[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Russic

The claim of mine you bolded was that most people don't want to make the sacrifices (financial or otherwise) necessary to address this problem, and I'm going to stand by that. You and I are in total agreement that we'd be fine to be taxed more to handle this problem. Are we the majority though? I'm open to the possibility we are, but I can't say I'm confident. Just look at this thread... we aren't exactly all on the same page here about what the problem even is, let alone how to best address it.

I was too harsh in labelling people in this thread as uncaring. Some are (and I understand why), but not everybody, so I apologize if my umbrella was too big.

To me "investment in families" is a massive undertaking that goes far beyond finances. If there was a cheque to cash that would fix that, we'd likely have done so by now. What we likely require is a total societal shift around how we view people and problems.

I'm aware I'm leaving myself wide open to criticisms for not offering tangible solutions, and part of that is because I find the problem so damn complicated. People are here offering up tons of options that have been tried endlessly with very little success. I recall my wife's uncle (a cop) being put in charge of moving the homeless out of Kelowna 15 years ago. Anybody want an update on how that went? Turns out the neighbouring communities had some opinions of his plan.

Solutions I think that might move the needle (that conveniently align with my personal philosophies and life experience):

- A continued focus on quality affordable daycare for everybody
- An approach to mental healthcare in the same way we treat medical healthcare
- Early childhood resources similar to what's seen in some European countries where families with newborns are checked in on and given supplies they lack
- A trauma-informed recovery-based incarceration system

As for solutions to our current issue that won't take 20 years to bear fruit and won't cost 20 gajillion dollars, probably strict incarceration for people who are posing a violent risk. It won't work long-term and they'll likely emerge worse than before, but maybe that's just what has to happen while the long-term strategies can be shaped.

You'd be amazed at how compassion fatigue can erode the biggest of hearts after you've tried to help a few people through addiction issues as they rocket toward their own annihilation as everyone who cares about them gets repeatedly burned. Too many people are callously (unintentionally, for sure) oblivious to the destruction one addict can cause to an entire circle of people. It's frustrating to hear people talk about using nicer words to describe a whirling dervish hellbent on ruining their own lives and scarring (and scaring) the people around them for months and years on end, yet who are quick to be "shocked" at how the actual victims (sober people just trying to navigate life, which as we all know, isn't easy for anybody) can and do have an end to their rope.

Do addicts deserve compassion? Yes. But there is only so much compassion any one of us are capable of giving and I suggest the better approach is to reserve the bulk of your compassion for the 25+ people being hurt on an ongoing basis by every one addict. At least the addict gets high, doesn't have to work, and can just do whatever the #### they want whenever the #### they want. That seems a lot more fun than sneaking to meeting rooms in an office to place a few calls during the day to manage the affairs of an addict, then spending evenings and weekends ####ing around cleaning up their messes while trying to be supportive of an individual who makes detrimental decision after detrimental decision.

I would love to have a softer approach to these people. I didn't start out jaded. I was beat down into it and now I'm just realistic and I don't appreciate the lack of concern for family and friends of addicts - let alone the public at large - versus the ridiculous amount of care and compassion we're supposed to expel from this magical bottomless pit of concern we're supposed to somehow have. And how much time do you think we should all be dedicating to holding some meth addicts hands through their nonsense? Should I take away two hours a week from my family? Guy, in my experience it's double that a day when things go sideways. So now my kids are out a dad, my wife is out a husband and I'm stressed to the max because you want me to have unending compassion for a druggie. No, thanks. Tried that and it's hopeless.

We need to get them the #### off the streets. Just like you'd do with anybody else who broke the law over and over. So, yeah, we're beyond platitudes. It's time for tangible solutions and everything else is getting frightening close to the Southpark-sniffing-farts-out-of-a-wine-glass gif (which I'm not going to go so far as to accuse you of or do you the disrespect of posting that gif).