I have some disturbing news for Washington, D.C. – They can’t stop AIDS; they can’t defeat Terrorism; the scourge of Obesity cannot be overcome; they can’t reduce Homelessness. They have no hope of reducing Crime. When no one was looking they lost two wars against Poverty.
Before several million Washington bureaucrats begin running for the border in panic, though, the foregoing was just the bad news. As always, if they’ll stop lecturing us long enough to listen to us, there is also good news.
The way to bring about improvements is clear: Accept as fact that attempting to bring about change in Alaska, Maine, Florida, Arizona and everywhere in between, while seated at a desk in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, is prima facie evidence that they are delusional. As the Christmas carol says, “…..it’s been said many times many ways….;”so many times, in fact, that the typical American hardly thinks of it anymore. But it bears repeating again and again, louder and louder each time, if necessary, until the stewards of the present dysfunctional system “get it.” The numbers on our widespread social problems are telling.
In the case of HIV/AIDS, for example, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that at the end of 2005 there were 437,982 people in the US who were infected with the virus. A number with that degree of precision is suspect to begin with, just as when the airlines tell you with seeming certainty that your flight will land at 6:47 PM. Remember, physicians have long been forbidden from reporting that a patient has HIV or AIDS the way they report other public health problems, because of the fear that the patient will be “stigmatized” by others. We can count ourselves fortunate if the true number is only twice the CDC estimate. With the spread of the disease into the heterosexual population, the potential growth rate of the problem has become exponential, as shown by the recent law enacted by New Jersey – one of the most politically correct venues – to test all pregnant women for the virus. The Washington “prescription?” – more of the same.
We’ve all seen so many reports of carbombs in Iraq day after day that even the mentally healthiest among us has become somewhat inured. Even beyond those, though, the overall numbers of terrorist attacks have risen to the point that the State Department announced in 2005 that its solution was to stop including the statistics in its annual report to Congress. Way to go! That’ll git ‘em!
If we accept Washington’s numbers on what’s happened to our collective bodyweight, two thirds of us are overweight and half of those (one third overall) are obese. This has transpired even with two Presidents in a row who’ve been joggers. Of course, one of them jogged to McDonald’s for a BigMac, but still…………….. The words from D.C. have been abundant, but what else? Thankfully, no one in Congress has yet proposed passing legislation banning obesity, but stand by.
The figures on Homelessness in the United States (officially approximately 750,000) are as appalling as those on any of the other problems, and probably as understated as those on AIDS. Among the more alarming numbers is that 142 violent crimes, including 20 homicides, were perpetrated against homeless Americans in 2006. To strain belief even further, attacking homeless people with clubs and baseball bats has become something “fun” to do for youths bored with computer games. The local, state, and federal response on behalf of some who are savagely beaten, critically injured, or killed is to pass legislation making the crimes “hate” crimes. Hah! Bless you, legislatures. That’ll git ‘em! For those not killed, the future looks almost as glum. They get to continue living on the street and/or in shelters and lining up at soup kitchens daily. One third, it is reported, are families with children. Those youngsters are without a doubt receiving an education, but not the kind you would hope for or tolerate with your own children. So, what now Washington? More legislation?
Having touched on the subject of crime just now, we should explore it in greater detail. If we couch it in terms of the percentage, an increase of “only” 2.3% in violent crimes in 2005 sounds much tamer than the 1,390,695 reported violent crimes. Any of the victims, I’m sure, would scoff at my use of the term “tamer.” By the way, property crimes also increased in 2005 – to 10,166,159. Robbery led all other categories of violent crime with a 3.9% increase. The murder rate increased 2.4% in 2005. No need to go into great detail on the public-sector response – the US Congress deplores crime, creates the category of hate crimes, attempts to ban gun ownership, ups the amount of federal grants available, and increases its rate of speech making. State and local governments apply for federal block grants, hire more police officers and then………………hire more police officers.
All of the preceding societal problems are tied in some way to the behemoth of poverty. Poverty is either the wellspring of the other problems or the result. The official number of people living in “poverty” in the U.S. in 2006 is 36.5 million, over ten percent of us. The federal “yardstick” can use more than a bit of polishing, in my opinion. If it’s possible to have a car, central airconditioning, a TV, and a house and still qualify as being in poverty, many others – especially the working poor – may very well find it attractive to quit their jobs and move up the economic ladder into poverty. Nevertheless, the aforementioned societal problems are real. Worse, they are growing. Worst of all, like the resident of a mental hospital, Washington keeps repeating the same “cure” over and over, expecting the result to be different.
A brief word on education – Disaster. The so-called Education System is in dire need of a complete overhaul. Discussing the problem in sufficient detail requires a separate column devoted solely to education.
The solution is more evident to those without a vested interest in the present dysfunctional system. If you’re a Social Worker, a Clinical Psychologist, a Member of Congress, and you have a mortgage, car payments, and tuition costs staring you in the face, even if you understand and agree, you’ll be much less likely to take the steps necessary to turn things around. Turning around means relinquishing responsibilities and authorities to the state and local levels where they used to be; the money, of course, goes with it. Sending a tax dollar to Washington so that they can send it back (minus the 68 cents needed for salaries, heat and light in D.C.) to the local level makes sense only to those who make their living that way. It will happen only when those who presently make the rules are replaced. Listening to the candidates now, though, is equivalent to playing “How Many Times Can You Fool Me.” That makes the upcoming national elections that much more important this time around.

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