While President Biden and local officials keep talking about causes for the rise in crime in our major cities, proposing “solutions” that have failed in the past, like former President Bill Clinton’s Midnight Basketball idea, the real reason for its escalation is deeper than what we see on the surface.
The president’s proposals delivered in New York City last week are more window dressing. As with similar ideas in the past, Biden’s will do little to reduce crime. He talked about “gun violence” and hiring people to conduct “violence intervention” and predictably, more spending.
It is not all, or even mainly, the president’s fault, though he contributes to the problem by his indifference to the massive lawbreaking at our Southern border. Since the tumultuous ’60s, we have been reaping a moral whirlwind.
Elections are not the only things that have consequences. So does a failure to teach right from wrong and excusing or rationalizing misbehavior, instead of holding lawbreakers accountable and imposing penalties. Studies have shown that absent fathers contribute to undisciplined youth.
The notion of wrongdoers getting their “just deserts” has also faded from our culture. Criminals are now regarded by too many progressives as victims of racism and social inequalities. This doesn’t explain why an overwhelming majority of those who live in poverty or are the product of diverse communities are law abiding.