I would like to thank the various readers who responded to my March 6 letter dealing with the homeless camp. Clearly the issue is a major concern to many. Such exchange makes for a more informed and more involved community.
Robert Siemens’ March 20 response deserves comment. His basic argument is that to a large extent the homeless problem, as it pertains to able-bodied people in the camp, is caused by “structural problems”, inherent in our modified capitalist system. He argues that in our economic system “more people must be seeking work than for whom employment is available”
As it happens, Mr. Siemens’ analysis is not borne out by the facts. As I pointed out, many hundreds of Latin workers are brought to our area each year to do agricultural work for which local labour cannot be found. In sum, there is no local surplus of agricultural workers; there is, rather, a great shortage! The anti-capitalist analysis does not help us understand the challenge.
John H. Redekop
Abbotsford,