Nobody Daily – 6/27/08

Nobody Asked Me But:

Happy Birthday granddaughter!

I’ll give $1,000 to make my Los Angeles safer. I’ll write the check today.

I wrote the above as the lead for a piece in the Los Angeles Daily News 17 years ago and, as was brought home at a neighborhood meeting that I attended Wednesday evening, little if anything has changed. Those attending expressed concerns about local increases in burglary, robbery, drugs, loitering and graffiti. The police officer urged us to be vigilant and to call and report any suspicious activity. But she could not promise a rapid response unless a crime was being committed. “We are just spread too thin,” she said.

And they are. Los Angeles has 25 police officers per 10,000 residents. New York and Chicago have 40 per 10,000. That is a huge difference, made even more so, by the way our city is so spread out.

Several people were frustrated and upset by the officer’s answer. And on one hand they had a right to be. The primary function of government is to ensure the safety of its citizens. On the other hand, unless they are willing to vote an increase in their taxes, they should stifle their complaints. Security, like most everything else of value, cannot be bought on the cheap.

As I was writing this, a news bulletin reported that the Supreme Court had just ruled in favor of the right to own guns – but not the absolute right thank goodness. While I still strongly believe that we would be better off without that right, I can see why some people look to guns as a way of protecting themselves. However, more cops are a much better way to safety than more guns.

THE SHRINK

Shrink: "Robert, you seem agitated today."
Robert: "Home or highway, I don’t feel safe anymore."

Shrink: "What can you do about that?"
Robert: "Cops! I demand more cops!"

Shrink: "That’s a good idea."

Shrink: "But you know that it is going to mean higher taxes to pay for them."
Robert: "Volunteer cops! I demand more volunteer cops!"