good to see there are protesters

You hit it right on the ball here.

That's because the government doesn't know how to fix the problem. Politicians are so messed up. Money rarely gets into the hands of the people who need it - programs that don't work and hiring consultants.

Similar to how governments deal with the First Nations people. Throw money and the chiefs get rich, not the indians.

How does one find the chief of an indian reserve? Look for the house that is 5 times bigger and has three new cars parked in the driveway.

Every child in this country with a native background (1/16th native or more), gets funding from the federal government. This is on top of what other students get. This money is spent on hiring social workers to go around teaching these kids how to make bannock and suncatchers. Once in a while the money is spent on bringing in an artist to show the kids how to carve wood.

The government doesn't care how the money gets spent. All the politicians care about is that money was thrown at the people and that means they tried. It keeps the opposition party quiet.

The time to protest would've been before we got the games. It's too late now, they're going to happen whether you like it or not so enjoy it or ignore it, just don't ruin it for others. I'm not an olympic supporter but I'm not going to go ruin it for others. I'll be on a plane to Hawaii for 2 weeks tomorrow. Mother nature and El Nino will take care of the games.

I've been listening to the bitch organizing all this, flapping her jaw on the radio all day (well, the same flap, just repeated every newscast)... saying how she isn't encouraging violence, but she "could understand" if someone were to try to grab the torch away from a torchbearer...

Now I'm not really a violent person, but if I was the torchbearer in question, I'd be severely tempted to see how robust it is when used as a club.

Of course, it would be terrible to see a protester try to grab the thing and be set on fire by it... :thumbsup:

She's not a bitch. She's a c*nt. It's all about her. She gets her 15 minutes of fame. For all the wrong reasons. She has no clue. Anyway.............

The opposition should have channeled their displeasure into a political force. The NDP is eerily silent and has been for quite some time...

Well, it's tough politically to give the homeless free or severely below-market housing in the DTES which is the last undeveloped/un-gentrified neighbourhood in the downtown core. It would have also been extremely difficult to 'ship' the homeless out to the suburbs or out of province. Seven years to deal with the problem seems like it was enough to get something tangible done, but I think change will take much more time (~20-30 years.) and here's why:

- Drug use. It's enough of a challenge to cut the demand since drugs like crack and heroin are highly addictive, but how do you cut the supply when drugs are so easily available? Organized crime is huge in this city and there are plenty of middle-class kids who are ready to assume the ranks of those who have been taken down by the police.
- Mental issues. Is there enough political will to build a new Riverview-like institution to get these people off the streets?

How many protesters does it take to change a light bulb?

None, protesters can't change anything.

there was this chick in one of my classes a few years ago bragging about how she and her APC members invaded an MLA's office. I called her a dumb mother fucker. i wish i didn't hold back. fucking dumb cunts

Why can't these retards enjoy it while it lasts? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity in our home town, and even if people can't afford tickets, they can still find ways of enjoying the games one way or another.
It's like people don't know how to loosen up and party once and a while.

I disagree. There are many programs for children that can be beneficial for them and society in the long run. Many of these programs help children who don't have a family that provides them with adequate parenting. These are programs with on-on-one counselling for kids who are on the verge of falling over to the wrong side of the tracks.

This I agree on, however I do not agree that you can force someone to be a better parent. If a child is unlucky enough to be born to a bad parent, it's only hope for survival is to have people in the school system who can be surrogate parents and provide some of the life skills that are non-existant at home. Again, I agree that this is the parents' job to do, however if SOMEONE doesn't help the child, they will wind up on the streets. It's better to spend the money on them earlier rather than later.

I grew up downtown. My perception is not skewed, it is first hand. People live there because it is a trap that sucks you in and you can't get out. Whether you are an addict or clean but disabled and poor, you can 'survive' in the DTES because all the resources are close by to just barely keep you alive, whereas doing so anywhere else in Vancouver would be inconvenient. Birds of a feather flock together, so the community keeps growing as it supports itself in it's state of perpetual poverty. People from the DTES rant and rave that it's a family and a community, but the same thing that keeps them together keeps them down. Throwing funding at this community does not help because it does not help them get OUT of the community. They need to get the fuck out of there and start fresh AWAY from the poverty with a community that does not approve of panhandling and sleeping on the sidewalk. They need mental institutions for people who are mentally ill, and they need affordable housing AWAY from the poverty of the DTES, where people can hold their head high and start to regain some self respect.

I also think it is absolutely ludicrous to build 'affordable housing' in the most expensive real estate in vancouver.

100% agree. If you are poor what would you try to live in the most expensive place in the world?

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2...n?size=620x400

Remember this albino dude from the Stanley cup riots? He's with the ORN now along with Chris Shaw.

I hear this a lot, but never any specifics. Just a bunch of hyperbole thrown out there and yelled out loud over and over. Can you name some things that are a waste of taxpayer's money? And attach a dollar amt to it. I'll start.

