Now, now, boys. Let's not get all up in ams over this until we've heard all about how they were abused as children - denied all the finer things that all the other kids had. I'm sure thay all come from broken homes, some probably had uncaring, drug abusing mothers who brought home an endless parade of unsavory men who beat the "utes", who, as a result of this abuse, turned to a former police officer as a father figure, who in turn used their desire for a better life to entice them into a life of easy money through theft and drugs, and God knows what else.
I'm sure it's not their fault - it's a reflection of the uncaring society in which we live that encourages the acquisition of goods, which fosters class stratification and polarization and thereby promotes envy and forces the lower classes into a life of crime. These poor, unfortunate children simply need a better education (at your expense) so they can raise their standard of living and become productive members of society, who can afford to buy the bikes and other nice things that they desire.
Then we can steal it all from them, the no-good bastids......
Ahhhh - nevermind - just send them to jail - and have their cell-mates explain the socio-economics of stealing to them.. from behind.
I would agree with you but........ I know your'e not serious, and they ain't kids. I really do believe that many kids wouldn't act like this if we as a society really took better care of ALL children, but once they reach the stage these morons are at, ship em off to the big house. They'll learn some respect for other peoples stuuf there.
The only problem with that is if you try to "take care of" your neighbors kids (and I mean that in the "it takes a village" sense) you will be :
A) labeled a "busybody"
B) looked at as a potential child molester
C) sued
We recently had our 10 yr. old's bicycle stolen from our front yard - right next to the front door, by another 10yr old in the neighborhood. The older kids he hangs out with destroyed the bike, and his "daddy" called to police to complain. One of the older kids blurts out that "This isn't even your bike - it's stolen". The father made the kid write an apology and paid for the bike but did not have the stones to show up at my door in person - he took them to the police station for us to go get.
The kids "apology" stated that if he had known the bike was owned by someone he knew, he wouldn't have stolen it. Like it's OK to steal from those you do not know. This kid is 10 and is already lost. Family is a mess, older brother arrested for drugs, no parental supervision - etc.
At least we got the bike paid for, but I feel like the kid learned either the wrong lesson or no lesson at all. I would truely rather have it the other way around.
In our society today, you have to take a test and get a license to drive, or to cut someone else's hair, but you can have as many kids as you like, and can raise them however you like, regardless of how that affects society as a whole. In my opinion, you should have to take AND PASS a class, and prove that you are drug free before you can get a permit to have kids, and any you have without a permit will be adopted out to infertile couples that have passed the test. Want to have a second child? Sure - how is your first one doing?
I don't really care how you raise your kid, as long as we can all agree that there are some values that have to be instilled in them. Just the basics that all societies and religions ascribe to - no stealing, no murder, no rape, etc.
I understand that this will not solve all of societies ills, but I'd be willing to bet that it would go a long way towards cutting them down to a manageable size.
Who am I to impose these rules? I'm the guy footing the bills - with my tax money.
Hey, I know this is unrealistic - but I kinda wish it weren't.
And yes, I support helmet laws. Gotta make this bike related...
Sorry for the rant, and now you know that I'm just to the right of Attilla the Hun
