More Police but Poor Education

Remember last Saturday's post? Click HERE if you haven't read it yet, because you definitely need to read it in its entirety before continuing with this post.

My mom shared an article with me that she thought fit into Saturday's post. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit the article into what I had already written, so I decided to just do a new post on it. Here it is, if you want to read it all: https://www.kiro7.com/news/north-sound-news/snohomish-county-proposes-property-tax-levy-to-pay-for-more-deputies/629709759

Basically, the Snohomish County is proposing an increase to property taxes to hire and pay for new police officers. Because we need a bigger force to keep the public in check. But we don't need to better fund our schools first?

It's governors and politicians like these that make me so angry. We are setting children up for failure. We are paying for more police officers, and a better police force, but not paying to educate a student better. We're paying for more people in jail, but not for more books for kids.

We're paying for kids that the public school system failed, to be incarcerated. Because we know they'll fail. We know there will always be "bad kids". "Bad people". And nothing we could've done could've prevented a teen from turning to drugs or theft? Nothing we could've done could've prevented a child from joining a gang?

Of course, these things will always exist. We live in a sinful world and perverted people will always be here until the end of the time. But that doesn't mean that we can't help those kids that were led astray and lied to BEFORE it happens. If we're really concerned with lowering crime rates, why don't we start at the core of the issue? Why don't we start with the schools?

If we raise property taxes, can it please be for something that doesn't just affect the low-income and minority children the most? We all know that low-income, minority children get in the most trouble in school and have the highest rates of turning to crime and getting caught. If we raised property taxes to fund schools, provide more books, provide better curriculum, provide more GOOD, EFFECTIVE teachers and paraprofessionals, WE WOULD

HAVE LESS CRIME IN THE FUTURE.

Of course without Jesus, and in a world where there are bad people and where evil lurks, we won't ever have a totally peaceful society and what we do in schools or on the police force can't change that. But that doesn't mean that we have a right to not try, just because that's how it may always be.

I understand we have to deal with the crime we have now. We can't just let it go, and let the current gangs grow, and let people get shot, and let banks be robbed, and let adults kill themselves with meth. But we also need to think more and more clearly about our future kids. Are we giving them a good future?

Are we setting them up for success in society? No? Then we need to change something. Or at least try to start at the heart of the issue.

See you Saturday,
H.L.W.