I'm calling "Bullshit"
It's no stretch of the imagination to accept the blatant corruption running rampant in major US constructs. While a good deal of focus is being laid at the feet of the banking, political, media, and other organizations we are failing to acknowledge and deal with what is right outside our front doors. As I was checking in on the frivolous nonsense of local Facebook there was a post that ranked my town of 6000 as second in the state for welfare, violence and drug use. Now why do suppose that is.....let's take a closer look.
Within the last 20 years 75% of jobs have been moved to other states, countries or just closed. New companies have desired to set up shop here but were denied by the ruling class of local business owners. Why? Because they did not want to lose employees to higher paying jobs with benefits and "get stuck" with the "undesirable" folks who are left who would work for minimum wage if more opportunities were available.
Local law enforcement will detain certain classes for up to a half hour for a dim licence plate bulb while they look for ANY reason to arrest or fine the driver or passengers. Prominent citizens routinely drive home drunk from events that serve alcohol, have underage parties in their homes, purchase and use an alarming amount of drugs. Case in point, local optometrist who had his business here for YEARS and was highly respected dropped dead on his kitchen floor from a cocaine overdose. Officially it was reported as a heart attack. No mention was made of his dealer making the 911 call and allowed to leave the scene unmolested. One would think the playing field would be a bit more even considering both our County Attorney and his brother, the Assistant County Attorney have both been to rehab while in office. But that is just another level of corruption. Time and time again the talk of the town is about one of our "upstanding" citizens doing something illegal, immoral, or just plain hurtful to the community as a whole. However, it is not reported by local media, is not prosecuted, is not given any consequence to deter further abuses. It's simply fodder for the gossip machine. But let a member of a different level of our town commit the same offence and DHS removes their children, puts them in jail, forces them into their version of rehab (where NOT ONE qualified individual is employed) and then fines them out the ass so they are even further behind the eight ball than before they made the wrong decision.
Being ranked second in the state for drugs, violence and welfare is a fair assessment. But blaming the less affluent is not. They are simply trying to get away with all those things the more prominent citizens perpetrate with a laugh and a wink. As above, so below isn't working out so good for them.
To further create a second place ranking we had our own drug war where those arrested were given a choice to successfully give the court three more convictions for a reduced sentence or having the charges dropped altogether. It was called "THREE AND YOU"RE FREE". Instead of cleaning up the drug sales and use, it succeeded in creating more violence among the "snitches" that bled all over the rest of the town and specially their children who were further cast out by association. Sure the county made a ton of money in fees and fines by and we kept the police, sheriff, rehab, courts, lawyers and social workers busy and employed by re-arresting the same ones over and over but the real cost was dividing a whole class of people against each other. Why is this a bad thing? It's a bad thing because they will no longer even consider mending fences with someone they hold responsible for having their children ripped away for the crime of possessing a joint. If a fence can't be mended they will not unite against the gross injustice aimed at them. So it continues, the rich get away with murder and the poor are murdered.
Truly the only way to regain balance and have equal opportunity and justice is for the underdogs to unite, organize, and put a stop to their persecution. This won't happen any time soon. Fear of job loss, fear of more police harassment, fear of being labelled a trouble maker, fear fear fear fear.
So, yes, we ARE second in the state for things no small town wants to be recognized. It will continue to be so until enough have had enough and do something. I speak these things openly and loudly. Most agree, most don't want to risk what little they have to encourage positive change in their favor. The greatest crime is not drugs, theft, or welfare, it's FEAR. Unwarranted fear. Like most slaves they just don't see that they have the numbers to overthrow the masters. Maybe next year when the statistics come out we can at least be number one.