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Lauren Catt Jeremy Lanaway English 100 1 December 2011 A Modest Proposal to Aid the Homeless of Canada When walking in any city in our vast country, it is very unfortunate to see that there are people with no home on every street. Their dirty appearance and rank smell is unpleasant to the sense for all those people around them. Most of the homeless citizens are addicted to various substances, having long since lost the ability to function without a fix of their drug of choice. They spend all day begging from those unfortunate citizens who pass by for spare change to fuel their addictive habits. Others often resort to stealing and selling their bodies to raise the funds. The lifestyle that they are forced, or chose, to live is inhumane. No one should have to live like this. It is a perpetual cycle which does not lead anywhere, and is a great burden on our society today. Everyone would all agree on a solution that would rid the Canada of the homeless problem in a way that would be entirely beneficial to society. A solution that could clean our streets up and give money to the government while costing the tax payers absolutely nothing must be a positive thing. With approximately 200,000 homeless men and women in Canada at any point during the year ( No Way Home ), the financial cost to citizens is staggering. The

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following proposal is aimed at assisting, not only our country s tax payers but as well as helping the children of our great nation by providing them with a better education as well. The homeless costs the Canadian people much more than just our spare change. A night in a provincial correctional facility costs approximately $155 to $250 per night, in a psychiatric hospital costs $350; detox centers are $80-$185 per night; and homeless shelters range from $60-$85 for a single night stay ( No Way Home ). Health care for the homeless, a huge financial pit, costing is an average of $4714 a year whereas the average Canadian citizen only costs about $2600 per year ( No Way Home ). The biggest cost is in the criminal justice system. The average homeless person costs $11,410 per year ( No Way Home ) for the Canadian government and, therefore, the Canadian people. For an average Canadian Social Services costs a mere $179 a year, and a staggering $7,893 for the homeless ( No Way Home ). That is over 40 time more than the government is paying. Overall, homelessness costs Canadians roughly $1-billion a year in taxes ( No Way Home ). The men and women that call the streets home are known especially for their involvement in crime and narcotic use. Homeless people are in such an extreme state of poverty that many are forced resort to a life of petty crime to survive. There are many homeless who commit crimes, minor or major, just to get off the streets for a single night. Many must steal, which consequently drives retail prices up, costing the rest of the hardworking citizens more. Others mug and assault citizens or commit auto-theft on a regular basis. Over 30% of those people on the street have been involved in some form of the sex trade, either by prostituting, stripping or phone/internet sex services ( No Way Home ). Great deals of

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homeless are chronic drug users. Jennie Grimshaw states that "Homelessness brings a new set of problems of insecurity, isolation, ill health and physical deprivation, seemingly as uncontrollable as those in childhood . They use drugs to relieve the stress of their situation and to temporarily escape their awful lives, but it only makes their situation worse. The use of recreational drugs are one of the biggest problem in our communities. Reducing the homeless population would reduce the drug trafficking on the streets as well as, eventually reduce the homeless population by removing the number one cause of why these people are on the streets. The less drugs on our streets the better. Another important issue concerning the homeless is their unsightly presence for the rest of the population. It is such a shame that beautiful cities of Canada are ruined by these dirty, smelly, people begging for change on the corner. Tourists do not want to be bombarded by these pan-handlers while on vacation in a first world country. Since many of them suffer from mental illness, they lack many social graces and will pester the tourist, as well as the regular citizens, or say inappropriate things. A creative solution has been devised that will not only rid Canada of this costly problem, but help the economy also. The creation of a homeless hunting lottery where one must purchase a ticket to enter. If their name is drawn, they must pay a substantial fee to receive a tag. This tag allows them to shoot and kill one homeless individual, male or female in any city. The homeless will be rounded up and placed into a designated hunting area, as to protect the safety of our citizens. The same law of wildlife hunting will apply; the kill must be a swift and humane.

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This solution has many advantages to Canada, its citizens and its economy. It is equally beneficial to all, including the homeless, because it is common knowledge the homeless cannot possible be happy in their situation and wish for a end to their suffering. Firstly, there will be a charge of $100 to even enter the lottery. If a person s name is selected, then you must pay a hunting fee. The proposed fee is to be $10,000. With roughly 33,000 homeless men and women in Canada on any given night ( No Way Home ) , the Canadian government will be making $330 million from tag fees alone, a huge profit with huge potential benefits. This money should be put towards education, because it is children who are the future of our great country. Better education means a brighter tomorrow for everyone, present and future generations. The homeless will no longer be a drain of funds for the government, but rather a source of income leading to a brighter future. Secondly, the massive improvement to our community through these funds and lack of homeless people. Less homelessness means cleaner streets and other public areas. There would be no more tent city occupying parks, allowing our children to play freely without fear of attack. The spread of HIV/AIDs would also be greatly diminished through sexual transmission or sharing of needles. Less police presence would be required, which would mean a small amount tax payers dollars spent on their salaries. Thirdly, it would be a great source of entertainment to the winners of the hunting lottery. Hunting is already a very popular activity in Canada. Adding an intelligent prey would bring the sport to a whole new level. The challenge of the hunt would be greatly increased with intelligent prey, much like the big game hunters in Africa. Hunting is a great way to get exercise

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and fresh air. The government could also be provided with military contracts, allowing soldiers to get real experience against a human target. This would create better, smarter soldiers to protect our nation. There are no reasons that anyone would object to this solution. Any talk of affordable government housing, trade fairs and job training for the homeless, or better addiction recovery clinics (Paulson) is nonsense and ultimately a waste of time. No one will ever but any real effort into attempting to solve this issue these ways. The only real solution is elimination. The sad sight of the great amount of homeless men and women living in the community is a tax on society, both financially and emotionally. With the elimination of homelessness our country will flourish and life will be better for all.

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Works Cited Grimshaw, Jennie. Homelessness and Crime. The British Library. n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. Paulson, Monte. Seven Solutions To Homelessness. The Tyee. 8 Jan. 2007. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. No Way Home. CBC: The fifth estate. 10 Mar 2004. Web. 19 Nov. 2011.