Jane Pitfield Hates Panhandlers
Cityonline was discussing Jane Pitfield's motion to make panhandling illegal in Toronto, this is the e-mail I sent to City TV & will be further circulating. She CANNOT win the next municipal election....
"Jane Pitfield wants to adopt policies affecting homeless people similar to those implemented in New York City. If she has her way the criminalization of homeless people will become further entrenched in our city than it already is. Her ridiculous accusation that homeless people engaging in panhandling will adversely impact tourism is an age-old irresponsible misrepresentation. It is time to stop vilifying homeless people, especially homeless youth and address the real systemic issues at hand. Panhandling is one of the few economic imperatives available to homeless people. It is an alternative market economy for people traditionally excluded from the mainstream job market. We need to stop scapegoating homeless people and start building affordable housing, raise the minimum wage and income support, and focus on job creation. Perhaps if Jane wins in the upcoming election she can hire several homeless people to work for her in City Hall, generating employment opportunities other than panhandling for them. I have worked with homeless youth in Toronto for ten years & I am tired of the incessant bullying they experience by politicians and citizens alike. They are not the problem. Instead of criminalizing homeless people let's do something meaningful and constructive. We spend so much money policing and incarcerating homeless people, why not put that money towards new housing in Toronto? Enough is enough. We need to address poverty and stop attacking the poor!!"
Excellent points Momo. Hats off to you for your intelligent, comprehensive and logical breakdown of the social injustices.
A stellar example of the power of this website. Empowering the heretofore unheard-voices with respect.
Later,
In other words, like most politicians she is self-infatuated to the max. Unfortunately David Miller has done absolutely nothing to endear himself to me, either.
Why is it that at election time we must always be presented with this choice of being shot, hanged, garrotted or slowly boiled to death in a 1,000 gallon vat of leftover Kraft Dinner?
MAKE POVERTY ILLEGAL. RAISE THE RATES. SCRAP MANPOWER FUCK UP POVERTY PIMP PROGRAMS. LET PEOPLE GO TO THE JOB SITES ON THEIR OWN.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE.
mrmcbinner@hotmail.com
MAY THE BINS BE WITH YOU!
Pittfield is gonna be so far down in the ballotbox they'll have to pick the ballots up off the floor to count 'em.
She hasn't got a hot prayer in a soggy Bible's chance of winning this election. Miller has it tied up and Pitfield is simply a third rate Hollywood Scriptwriter's idea of an antagonist in Miller's story. She's just too stupid to know it. Any attention she gets shooting off her mouth is only the media trying to create a story where there isn't one.
Now what IS scarey is that Miller, His Smoothy Smugness, will slide right back into the mayor's seat without answering a single hardball question about what the hell he's going to do when he gets there. Unless he commits a great crime the likes of which would make Nixon cringe, he won't have to answer for his lack of building the affordable housing he promised and did not deliver. He doesn't have to address any future concerns the voters have, either.
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Susan Ivanova: Confirmed, Survey 1. Upon arrival, you will report for debriefing. [pauses] And just one more thing. On your trip back, I'd like you to take the time to learn the Babylon 5 mantra: "Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova, I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And, if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out!" Babylon Control out. [sighs to herself] Civilians. [looks up] Just kidding about that God part. No offense.
Graeme--you missed "being slimed to death by all the fecal sludge that's slithering out of both sides of the politician's mouths...."
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Londo Mollari: But this… this, this, this is like… being nibbled to death by, uh… Pah! What are those Earth creatures called? Feathers, long bill, webbed feet… go "quack".
Vir Cotto: Cats.
Londo Mollari: Cats! I'm being nibbled to death by cats.
I'm honestly in no state to be responding to this right now, not out of over-indulgence, strictly lack of sleep which generally keeps me going but Kaelin has a way at wearing away at EVERYTHING...
Anyways, yes I agree that Pitfield deserves nothing and we don't want to add fuel to her fire but the poll today was 1124 in favour of passing her bylaw vs 240 against. Now perhaps I should have been on that newsstation today instead of trying to entertain my visiting mom but I wasn't and no matter who hosted that show likely wouldn't have changed the polls.
Obviously I agree with Monica, she articulated her point very well, my only question is when will WE ALL articulate our points togther? This doesn't mean we all have to do "strategic voting" (especially not in a municipal election) but what we have in our favour is time. Lets' make clear what WE want to be election issues and how WE feel. Instead of letting them make US respond to what THEIR platform is lets' turn the tables...
I have a camera and one damn fiesty sense of determination, if you wanna hound these people to talk about what is important to US let's do it!!!
Cheers,
KoLiN
ACT
YOUR
RAGE
...Or is that slime issueing from another orifice? With these people there's no telling!
They could wear their pants on their heads and no one would be able to tell the difference.
I suggest you ask Hazel [as a mayoral candidate] to get on camera WITH you and start playing hardball.
She can ask the questions and let them tapdance on the end of their pencils struggling to answer. She's just about as feisty as you K.
I can create the "hits" once you've got her on camera asking them WHEN the housing is coming--pinning down committments and any other REAL platforms you all want to address.
I suggest you all get the list of OCAP demands then pare them down to the ones that are covered by the City of Toronto.
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JOHN SHERIDAN: You have a face people trust
SUSAN IVANOVA: I’d rather have a face people fear
JOHN SHERIDAN: That too
That line made my day Graeme!
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John Sheridan: I'll tell you one thing, if the primates that we came from had known that someday politicians would come out of the gene pool, they'd've stayed up in the trees and written evolution off as a bad idea ... I always thought the opposable thumb was overrated.