What's happening to large cities

[robert.]

Darby pa. 4x the national average. A 20 year old male is more likely to be shot there than in Iraq. Also Wilkes- barre pa. Is bad. Both of them are not major cities

[MurphOnMillerAve]

How about each and every one of those individuals who shot and murdered somebody else being held responsible for himself and for his own actions and life and lifestyle ?

Of course; by all means. But maybe also looking to see how these folks got to where they are and fixing the problems that cause this should also be addressed; life and situations are not always in one's control. Otherwise it's not going to stop and there are going to be more people locked up that we can afford; just treating the symptom and nor curing the disease - not a sustainable solution.

I thought the process began in the home, in a community , wherein ethical and moral values are inculcated.
When I was a child, as far as I can see back to then , I wasn't taught to have my hand held out with an ingrained sense of entitlement; rather, I understood education and earning money for what I wanted, in the present and in the future, had to be earned and worked for, not stolen.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

How about each and every one of those individuals who shot and murdered somebody else being held responsible for himself and for his own actions and life and lifestyle ?

Of course; by all means. But maybe also looking to see how these folks got to where they are and fixing the problems that cause this should also be addressed; life and situations are not always in one's control. Otherwise it's not going to stop and there are going to be more people locked up that we can afford; just treating the symptom and nor curing the disease - not a sustainable solution.

I thought the process began in the home, in a community , wherein ethical and moral values are inculcated.
When I was a child, as far as I can see back to then , I wasn't taught to have my hand held out with an ingrained sense of entitlement; rather, I understood education and earning money for what I wanted, in the present and in the future, had to be earned and worked for, not stolen.

It does. What happens when all of that's absent? What would you be today if did not have a stable home and family, any job, an education, and not even a chance to advance beyond or even meet where your parents achieved and accomplished. What would you be today if you had had no opportunity or chance to be more. Where would you be? We keep saying how everybody has a chance, but that's barely even a fuzzy concept let alone anything close to a hard reality.

I got lucky that my father decided to escape a life in a machine shop or on a farm - off to the Marines, out with opportunity of college and an MBA, and with that achieved and a career he was able to position me for my success.

[rogruth]

Back in the dark ages when I was in school, 1940-1952, kids that did bad stuff were sent to reform school and when they returned from that school
to our school they were pretty much shunned, NOT treated like heroes as they are today. Now you need to understand that I did not come from the best
part of town and many of the parents of the kids I was associated with had jobs that were not always ones that were discussed in polite society but
were a way of life in my area. For instance, my step father was a numbers runner along with his job with the state highway department.
Today the school psychologist would be having mandatory sessions for the teachers so these poor students were not treated as they were in the 1940s.
Now and then some missing person would emerge from the Ohio River. Once in a while a vehicle or even a building would blow up but there weren't
random or drive-by shootings that would harm bystanders. There was a local report that there were more shootings per capita in Savannah, GA than
in, I think, Detroit.
I've said too much.

[rogruth]

I don't know why my previous post is spaced like it is. I didn't do that on purpose.

[rogruth]

Several years ago in Brunswick,GA a young mother was walking her @ 1.5 year old in a stroller. Two teenage boys approached her, pointed a gun at her and said "Give us all of your money".She said that she didn't have any and was told to give them your money or we will kill your baby, She again said she didn't have any money so they shot and killed the baby. They were found guilty and sent to jail but with a bunch of allowances because they were young.
I don't remember specifics.
Brunswick is not a large city @ 15,000. I cry for our country.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Darby pa. 4x the national average. A 20 year old male is more likely to be shot there than in Iraq. Also Wilkes- barre pa. Is bad. Both of them are not major cities

Is there any pertinent demographic factor you feel they might have in common ?

[robert.]

Small in population and heavy on crime. Darby borough is 7 miles south of philly. It's philly's ghetto. The Wilkes-barre part i don't understand.
A friend of mine has a daughter. For a few years she taught 2nd grade in Hazleton pa. every month the state police gang unit would come in and speak with the teacher. Most of the discussions were about kids the should not discipline. These kids had fathers that were gang members in the latin kings,bloods or crips. The state police feared that there would be repercussions against the teachers.
When Hazleton's school district had parent teacher night Several cops would show up in plain clothes. Also the district had to supply food for the parents or the would no show up. Then most had something to eat and left without talking to their kid's teacher. During one crack down by the police they found several kids to be on welfare in 2 states. With most double dipping from Newark nj. She said "sometimes kids' parents would fight out in the parking. All over gang BS. Anyway she packed it up and moved to sunny Williamsport pa.

About 10 years ago hazleton's mayor was all over the news.
http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=64195

[rogruth]

It sounds as though the police were/are afraid of the gangs. So what to do? Let them do what they want? We wonder why nothing is done.
You just gave the answer. Do I want war in the streets? No. But I don't want petty criminals running our cities and towns either.
Is it vigilante time again? Oh no. We couldn't do that. It's not the criminals fault. It's societys fault. All over the world.
Unfortunately, IMHO, there will be blood in the streets any way we go.

IO think I am through with this. It is too depressing.
The political stuff is the same way.
I hope for the best for our country, our culture and our civilization.

[webenda]

Why was your post spaced like it was Roger? Did you keep pressing the return key at the end of each line? I am trying to come up with enough words
here to cause weird spacing. I have succeeded. You did it on purpose, as I did above. When you came to the end of the text block, your typwriter
skills
made you press the carriage return, i.e. the [Enter] key. There is no need to press [Enter] until you are ready to move to the next paragraph. Two more
words to get one more line imitating your post.

[rogruth]

Wayne,
That could be but I don't remember.

[robert.]

Anti trump protests have cost the city of philly 2.9 mill in police overtime. That is in just one month. Philly did not have this in their budget. Their mayor said he could take the money from their snow removal fund. It has been a warm winter. After last nights news I looked at my wife and said that's ironic. They moved the budget from blizzards removal to snowflake protection

[HONDO74]

They moved the budget from blizzards removal to snowflake protection

That's a good one.

[aterry11]

A voice of reason Rufus. Sustainability like the Indian is almost lost in todays consumer driven predatory capitalist world.
Been reading the basis of Bannons political agenda and we should ready ourselves for the coming Fiefdom if he gets his way. Scarey shit there.

Roger in todays world petty criminals have been elevated to captains of industry and even President . You can pick which one.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

A voice of reason Rufus. Sustainability like the Indian is almost lost in todays consumer driven predatory capitalist world.
Been reading the basis of Bannons political agenda and we should ready ourselves for the coming Fiefdom if he gets his way. Scarey shit there.

Indeed. Scarier sill are the ones that fail to see or understand where this is headed and celebrate now. I wonder where they will all be later....probably not accepting any responsibility.

Roger in todays world petty criminals have been elevated to captains of industry and even President . You can pick which one.

The 1% are more entrenched in DC today than ever before; the swamp has just about been restocked with bigger gators.