialist puke. Is this soup kitchen mantra supposed to replace the $60,000 annual wage of the 6 or 7 people we had to lay off to stay competitive during the orchestrated oil patch slow down? Well let’s consider some of the propaganda being echoed by the ideological vacant Progressive Conservatives in Alberta

"What we need right now is for the three levels of government to work together to source what works -- and how are we going to fund this, on the basis that we will actually save taxpayers' dollars over a 10-year period," said Steve Snyder, chairman of the Calgary Committee to End Homelessness.

Right Ed why didn’t anyone else think of this. Government helps people. It makes people’s lives better. And logically the bigger the government, the happier and better off the citizens are, right? Or is there a line to be drawn? And how is it drawn? And who draws it? If only we had some case studies….

"Spending the money upfront will save about $3.6 billion in ongoing direct and indirect costs over the first 10 years, Snyder said, while praising the work done by existing shelters and organizations.
It is less expensive to pay for treatment programs that work than allowing the current system to continue, he added."

Is he actually petitioning for a one time payout and then a suspension of the welfare state? Because I would like to know what is exactly being cut to the tune of 3.6 billion if he gets his 3.2 billion up front. And once again if only there were some case studies about government subsidized programs and cost control… subsidization of daycare in Quebec

"The document is asking for just over $2 billion -- $1.4 billion of that from the private sector -- to create more than 11,000 affordable housing units, secondary suites, affordable rentals and rooms for single people."

11,000 homes at $180,000 each. Peanuts, only roughly $1,100 bucks a person, so a measly $4,400 touch to a family of 4, and we are whining. Hell, I know that family struggling to keep their child in minor hockey would love to cough up that much juice to help. Hey what do I care give them the option to work 100 bingos a year. Seems fair

“Decrease the chronic homeless population 85 per cent from current levels within five years, with a complete elimination of chronic homelessness in seven years.”

It's like me with my neighbors, I would like them to mow their grass more often. Well Ed would say that if I buy them a new mower then they would be more apt to cut grass. But what if they already have a mower? What’s if its not a question of need? What if this complex problem has a simple solution? What if I simply place more value upon trim grass than my neighbor does?