bucs90
Gold Member
- Feb 25, 2010
- 26,545
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I had a wonderful conversation with a former coworker today. Haven't heard from him in a while. We worked on a police patrol team together years ago in ATL. But...he's still in the job, I'm not. He stressed how frustrated he is that the last 5-10 years, cops are being called to discipline 10 year olds, get them off their Xboxes, tell neighbors to get their dog to stop barking, people calling cops literally to ask them to take their trash out because it's too hot or cold out. He made the quote of the century for me: "They gotta realize, we dont work FOR THEM, we work on their behalf...."
To the point, the convo kept going. His point? Govt works on our behalf. Not "FOR" us. In his point.....cops are there so we dont have to be vigilantes. So we dont have to chase down people who robbed, raped, stole from us. Or killed a loved one. Firemen do their job so we dont have to burn to death putting out our own fires. But they arent here to do shit that WE SHOULD BE DOING FOR OURSELVES.
And it hit me. I finally have a clear opinion on the role govt should have. We all pitch into a pot to provide men and women who work ON OUR BEHALF, not as our servants.
There are things in life govt should NOT be doing for us. That we should be doing on our own, not asking the govt to provide us with a "public servant" to do it for us.
So, for example:
- Cops SHOULD be called to catch those who stole something from us.
- Cops should NOT be called because the neighbors do it barking.
- Govt SHOULD be called when a bridge is about to collapse.
- Govt should NOT be called when we want a new park or cultural arts center.
- Firemen/EMS SHOULD be called when someones house is burning.
- Firemen/EMS should NOT be called when someone has a headache and wants free medication (happens all the time).
- Govt SHOULD be called when an elder woman is malnourished, abused and about to die of starvation.
- Govt should NOT be called when a younger woman wants free birth control pills.
- Govt should NOT be called when a person wants to sit at home, not work, while perfectly healthy, but still wants free money and food.
- Cops SHOULD be called when a suspicious man carrying a gun is near a school.
- Cops should NOT be called when a 2nd grader is acting "out of control" and none of the school staff feels like dealing with it.
I can go on and on. But it's clear to me. Government should ONLY be there to work on our behalf in situations where it is reasonable that the individual should not carry that burden alone, and the community would reasonably pitch in to solve the problem as a whole. Government should NOT be used or called on for stuff people should do themselves, as individuals, instead of demanding a government service or servant do it for them.
To the point, the convo kept going. His point? Govt works on our behalf. Not "FOR" us. In his point.....cops are there so we dont have to be vigilantes. So we dont have to chase down people who robbed, raped, stole from us. Or killed a loved one. Firemen do their job so we dont have to burn to death putting out our own fires. But they arent here to do shit that WE SHOULD BE DOING FOR OURSELVES.
And it hit me. I finally have a clear opinion on the role govt should have. We all pitch into a pot to provide men and women who work ON OUR BEHALF, not as our servants.
There are things in life govt should NOT be doing for us. That we should be doing on our own, not asking the govt to provide us with a "public servant" to do it for us.
So, for example:
- Cops SHOULD be called to catch those who stole something from us.
- Cops should NOT be called because the neighbors do it barking.
- Govt SHOULD be called when a bridge is about to collapse.
- Govt should NOT be called when we want a new park or cultural arts center.
- Firemen/EMS SHOULD be called when someones house is burning.
- Firemen/EMS should NOT be called when someone has a headache and wants free medication (happens all the time).
- Govt SHOULD be called when an elder woman is malnourished, abused and about to die of starvation.
- Govt should NOT be called when a younger woman wants free birth control pills.
- Govt should NOT be called when a person wants to sit at home, not work, while perfectly healthy, but still wants free money and food.
- Cops SHOULD be called when a suspicious man carrying a gun is near a school.
- Cops should NOT be called when a 2nd grader is acting "out of control" and none of the school staff feels like dealing with it.
I can go on and on. But it's clear to me. Government should ONLY be there to work on our behalf in situations where it is reasonable that the individual should not carry that burden alone, and the community would reasonably pitch in to solve the problem as a whole. Government should NOT be used or called on for stuff people should do themselves, as individuals, instead of demanding a government service or servant do it for them.