Friday, August 26, 2005

Toronto The Worse

Joe Warmington's Sun column paints a picture of Toronto that those of us who have to live here see every day, wish they didn't, but that no one seems to have the guts to do anything about:

When it comes to the look of downtown Toronto these days, does anybody care?

There is a so-called homeless guy sleeping on Yonge St. with his hand straight out ready for change.

It can't be easy keeping your palm open -- ready for any coins that may drop -- in between snores.

Meanwhile, lots of sections of our great city have become a cesspool.

You know it's true. The sad part of crime is it all starts with what they call low-level stuff. Break and enters and stolen property, etc. You don't even report that stuff to the police anymore.

There's no point.

The problem is when you ignore that stuff, you've already given the criminals room to move. Welcome to Toronto.


Our governing classes do nothing because those of them who haven't already moved to the suburbs really couldn't care less what happens outside their safe little corners of the Annex and Rosedale.

Getting tough on crime and attacking its real causes isn't a priority for them, because they can afford to live far away from them.

Far cheaper to buy off the plebs with promises of increased social spending and amenities--bread and circuses--than actually do something. Like put extra cops on the beat, on foot and out of their cars. Or crack down on petty crime and vagrancy before it encourages others to escalate to bigger crimes. Or smash the gangs with speedy arrests, trials, and deportations.

They can live with their smug self-image as residents of the most enlightened, diverse and tolerant multicultural city on Earth, because they can afford not to have reality intrude upon it.

Those of us who have to run the gauntlet of vagrants begging for spare change on the way to work--who can't use bus shelters because some bum is squatting in it and has pissed all over the seats--who can't let their kids run around in the local park in the evening because of the heroin addicts shooting up and the homosexuals seeking thrills in the bushes--don't have that luxury.

1 comment:

another lisa said...

Exactly why I would never live in Toronto!