The Economic Impact of the Police

The amount of power given to a select few in our society is a scary thought.  The police force is in place to 'serve and protect', but most of the time the police force does more harm than good.  In the economic sector, for example, the police responding to a crime costs more than the crime in question.  The economist Michael Parenti once said :

"I could demonstrate to you that every single bank robbery..., the cost of the police was more than the money that the robbers actually took from the bank.  Does that mean..., theres no real economic intrest involved, theyre not protecting the banks...  Of course its an economic system.  If they didnt stop that one bank robbery, regardless of the cost, this could jeopardize the entire banking system.  There are people that believe the function of the police is to fight crime.  That is not true.  The function of the police is social control, and the protection of property."

- Michael Parenti

Assignment Number 1 - My Summer

Create POST # 1: What did you do this summer and how can what you did this summer be connected to an important issue? This post should be at least one paragraph in length.

This summer I was a Camp Councilor at a summer camp.  I was assigned to a group of ten 12-year-old boys.  For a month, I taught them skills such as canoeing, swimming, archery, nature, etc..  We all lived together with another councilor.  This taught the boys to get along with other, patience,  friendship and confidence.  I feel this related to the issue of crime in big cities.  Since all the boys are from Toronto, I feel that everything they learned at camp will contribute to the decrease of youth drug use, crime and other issues that happen in the city.  Since these boys now know compassion and patience, they will be able to get along with people a lot better and will be confident in what they do.  This will most likely keep them away form gangs, and keep them out of fights; decreasing youth issues in urban environments.