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What I learned as a cop (from a Middle Class Guy) What I learned as a cop
The Washington Times ^ | December 13, 2011 | Peter Bella

Posted on 12/14/2011 7:45:43 AM PST by upbeat5

CHICAGO, December 13, 2011 ― I was a Chicago Police Officer for almost 30 years. I spent the first ten years of my career in one of the worst, most impoverished areas of Chicago, Lawndale. It was named as one of the ten most dangerous neighborhoods in America. Even people’s dreams weren’t safe.

Everyday I patrolled streets where there was no hope, no change, no future, and no way out. Self survival was paramount. People did whatever they could to live through one more day. Crime was just a day’s work.

(Excerpt) Read more at communities.washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: cop; learned
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1 posted on 12/14/2011 7:45:52 AM PST by upbeat5
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To: upbeat5
CHICAGO, December 13, 2011 ― I was a Chicago Police Officer for almost 30 years. I spent the first ten years of my career in one of the worst, most impoverished areas of Chicago, Lawndale. It was named as one of the ten most dangerous neighborhoods in America. Even people’s dreams weren’t safe.
Everyday I patrolled streets where there was no hope, no change, no future, and no way out. Self survival was paramount. People did whatever they could to live through one more day. Crime was just a day’s work.
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
And then one day, along came a Community Organizer. And we all lived happily ever after.


class=rg_hi

2 posted on 12/14/2011 7:49:24 AM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS! This means liberals AND libertarians (same thing) NO LIBS!)
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To: upbeat5

This is PURE crap. Read the article carefully. He acts as if these “poor” people are really conservatives just dying to be given a chance.

“The people no longer believe believe racism is the cause of their plight. They know politicians, including Black politicians, are the reason they remain poor.”

Were stupider words ever written? They all go to the polls and vote AGAINST bigger gov. and bigger welfare checks, right?

He’s right about a few things; the system DOES enslave, but these are eager, happy, willing slaves. Their needs are taken care of, they eat at McDonalds five times a day, and you pay for it, and they love it.


3 posted on 12/14/2011 7:55:49 AM PST by Doctor 2Brains (If the government were Paris Hilton, it could not score a free drink in a bar full of lonely sailors)
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To: Responsibility2nd

And BINGO!!!!... was his name-o.


4 posted on 12/14/2011 7:55:49 AM PST by PfromHoGro (RINOs give Rhino a bad name, & Oil = Recycled Solar Power)
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To: upbeat5

What a grim and largely accurate article. The one quibble I have is that the author says people want jobs. After generations of dependency and a value and education system that glorifies state responsibilities, I think a larger and larger portion of the population do not want jobs. They have been raised through several generations to live for nothing else other than government support. They can’t even conceive of work.


5 posted on 12/14/2011 7:59:49 AM PST by Truth29
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To: upbeat5

What a spot on editorial. Thanks for posting it.


6 posted on 12/14/2011 8:01:36 AM PST by rlmorel ("A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." Winston Churchill)
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To: Truth29

One of the main objective of schools used to be to teach youngsters how to be middle class. Aspirations, mores, techniques to get ahead in life, etc.

Apparently they no longer do so. They are failing our children and the taxpayers.


7 posted on 12/14/2011 8:03:17 AM PST by buffaloguy
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To: Doctor 2Brains

I would not condemn the article for that segment. It stuck out at me as well, but doesn’t invalidate the rest, IMO...


8 posted on 12/14/2011 8:04:41 AM PST by rlmorel ("A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." Winston Churchill)
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To: rlmorel

You are correct: the truthful part of the article (welfare system enslaves) is NOT negated by the crap/garbage/nonsense part of the article (inner city Chicago is filled with little Reagans who want government to get out of their way so they can work for years and years at minimal pay while they slowly work their way up the ladder like normal Americans)


9 posted on 12/14/2011 8:07:28 AM PST by Doctor 2Brains (If the government were Paris Hilton, it could not score a free drink in a bar full of lonely sailors)
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To: Doctor 2Brains
Were stupider words ever written? They all go to the polls and vote AGAINST bigger gov. and bigger welfare checks, right?

Maybe they don't have much of a choice. Politicians rig the system so that your only choice is to choose the least worst.

