I believe the Vancouver City Council should think long and hard before asking the taxpayers to vote for an affordable housing tax. Those of us who pay taxes already pay for affordable/subsidized housing and homeless shelters through federal and state taxes. It is time for the private sector to step forward, with such programs as Habitat for Humanity.
Increased government spending will not solve the problem. Case in point is that a private developer can bid a construction project at a much lower cost because he does not have to follow layers of government rules, which are attached to using government subsidies.
I and others do not believe we owe the poor greater entitlement. The poor owe the folks, who are giving either through a mandate or from their heart, a sense of individual responsibility. Establish a system where rewards come with contributions. Something as simple as cleaning up trash around Share House, paying for the broken window at Lincoln Place, not taking advantage of disabled parking at Lewis and Clark apartments, and cleaning up the dog droppings around the housing projects such as Vista Court and Columbia House.
There is a role for private dollars. We need to step up and find ways to leave our entitlement attitudes and find a solution that does not include relieving people of personal responsibility for their own lives.
