Monday, February 7, 2011

I am

A Socialist.

This blog is a precipitation of a train of thought that has gone around my head for some time. I am no Crommunist, but will give airing my politics and values the best representation. The drive to write this come from having been to china town twice over the week end. Its the beggars that wander the street that just brought me from not wanting to write this to now.

Living in east Vancouver, it does not take a long trip for me to find various panhandlers and other street people. I am confident that there is a small army of social workers trying to make people function and be clean. But I wonder as I see people on the street that are clearly mentally ill, though not all on the street are that way I suspect that there is a large long term sub population that is. As I was riding through China town yesterday after nice trip to False creek I got asked for money by one bumm and passed on by an other that was clearly sick and could have had any number of things wrong with him. After that last encounter I realized as a tax a payer I would be in favor of funding proper long term for lack of a better word mental hospitals. This would not solve all problems but it is unethical to leave those whose who need care away from it.

I am not a socialist because I think there should be mental hospitals, but because I think there is a place for a public sector to provide services that make a society work.
Its not complicated, some services are essential a but expensive and can not be expected to be profitable. Education, is the easy sell, with it you can fuel a country's growth. Health care (Death Panels not included) is a second easy sell, healthy people can produce.


Having grown up in a small town surrounded by smaller towns, mountains and lakes. Non of these towns alone or together would likely be able to provide the resources to keep the roads open.  It becomes clear quickly that a place for a level of central planning and funding plays a role in society.

In the end it comes down to there are some things that should be because they can make life better for all or a fix the problems of a few if it is beyond their reach.  It also comes down to its fine for me if the solutions never are profitable.  Heck I think its important to think longer term and big scale and sometimes thats not the place of industry.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Homelessness is Public Health problem. You want to clean it but because you don't want to catch what they got!

MrHobbit said...

Well said.