We have to do something about the ‘homeless.’ Now, I do not mean this in the typical mushy-minded liberal way. When I say we have to ‘do something’ I don’t mean that we need to throw more money at them, build ‘social housing’, give them free drugs, or pay for them to ‘get in touch with themselves’ via interpretative dance. I mean that I want to get them off the streets either by having them get jobs or, failing that, having them arrested for vagrancy. That might sound harsh but, having seen the consequences of a policy of permissiveness towards the homeless first hand, I can tell you that the alternative is much worse.

Vancouver, British Columbia has long has a reputation as one of the nicest cities in North America. It even recently managed to win the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. However, the reality of Vancouver radically differs from its reputation. The streets of the City are overrun with crime- prostitution, vandalism, drug dealing, theft, rapes, assaults and murders. In all categories, except for the final one, the crime rate exceeds that of major American cities such as New York and Los Angeles.

At the present time Vancouver is also being plagued by a mixed group of the homeless and ‘activists’ who have set up camp in a number of city parks, an act which, owing to a loophole in city laws, is not presently illegal (Vancouver has no anti-vagrancy law). These camps have become lawless pits of anarchy, centers of drug-dealing activity, and make our downtown look like part of a Third World country. No city with any self-respect would allow this sort of chaos.

It’s time that we get over the myth that the homeless are blameless for their predicaments. Ought we have sympathy towards them? Sure. Should we show compassion? Of course we should. But I fail to see the compassion in having people live in public parks. The homeless don’t need handfuls of cash. If they suffer from mental problems (as many do) they need to be committed to mental institutions. If they don’t- and they suffer from drug or alcohol dependency- then they need to be put into treatment, forcibly if so required. In dealing with these people we ought to recall that it was they who decided to become dependant upon drugs or alcohol. It is they who, in many cases, refuse to take the medication that could make them whole again. Yes, the homeless need our compassion but as, or even more, importantly they need a solid kick in the ass.

Homelessness doesn’t just hurt the homeless: the sort of disorder that we see on the streets of Vancouver today creates a general sense of disrespect for the law. When there are vast open-air drug markets, filled with people who look as though they could have stepped off of the streets of Mogadishu, people lose respect for the police who appear impotent to enforce the laws. When people have no respect for the police, no reason to fear the law- then it serves as an inducement to lawlessness. Where there is no law the people lose respect for everything. That is why every building in many areas of Vancouver looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic film and the streets are covered in dirt and garbage. That’s why we’ve suddenly got homeless beggars harassing people in Vancouver’s outer suburbs.

Vancouver’s City Government will not enforce the law because it is run by a motley crew of socialists (and worse) who have an ideological affinity for criminality. If anything, they have encouraged the further spread of lawlessness by opening up Vancouver’s first ‘safe’ drug injection site, by attempting to pass new zoning laws which would have, in essence, have legalized prostitution and by actively conspiring with the park ‘squatters’ to prevent their removal.

Too many people approach the homeless dilemma with only soft solutions. I believe that the City Government and their ilk ‘care’ about the homeless, sure. But the problem is that all that caring and a buck won’t even buy you a cup of coffee these days. It’s one thing to care: it’s another to actually do something. It might sound harsh or cruel to arrest people simply for living on the streets. But, I ask you- how is letting them stay on those streets a demonstration of empathy? Not only is allowing the streets to be cluttered with these people detrimental to the good of society as a whole- it’s bad for them as well.

Individually the homeless may be sympathetic. Collectively they are a menace. It’s time for us to face the hard truth and embrace hard solutions.