v***@aol.com
2006-01-23 02:19:28 UTC
Ten years ago, Mike Harris slashed Ontario's welfare rates by 22 per
cent, thereby cutting by almost one-quarter the incomes of Ontario's
most vulnerable families.
The young kids in those vulnerable families are now teenagers.
Recently, there's been an upsurge in violent crime by gangs of
teenagers. Is it far-fetched to think there might be a connection?
There's ample research to show that conditions of poverty, economic
disparity and social marginalization are among the factors that lead to
crime, notes Wendy Cukier, who teaches justice studies at Ryerson
University.
But in recent years, our ruling elites have steadfastly ignored such
well-documented and intuitively obvious connections, as they've
redirected an ever bigger share of the national income to themselves,
via tax cuts.
That was why Harris cut welfare rates - to deliver tax cuts, with the
biggest tax savings going to the richest members of society. The Harris
policies took money from the poor and handed it to the rich.
Did we really think this wouldn't affect poorer children, who already
faced more difficulties than their schoolmates?
Of course, during the Depression, people suffered great poverty without
turning to crime. But back then poverty was the norm. Today's poor live
amid general affluence, giving them a dangerous sense of exclusion from
the mainstream.
The Harris government also cut spending on an array of programs aimed
at ensuring disadvantaged kids integrate into the mainstream. It cut
funds for teaching English to immigrants, for social workers in the
schools, for community recreation.
And when some kids behaved badly, it banned them from school with a
"zero tolerance" policy. Where did we think they would go?
For an angry teen who feels excluded from the mainstream, a gang offers
a sense of belonging, prestige, dignity and status among his peers. The
mainstream offers less and less.
Of course, the mainstream offers jail. The Boxing Day slaying in
Toronto has renewed calls for toughening up our criminal justice
system.
That's understandable. But it's also what we've been doing for the past
decade. We've toughened up our laws considerably, including mandatory
minimum sentences for gun-related crimes.
The courts generally deal harshly with violent criminals - as they
should.
But if we really want to make this a liveable society, not just enjoy
the satisfaction of locking up bad people, we should intervene much
earlier.
We still don't seem to grasp the connection between slashing social
supports and social breakdown, including violent crime.
In the midst of the current election campaign, the Conservatives are
promising massive tax cuts, rather than massive social re-investment.
Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada follow the
Americanized George W. Bush's ideology of privatizing healthcare,
defunding important social programs for immigrants, parents, children,
disabled people,
and senior citizens. Stephen Harper would much prefer to demolish
Canada's social safety net and instead spend tax payer's money to build
huge massive American style jails from coast to coast to deal with the
rising crime that will insure from more and more people being thrown
into a life of poverty and crime. This is not the Canadian way, and it
is not even the
way of the old Progressive Conservative Party of Canada under Joe Clark
and Brian Mulroney. It is instead the American way. The way of George
W. Bush.
Tax cuts may put more cash in our pockets. But are we really better off
if we have more cash for shopping - yet no longer feel safe to go
shopping?
Economics teaches us there's no such thing as a free lunch. Recent
experience in Toronto should remind us there's no such thing as a free
tax cut.
Does Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada really believe
that manditory minium jail time, more RCMP officers, and more money for
the police and miitary will make Canada safe from criminals and
terrorists?. Well, it won't do a whole hell of alot when Stephen Harper
wants to create more crime by creating more desperation and more
poverty;
and when Canada will be a terrorist target as a result of Stephen
Harper's American ass kissing foreign policy which will see Canadian
troops fighting and dieing in George W. Bush's coming wars with Iran
and Syria.
cent, thereby cutting by almost one-quarter the incomes of Ontario's
most vulnerable families.
The young kids in those vulnerable families are now teenagers.
Recently, there's been an upsurge in violent crime by gangs of
teenagers. Is it far-fetched to think there might be a connection?
There's ample research to show that conditions of poverty, economic
disparity and social marginalization are among the factors that lead to
crime, notes Wendy Cukier, who teaches justice studies at Ryerson
University.
But in recent years, our ruling elites have steadfastly ignored such
well-documented and intuitively obvious connections, as they've
redirected an ever bigger share of the national income to themselves,
via tax cuts.
That was why Harris cut welfare rates - to deliver tax cuts, with the
biggest tax savings going to the richest members of society. The Harris
policies took money from the poor and handed it to the rich.
Did we really think this wouldn't affect poorer children, who already
faced more difficulties than their schoolmates?
Of course, during the Depression, people suffered great poverty without
turning to crime. But back then poverty was the norm. Today's poor live
amid general affluence, giving them a dangerous sense of exclusion from
the mainstream.
The Harris government also cut spending on an array of programs aimed
at ensuring disadvantaged kids integrate into the mainstream. It cut
funds for teaching English to immigrants, for social workers in the
schools, for community recreation.
And when some kids behaved badly, it banned them from school with a
"zero tolerance" policy. Where did we think they would go?
For an angry teen who feels excluded from the mainstream, a gang offers
a sense of belonging, prestige, dignity and status among his peers. The
mainstream offers less and less.
Of course, the mainstream offers jail. The Boxing Day slaying in
Toronto has renewed calls for toughening up our criminal justice
system.
That's understandable. But it's also what we've been doing for the past
decade. We've toughened up our laws considerably, including mandatory
minimum sentences for gun-related crimes.
The courts generally deal harshly with violent criminals - as they
should.
But if we really want to make this a liveable society, not just enjoy
the satisfaction of locking up bad people, we should intervene much
earlier.
We still don't seem to grasp the connection between slashing social
supports and social breakdown, including violent crime.
In the midst of the current election campaign, the Conservatives are
promising massive tax cuts, rather than massive social re-investment.
Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada follow the
Americanized George W. Bush's ideology of privatizing healthcare,
defunding important social programs for immigrants, parents, children,
disabled people,
and senior citizens. Stephen Harper would much prefer to demolish
Canada's social safety net and instead spend tax payer's money to build
huge massive American style jails from coast to coast to deal with the
rising crime that will insure from more and more people being thrown
into a life of poverty and crime. This is not the Canadian way, and it
is not even the
way of the old Progressive Conservative Party of Canada under Joe Clark
and Brian Mulroney. It is instead the American way. The way of George
W. Bush.
Tax cuts may put more cash in our pockets. But are we really better off
if we have more cash for shopping - yet no longer feel safe to go
shopping?
Economics teaches us there's no such thing as a free lunch. Recent
experience in Toronto should remind us there's no such thing as a free
tax cut.
Does Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada really believe
that manditory minium jail time, more RCMP officers, and more money for
the police and miitary will make Canada safe from criminals and
terrorists?. Well, it won't do a whole hell of alot when Stephen Harper
wants to create more crime by creating more desperation and more
poverty;
and when Canada will be a terrorist target as a result of Stephen
Harper's American ass kissing foreign policy which will see Canadian
troops fighting and dieing in George W. Bush's coming wars with Iran
and Syria.