1. Security - $900B
2. What else?

Same as above.. what exactly is in this $6B? As far as I can tell, someone pulled it out of their ass. I'm looking for someone to prove me wrong.

I can't stand these jackass protesters. Most of them aren't even poor folks that the money would go towards. They're assholes that live off the system. I remember a few years ago, some asshole went on Pratt and Taylor and said outright that he didn't want to work more than 3 days a week and wants the government to provide his housing.

FUCK YOU. I'd burn the money before I'd give it to a bunch of goddamn hippies.

The Olympics are awesome. My only problem with it is that it's going to be a bitch to get anywhere in the next couple weeks.

And they're the people who are getting all the attention. Negative attention. Not helping matters.

Interesting. Which neighbourhood?

Countless people have made it out. Most of the people who ended up there had little to no choice. Remember, I'm not talking about the crackheads and junkies. I don't know how many times I have to say that. Those people need to be dealt with some other way. They have an addiction. I'm talking about the people who live in poverty. I thought I explained this all in another thread. There are families who live there because the rooming houses are the only places they can afford to live in.


It can, if it is put in the right places. Housing drug addicts is a waste of money. They need to be shipped to detox centres far, far away from the DTES or any urban area. BTW, the DTES is pretty much staurated and there are places far worse than the DTES. Surrey, Abbotsford, Chiliwack, just to name a few.

And so.................... this takes............... funding.




Good ideas you have there. Honestly, the government needs to shake their heads and get their shit together. You're one of the very few here who is actually thinking about ways to solve the issue rather than mock the people who are in this situation.

tell them to gtfo, the Olympics are happening like it or not.

Also, why are we talking about this shit? Because of those numbnut protesters. Like it or no, they bring the subject to light. Always a silver lining to every cloud.

I agree with everybody here about the way they conduct themselves. They are an embarrassment.

Like I said previously, we can all help by volunteering and stuff, but there is no direction by any organization. Not even by the protesters. At least not anything that is viable. Remember the Richmond food bank thread? Another example that makes you shake your head. In order to get food to the ones who really need it, you have to waste most of it on other things.

Buddy. This isn't China.........

I'm so glad I live in a part of the world where a person can stand up and say, "This sucks!" Doesn't matter if you're right or wrong or even how you go about expressing your displeasure.

Beats living in a place where you have to go up against a tank to say, "No More."

Here's an old column I found from the Vancouver Sun: http://www.vancouversun.com/Sports/O...886/story.html

The $6 billion is somewhat skewed because money has come from various taxpayer-funded sources such as the Government of Canada, municipal governments, and Crown corporations. But, what people don't realize is that if that money wasn't spent on the Olympics, it would have been spent on something else instead - the value of which would have been just as questionable.

First rule you learn in Public Budgeting 101 - never spend less than you spent the year previous.

IMO if they want to voice their opinion then go for it. But in doing that please respect others by not interrupting what others are doing. it is YOUR/THEIR opinion, and it should not be forced onto others.

ie: that anti-olympics thing that is supposed to go on doing the relay today at UBC, if they are really going to attempt to stop the relay... they are just bringing more negative light to their efforts. If they stood by the side, had some banners up and just minded their manners, people would actually think about the issues they are trying to bring up.

just my 2 cents

I should start my own ANTI-ANTI Olympics group lol

I thought those rights have been suspended during the games. You can get fined $10,000 plus up to 6 months in jail for having anti olympic signs on your property.

I will play Devil's advocate for a minute and say that by being confrontational, they are the most effective in getting their message across. Disruption and chaos sells papers, airtime, etc. so the media will jump on any chance to film anything that appears to be disruptive.

fuck that

the Heineken house is here

While I'm not supportive of the protesting, I do find 'Squatchi' rather comical:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qXcRUWD1NV...6-Squatchi.jpg
I don't support the protesting - the disruptive/destructive type - but I do think that the 3 levels of government could do a much better job of allocating their money to the different parts and people of the city. Everything needs moderation... you can spend $x dollars on one thing (such as the Olympics or crappy projects like public art) but a reasonable amount needs to be spent on pressing issues. You don't need to spend billions into the DTES to have some change. As stated, obviously throwing money into the wide-open arms isn't going to do diddly squat. The more important thing is how the money is spent and how the programs that receive the money are run.

I wasn't 100% of the Olympics coming to town, but I've been caught up in the fever after going downtown and seeing the torch pass by my neighbourhood. It is a treat to have the Olympics in our town, especially for the kids. Social services are just an issue that the government(s) need to address, likely forever.

Does anyone think that the Olympic will further drive up the cost of living? I'm thinking along the line of increased foreign investment buying up all the land causing prices to artificially inflate. People who are in borderline poverty will become poor and be displaced by influx of richer people. Overall effect will still be net positive but at the expense of the under-priviledged.

What actually inflates the cost of living is us. The more we demand, the more it's going to cost.
So assuming the Olympics will bring more visitors into this city in the long run, then the price will increase to adjust for the shifted-right demand curve.