Response to Newark's Star Ledger "Braun: Newark's violence points to cop layoffs, breakdown in values"
Mayor Booker is amazed at the "indiscriminate hate and violence" gripping the city. A rash of cop killings throughout the country — shooting deaths up nearly a third in one year, with two dead officers in New Jersey. Historian, claims cities are changing, and not for the better. Less Police on the street and law enforcement in the low police population areas are often subjects of the most brutal acts of violence.
Drastic budget declines are here to stay, strategic cutback management policies and the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better. Proposals suggesting handling neighborhood disputes on the telephone, using volunteers, limiting the use of vehicles to save gas. All that erodes support, effectiveness, and safety of and for the police.
Some claim government spending is what amounts to theft through taxes, because it is. Christie, has called pay and benefits to police "obscene.", because they are.
The historical data doesn't exist indicating laying off police officers leads to increased crime. Yet, Braun concludes: Newark's violence points to cop layoffs and breakdown in values.
The Elizabeth Mayor is correct when he says "the guns, the drugs, and the gangs are not going away." Not as long as prohibition exists to fuel a lawless black market environment where all disputes are settled at the end of a gun. The neighborhood dealer doesnt check ID, doesnt care how old your kids are, all that matters to dealers is that your kids have cash. Thats why federal surveys consistently show that teens generally have an easier time getting their hands on illegal marijuana than obtaining legal and age-regulated alcohol and tobacco.
Those same illegal drug dealers also recruit teens to push drugs on other children. Just ask any teenager where the best place to buy pot is, and the majority will tell you the same thing: their peers in high school.
Unfortunately many conclude the problem is layoffs and broke-down values. This convinces people to accept more taxes and more laws, in trade, for a false sense of security, privacy invasion and individual liberty while government continues to grow and gain more control.
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