[trevorhayden]

The poverty industry is a lie created by neo fascists to turn us working people against each other. We need direct government equity programs, not a proliferation of church based non profit charities.

 

[thommyjo]

Clearly a lot of armchair mental health experts and therapists on this forum. Lol oh boy. You guys crack me up!

Can you show us a North American city that has fixed their drug and unhoused problems with the strategies you’re supporting?

 

[thommyjo]

The poverty industry is a lie created by neo fascists to turn us working people against each other. We need direct government equity programs, not a proliferation of church based non profit charities.

And you can say this. But if it wasn’t for faith groups providing billions in funding ON TOP of taxes those individuals already also pay, things would be a lot worse.

People love to critique faith based/related orgs, but don’t realize many of them are supported by average people giving an extra 5-15k a year to charities because of their religion, on top of taxes paid. Outside of the super wealthy, non religious people give very little to charities.

So just be careful what you wish for. You might not agree with, believe, or like how Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc live. But the financial and volunteering contribution those groups make to our economy and social welfare is massive.

 

[SarcasticMarmot]

Should this tread maybe be split into a Valley Line East one focused on how things are going with the running line and a separate Valley Line West construction thread?

 

[ChazYEG]

Outside of the super wealthy, non religious people give very little to charities.

I'd love some sort of reference for this quote.

 

[ChazYEG]

We need direct government equity programs

Please, enlighten us as to how we'll fund these programs? More taxes?

 

[IanO]

We asked that years ago, but the prevailing winds said to keep it as one.

 

[cent]

I agree, it is complex. Having walked past the Valley Line shelters today at 102 and 102, there was a whole cook shop going on in there. Candles, bags, people, garbage. Enough is enough. Some people need REAL help, ie, taken off the streets and locked up in a 4x4 cell until they detox. At what point do we give up with the current cycle of nicely, nicely, pouring more and more money into this ( at the expense of the law following, hard working folks of society). It is time to realize that some people cannot be helped, plain and simple.
Everybody has rights, but your rights end when you cannot or are unable to function as a part of a civil society. Intervention by the state is needed, the status quo has not worked. There is no way in hell I would ever support taking some of these people off the street and placing them into their own home. Can you imagine ??? The pipes would be sold, copper ripped out, place trashed, the opportunity cost is simply not worth it anymore.
I am starting to wonder if the people advocating for more social services have a vested interest in this ideology, looking after their own interest, instead of the public good.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.
A cook shop in a LRT shelter is a bridge too far.

Many statistics from other countries that follow this approach doesn't really go anywhere.. and then they start drug wars which can just overspill to more communities, more spending for militarizing police, causing more instabilities to even more communities. Also, asking for a friend, when has policies and legislations surrounding homelessness in the province ever become consistent especially with funding for programs? Add in to that the constant job insecurity that many corporations in North America have been playing for years plus the lack in commitment to housing, more so, affordable ones.

Please, enlighten us as to how we'll fund these programs? More taxes?

Why is more taxes the common solution people see? I understand more taxes is always a hard idea to support. What about better tax spending and accountability from politicians i.e. not pay for dying or profitable corporations by saving them and then those layoff hundreds, if not, thousands of workers anyway? What about better balancing of budgets instead of pouring billions into one industry that's highly profitable anyway (airports and automobiles)? What about not allowing oligopoly on many industries and also land ownership through more public ownership of such? There's so much more options than raising taxes.

 

[Didama]

let's get some LRT updates..

 

[SarcasticMarmot]

We asked that years ago, but the prevailing winds said to keep it as one.

I wonder if its worth revisiting now that the East is up and operating and its a completely different set of discussions than the construction updates it would have been a few years ago.

 

[Gronk!]

let's get some LRT updates..

Yes please. A couple of days ago I asked the moderators to move the homeless discussion to the LRT Safety thread - crickets.

 

[mBertan]

Stony Plain & Groat bridge (visible) status – today

 

[Habibfazil]

Stony Plain & Groat bridge (visible) status – todayView attachment 557843

looking good, how long before it's estimated opening?

 

[thommyjo]

I'd love some sort of reference for this quote.

Let me find some. In my NPO class at the UofA I remember a pretty stark % breakdown that always stuck with me for giving as % of income based on religious affiliation. It was like 3.3% for Christians. 1.1% Muslims, and 0.3% non religious.

Here’s one from Maclean’s that has for avg annual Canadian giving:

$2345 for non religious
$7178 for actively religious

And this quote is interesting too. It’s not just that they give more cause they give to religious things. They also give more and are more loyal to other causes as well if they identify as religious.

“Cygnus Applied Research, a Hamilton-based company that tracks donor intentions and charitable trends in the U.S. and Canada. Its annual survey of some 22,000 donors on both sides of the border confirms religious conviction has a major impact on philanthropy, says company president Penelope Burk. “It’s not just giving to one’s own faith,” she says. “Actively religious donors are more likely to give to, stay loyal to and give at a higher level to other causes.””

https://macleans.ca/news/canada/the-value-of-giving-in-the-valley#

Also attaching a pick from another site citing some research.

 

[TAS]

Let me find some. In my NPO class at the UofA I remember a pretty stark % breakdown that always stuck with me for giving as % of income based on religious affiliation. It was like 3.3% for Christians. 1.1% Muslims, and 0.3% non religious.

Here’s one from Maclean’s that has for avg annual Canadian giving:

$2345 for non religious
$7178 for actively religious

And this quote is interesting too. It’s not just that they give more cause they give to religious things. They also give more and are more loyal to other causes as well if they identify as religious.

“Cygnus Applied Research, a Hamilton-based company that tracks donor intentions and charitable trends in the U.S. and Canada. Its annual survey of some 22,000 donors on both sides of the border confirms religious conviction has a major impact on philanthropy, says company president Penelope Burk. “It’s not just giving to one’s own faith,” she says. “Actively religious donors are more likely to give to, stay loyal to and give at a higher level to other causes.””

https://macleans.ca/news/canada/the-value-of-giving-in-the-valley#

Also attaching a pick from another site citing some research.

View attachment 557891

Donald Trump can also verify the claim that religious people donate more money as well. His campaign and legal defense is very appreciative, too.
Although that's mostly white evangelical Christians. Many other religious groups support the democrats.