Filed under: Bureaucracy, Capitalism, Democrat Corruption, Domestic Policy, Education, Heartwarming, History, Intelligence, Law, Police, Politics, Regulation, The United States | Tags: Consequences, Reward and Punishment, The Electoral College
Rioters who do property damage need to be arrested, prosecuted, and to have a police record that follows them around and makes it hard to find employment. Consequences work both ways. If you do bad things and there are no real consequences, you’re quite apt to go out and do it again, because it’s fun to do real damage and get away with it. It is simply human nature, and the founders, when they were struggling for independence from England, thought long and hard about human nature and how it works.
If you struggle and work hard and are well rewarded for your efforts, the consequences are that you want to do it again, and maybe those who saw your success will struggle as well.
Yes, I know, some people firmly believe that we put people in prison simply because of the color of their skin, which is nonsense.
Democrats loathe the Electoral College and intend to abolish it at the first opportunity. Yet the founders carefully established it to protect the smaller, less populous states, so that every state would have an equal voice in the union. Democrats just want to be in charge permanently, and don’t really care who they have to step on to get there.
Human nature is kind of a mess. People are selfish, generous, mean, cruel, thoughtful — a mix of all the possible qualities out there. We always remain hopeful that the better nature will win out, but hope remains eternal.
Through all the “Black Lives Matter” protests and demands for reparations and payback, there were some plaintive voices out there that didn’t get enough attention. Jason Riley, who is black, and writes for the Wall Street Journal, has a book out with the rather intriguing title “Please Stop Helping Us.”
Oddly, a few months back a young black high school senior was written up in the national news for walking 3 miles every day to a public library that offered homework help. His efforts earned him letters of acceptance from over 20 colleges and universities, including the one he most hoped to attend. No further notice, no celebration.
Shortly after that, a young black woman who was valedictorian of her class with perfect attendance got a brief article in the media, because she was awarded something like $450,000 in scholarship money. Nobody bothered to report that’s the way the world works. You work hard and put your soul in it, and you are often rewarded by accomplishing your goals.
Neither of the stories got any particular attention as far as I know, but there’s a real lesson there.
Filed under: Bureaucracy, Capitalism, Capitalism, Crime, Democrat Corruption, Domestic Policy, Economy, Education, Election 2020, Law, Police, Politics, Progressivism, Regulation, The United States | Tags: A City in Decline, Can it Be Fixed?, Chicago Death Toll
One gets used to noting the death toll in Chicago over the weekend. Which is pretty disgusting as a matter of fact. An article at Fox News caught my eye. The Chicago Chamber of Commerce president called for a “serious response” to looting. As well he should. He was urging former president Barack Obama to come back to Chicago and use his influence to help, instead of gamboling on Martha’s Vineyard when his home town that made him, needs him.
Here are the shocking numbers: “So far this year in Chicago a total of 2,058 people have been shot and wounded, and 435 have been shot and killed.
America — indeed Chicago — spawned the success that became Obama. Now with ill winds blowing, Chicago needs him more than ever. If anyone should abhor the blood in his old ’hood, it should be Barack. The senseless killing is as surreal as Spike Lee’s “Chi-Raq” and as bone-chilling as the damp winds that blow off Lake Michigan every winter. And yet there is deafening silence from the 44th president.
Chicago’s adopted son has a debt to pay. He owes America a bit more than a feel-good legacy of being “first” or shimmering cameos at marquee events, however cool his gait. He should leave behind more than a league of loyalists who profited from his presidency in lieu of legions who are the least of these.
Interesting. I don’t know why Obama’s presence would help, but I didn’t believe that he was a very good president. Apparently the Cook County State’s Attorney is accused of being soft on criminals and failing to do her job, so crime soars as a consequence. It’s sad to see cities fall. And there will be consequences. People will move and business will move. Will the crime move with them, or stay on in a declining Chicago. You get the feeling that there is going to be a massive realignment in the country. Does anyone learn the lessons so vividly on display? The media which is still prattling about “peaceful protesters” have clearly not learned anything at all, nor do they understand how consequences are and will be playing out.
For example: The Post Office is in trouble. Revenue down, volume of mail down. Locking mailbox sales way up, mail theft vastly increased. That is a consequence of several things. Our public schools are not managing to teach kids to write easily and well, nor teaching kids the history of their country. Somebody’s out there being “peaceful protesters,” and they seem to be of the appropriate age. People aren’t writing letters, but sending emails or tweeting or facebooking.’
I email family, but write some long business letters. Computers are not just changing our lives, but changing us. Think how astonished our great-grandparents and great-great grandparents would be were they to reappear in our midst today. And what would they have to say!
Filed under: Domestic Policy, Law, Police, Politics, Regulation, Terrorism | Tags: Black Bloc ANTIFA, Seattle Police Force, Senseless Violence
Chief Carmen Best has resigned as of the end of the month, and the City Council has defunded the police by $4 million, and voted to cut her salary and that of her command staff. The budget reductions are for the remainder of the year. Here is a copy of the resignation notice that she emailed to Seattle police officers.
I did mention something about consequences, i think. Black Bloc ANTIFA took to the streets of downtown Seattle, when they realized that the Seattle Police were not coming out to meet them. They roared through the streets breaking windows and destroying whatever property they could, without a single police officer feeling the need to intervene. Here are videos from Andy Ngo and Liz Jones. Truly a disgusting bunch of terrorists, for that is what they are, and should be treated as such. Can we discard the “Peaceful Protesters” scam?
There are always consequences. The members of the Seattle City Council should have to pay the damages out of their own funds. More probably they will attempt to raise taxes on the businesses who were hit, and those who luckily avoided it. Go Figure. This is why bureaucracies get a bad name. The citizens can’t complain to the mayor, though. They are trying to recall her. Dunno how our feckless governor, Jay Inslee will be affected. Seriously, I hope.
American Elephants 