Plight of the disenfranchised in 2016 will make headlines for years to come
KAMLOOPS — Every year at this time, we start to see items about the biggest stories of the year. In the world perspective, Donald Trump’s seemingly unlikely rise to the presidency has loomed above all else. I joke not when I say he might be the top news story for years to come depending on what he does.
In Canada, news editors have picked the Fort McMurray wildfire as the story of the year. That story had a big impact on people, industry, and the whole well-being of the country. No doubt huge.
But the biggest stories for me are always the ones that hit closest to home. And the story that impacted me the most last year was the story of the disenfranchised. It is a testimony to the sad state in which we find ourselves that the number of drug-related deaths continues to escalate, that the number of homeless people continues to jump, and the amount of money we spend on supporting these people in need isn’t rising fast enough, despite the calls for increased funding.
I’m not blaming the government for not solving the problem. We rely far too much on governments to solve everything and they just aren’t capable of it. The government is reacting to the issue, but the supply of funding isn’t limitless. And that’s just a fact.