10 posted on 12/14/2011 8:08:53 AM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Doctor 2Brains

The majority of the column was correct. That one part was wrong. Blacks continue to vote(95%)for those that enslave them.


11 posted on 12/14/2011 8:12:31 AM PST by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: Doctor 2Brains

Though stark and depressing, this Cop lays it out pretty well from an interesting perspective.

The article can’t be both “PURE crap” and “right about a few things”. His primary point is that even well intended welfare systems create dependency and that is clearly true. Being several generations into this dependency, it is very rare that anyone breaks out of that cycle on their own.


12 posted on 12/14/2011 8:13:09 AM PST by mad puppy (Spare me your line of crap...I'm voting for Newt.)
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To: Moonman62

So why don’t they choose the least worst, like McCain over the kenyan, Bush over Clinton, etc. What were the kenyan’s numbers in inner city Chicago? Here’s some other choices they largely fail to make: put down the crack pipe, put down the welfare check, get a job. Naaahhh. Letting you pay for their obesity and drugs and booze is the more popular choice of these little Reagans.


13 posted on 12/14/2011 8:13:40 AM PST by Doctor 2Brains (If the government were Paris Hilton, it could not score a free drink in a bar full of lonely sailors)
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To: mad puppy

“The article can’t be both “PURE crap” and “right about a few things”

Sure it can. “Hitler was evil, and he killed a bunch of people, and kicked off a war that killed 10s of millions of others, but it is important to realize that he made the trains run on time.”

That statement is pure crap, (stressing something irrelevant) and yet is is 100% true. It’s not anywhere close to being 50% false, and it is still crap.


14 posted on 12/14/2011 8:18:55 AM PST by Doctor 2Brains (If the government were Paris Hilton, it could not score a free drink in a bar full of lonely sailors)
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To: upbeat5
There is anger in this community. Over 60% of the men are ex-felons. The unemployment rate is upwards of 70%. There is misery and hopelessness. People no longer want welfare or food stamps. They do not want subsidized housing. They want their share of the American dream. They want economic independence: They want jobs.

So go out and work. Work "off the books" while continuing to collect benefits if you must. Mow lawns. Clean houses. Be a nanny. Do home repairs. Gain the skills and buy the tools and equipment over time that you will need to become independent.

The issue is not that there are no jobs, the issue is that these people will not accept jobs that are "beneath" them, or which don't pay as much as they think they deserve.

15 posted on 12/14/2011 8:23:28 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.)
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To: PapaBear3625

I see we think alike. The cop blames it all on the system while fantasizing about all these Chicago welfare bums who are dying for smaller govenment and a job. Pretty funny stuff.


16 posted on 12/14/2011 8:25:45 AM PST by Doctor 2Brains (If the government were Paris Hilton, it could not score a free drink in a bar full of lonely sailors)
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To: buffaloguy
One of the main objective of schools used to be to teach youngsters how to be middle class. Aspirations, mores, techniques to get ahead in life, etc. Apparently they no longer do so. They are failing our children and the taxpayers.

Back then, school teachers were drawn from the educated middle class female population. That pool of people no longer goes into teaching. Now teachers are increasingly drawn from the pool of people who do not have the intelligence to do anything else, judging from comparative SAT scores for ed majors versus other majors.

17 posted on 12/14/2011 8:26:46 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.)
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To: upbeat5

It’s the new plantation created by the liberals to enslave the blacks.

“There was never a war on poverty. It was a war on poor people, a long term war designed to keep them in perpetual dependence and poverty. Our government created a system of slavery. They made people slaves to dependency, generation after generation...”


18 posted on 12/14/2011 8:31:43 AM PST by kitkat (Obama, rope and chains)
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To: upbeat5

This is refreshing.

I really hope it is true that people in these areas are blaming their politicians instead of racism. I think that would really drive actual change.


19 posted on 12/14/2011 8:35:10 AM PST by AlmaKing
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To: upbeat5

The article is bunk....pure crap.

It should have been referenced under unicorns and rainbows to think that the poor will ever realize that they are nothing more than rats in the Democratic test lab.


20 posted on 12/14/2011 8:38:46 AM PST by Hammerhead
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