Vote for Constance Barnes!

Last night I was fortunate to meet Constance Barnes. She was so lovely and friendly and I am so happy that she is challenging Liberal Hedy Fry! I didn't know! Hurray there is hope!! Constance is my hero! http://www.straight.com/news/780526/ndp-nominates-constance-barnes-challenge-liberal-hedy-fry-vancouver-centre

Now normally I am Green but for this I am voting NDP! Constance is for the people. Last night my friend asked who she was, I was like, that's Constance Barnes, she's like a celebrity! She really cares about the people and fights for them.

If you want to know more about Constance then check this out http://constancebarnes.ndp.ca/about 

I first became aware of her when I was following Jagrup's Welfare Challenge. http://mlaonwelfare.com/ She is a fine lady who has experienced hard times herself and has been on welfare. She knows the unfairness of the system and she can relate to others who have suffered the same challenges. Her dad Emery Barnes  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emery_Barnes went on welfare many years ago to make a point about the unfairness of it. Sadly nothing has changed. This video is four years old and still nothing is changed, it's time for change!! I believe that Constance is one of  The Changerzz-http://thechangerzz.blogspot.ca/




Please vote for her. Defeat Hedy Fry and let's get someone in here who will really make a difference and move forward in the positive ways that we need.

http://constancebarnes.ndp.ca/about 

Constance is a popular municipal leader and tourism professional with the experience and determination to deliver results as Vancouver Centre’s next MP.
She’s ready to get to work with Tom Mulcair’s NDP team to:

• take back our coast by stopping environmentally-hazardous oil pipeline development projects;
• tackle household debt with plans for affordable childcare and housing; and
• defend public health care and reverse Harper’s $36-billion funding cut.

If you like Twitter you can follow her here

@ConstanceBarnes

https://twitter.com/ConstanceBarnes 

Mom,Vancouver Centre NDP candidate. Partnership Director Classical Chinese Garden.Advocate $10 day Child Care Plan. Avid cyclist, lover of all things chocolate!

Or if you have a preference for Facebook then check it out here

https://www.facebook.com/constance.barnes.ndp 

Go Constance!! Go!! 

Jagrup is Home!

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Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2011
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita
http://gplus.to/zipolita Google+


From Raise the Rates Website "Jagrup Brar ended his month of living on the welfare rate of $610. He lost 26 pounds in weight, ended up $7 in debt and had to sell his backpack to have enough money to take the Skytrain back to Surrey." http://mlaonwelfare.com/

From his blog
http://mlaonwelfare.com/jagrups-blog-2/
Sharing a bathroom in any situation is an easy way to transmit viruses and bugs. In our SRO, sharing a bathroom with 11 others offers its own health challenges. I’ve often thought about all the people I’ve met with who are living in poverty and suffering health issues. How do individuals with immune-compromised illnesses protect themselves while living in poverty? The answer is easy: they don’t have that choice. Something as simple as a clean bathroom is a luxury not afforded in an SRO.   

I met a man from another SRO who showed me his building which has seven floors. There was only one shower for approximately 120 people – It’s simply unimaginable.  
   
I am told that there are 5,000 people living in SRO’s inVancouver. A majority of them have no cooking facilities. As a result, these individuals have to line up for free food, sometimes for two to three meals a day, spending over four hours in line ups.

Life in an SRO can be quick to break your spirit and your body. It becomes very hard to focus on finding your way when each day is an uphill battle to survive.


Binning- Binners http://mlaonwelfare.com/2012/02/01/survival-binning-and-community/


I was surprised to learn that there are people who spend about 8 hours a day binning to make a meagre $35 – that’s if they’re lucky. This works out to around $4.50 an hour. Binning is really dirty and you put your health at risk. Some of the bins are full of garbage or materials from the SRO’s as they are being cleaned out. Items with cockroaches, bedbugs, etc are tossed into the dumpsters. It’s not uncommon to contract a health issue through binning. I am now fully aware at this point that for those people who are on welfare, under the expected to work category – that if they try to earn extra monies to help supplement their incomes, such as selling bottles or other items that can be salvaged, whatever money is made will be deducted from their welfare cheque – dollar for dollar. If this amount is not declared to welfare – it is considered to be welfare fraud.

I Sure Wouldn't Want To Be Out There

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Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2011
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita
http://gplus.to/zipolita Google+



Well Jagrup is halfway thru his challenge. I'm very proud of his efforts. I'm not very proud of the people of BC. I haven't really seen people saying to much. I have been making an effort to try and share his experiences. But I'm WORRIED! I don't think much is going to change. I am TRYING  to stay POSITIVE!  but based on history, not much will change with out YOU!!

YOU! YES, YOU!  We have to make this government stop punishing people because they encounter hardship. It's like debtors prison. We don't actually send people to prison for being poor but we label them and demoralize them and beat them down until they can't stand on there own and then when they reach out someone kicks them.

Sorry for my rant, but it's how I feel. I am not the only one who feels this way. Anyone who has experienced the welfare system in this province will tell you it's not a nice experience.

Anyways unless people starting writing, talking and tweeting about it more, nothing will change. Please can you BE A CHANGEMAKER. Let's change the system. Let's help people stand on there feet, not kick their feet out from under them.

LET'S RAISE THE RATES!! and RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE!!

Read more about Jagrup Brar Efforts here

http://www.globaltvbc.com/surrey+mla+more+than+halfway+through+month+long+welfare+challenge/6442561044/story.html

http://www.thenownewspaper.com/news/Weary+broke+Surrey+Brar+braces+life+Vancouver+downtown+eastside/6004906/story.html

http://ccapvancouver.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/homeless-jagrup-brar-mla-on-new-years-day/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/crosscheck-how-does-bcs-welfare-rate-stack-up/article2292037/

BRRRRR! It's cold out there, it would be so awful to be homeless. Good Luck Jagrup, and Keep Safe!! I'm saying prayers for you and all the homeless and everyone who has suffered at the hands of this unjust welfare system.