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Odd_Shirt_3556 t1_j2flkml wrote

So where in your paradigm does personal responsibility, education, and abiding by the law fall in your undertaking of more social programs? Not being spiteful, honestly curious how we can spend more when so much seems wasted now. There are 501 school districts in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia comes in # 17 in spending per pupil. ($13283 per student) It ranks #450 in standardized tests. By any measure, that is a problem. There are an enormous amount of districts doing more successfully with far less money.
I get your statement that prisoner recidivism is a problem. It is.. but again the educational opportunities there are usually ignored or unused. I’m not necessarily against spending money, but throwing money at a situation with no results is not going to help. What we have done doesn’t seem to be working.

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turbodsm t1_j2fuj71 wrote

I think it's hard to judge the actions of others through your own personal lens.

  1. Police funding is up 33% since 2015. Or almost 200 million even while the size of the dept has been reduced. (More vacancies)
  2. 0 libraries are open on the weekend in Philly. So should we keep throwing money at police?

I think a drastic approach is needed. Remove blight in neighborhoods, build new schools and playgrounds, build entire new neighborhoods with local labor. Start a jobs program and teach new skills.

Unfortunately, you and I understand personal responsibility and how to live with others. We recognize long term consequences for our actions but these high schools kids do not. It truly needs to be a war time effort to right this ship. Like IEP in schools, the same system needs to be created.

My basis for this extreme help is realizing you just can't live in this world without money. Hunger makes people desperate. You and I might channel that energy differently but there's a whole range of different intelligence out there. That's why mental illness is found in higher rates in prison populations versus the whole population.

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