Currently I am reading "Ending Poverty in America" edited by John Edwards. Senator Edwards has a different expert author for every chapter. Some experts are from the political right, some experts are from the political left, but they all are united in the moral issue of ending poverty. Each chapter is its own creature, each being authored by different experts. John Edwards has a 20 page conclusion that I have not read yet.
Here is an excerpt that grabbed me...
Would this cost money? Yes, but some of the expense would ultimately be saved. The more we invest in children, the less later we have to invest in prisons. The more we invest in health insurance and preventative care, the more productive our workforce will be. The lower the dropout rate, the lower the associated costs later in life, and these savings can be substantial: compared with a high-school graduate, a dropout earns an average of $260,000 less and pays $60,000 less in taves over a lifetime...
Education doesn't change the nature of man; we'd still need prisons; we'd just have educated criminals. Education doesn't make people not become criminals; and a lack of education does not make people become criminals.
ReplyDeleteI know folks who did not finish highschool who are good, updstanding, law abiding members of society who take care of their kids, vote, and pay their taxes. On the other hand, look at all the insider traders or executives involved in corporate fraud who attended the "best" schools and universities.
I am for education. But saying if we invest in schools we won't have to invest in prisons is ridiculous tripe.
Let education stand on its own merits without using fear tactics (crime, prisons) to promote it.
The numbers speak for themselves. The less educated you are the more likely you are to end up in prison. That is not fear, that is the truth.
ReplyDeleteDropouts are respensible for $1.4 billion in additonal law enforcement costs due to the higher crime rates.
ReplyDeleteEducation is the biggest part of what should be our crime and poverty fighting strategy, though I'd argue we should introduce more ethics and civics into the curriculum. There's no time for that now with all the teaching to the test. Crap!
ReplyDeleteTo think crime is just a character issue and has no relation to socio-economical and educational factors is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThe correlation between crime and education is very strong. By improving our education system, crime falls, prison costs fall. That's unless you also believe the correlation between the number of prisoners and the cost of prisons also to be a false correlation.
ReplyDeleteOne big issue today is the costs associated with Alternative schools as well as they education (or lack thereof) they recieve.
Numbers do not speak for themselves, otherwise one could make false racial claims based on them regarding crime or prosperity as well.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am ridiculous then, but I don't believe because my parents are lower class they are more likely to be criminals, or that because my father didn't finish highschool, he stole to support us rather than working hard every day.
Furthermore, I guess white-collar crime is not a character issue, I guess they just cheated through their ivy leagues schools.
I'm for education but not as an answer to crime. I think criminals can know lots of things and still break the law. I think law abiding folks can be ignorant as the day is long and still not commit crimes.
Futher more, a lack of education as the source for criminal inclination does not hold up historically.
I think to suggest that people who are uneducated or poor are more likely to be dishonest or criminals is quite insulting and elitist.
The numbers beg to differ. And you are right, I do not think the uneductaed and poor are "bad" people. Nor do I think crime is strictly a personal values issue. The numbers tell me that those on the margins of society are way more likely to get involved in criminal activity. From a top level view, it is hard to deny that socio-economic and educational factors do not play a role in crime. When a society as ours has been stripped of social safety nets, and been stratified educationally into the haves and have nots, crime becomes a more viable option for those on the crap end of the stick.
ReplyDeleteI don't think addressing the problem and attempting to do something to help the root of the problem (poverty and ignorance) is an elitest attitude.
What proof do you have of your claim of education levels and crime thoughout history? If even that were true, I would say that we in society now where your education level is more positively correlated to you income, thanks to an increasingly level playing field.
Frankly your opinion is that of right-wing echo chamber tripe. Good luck in November!