PERVERSELY; GOOD CITIZENS ARE BEING PUNISHED NOT THE CRIMINALS

PERVERSELY: GOOD CITIZENS ARE BEING PUNISHED NOT THE CRIMINALS

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

The entire “gun control movement” does not seem to comprehend that guns are not the issue. The real problem is that mental health and criminal background restrictions are not being enforced effectively. The lack of follow up of law breakers who falsify information and professional personnel who do not do the due diligence reporting dangerous mental health patients and dangerous criminals is the culprit.  These so called professionals should be held accountable through appropriate punishment. Almost all of the mass shootings have been committed by people with known psychological or criminal history but have fallen off the radar screen.

In 2013 Brevard county schools introduced the Promise Program. This program emphasized positive reinforcement intervention rather than punitive and criminal consequences for violent student behavior. Serious violence by students went purposely unreported to higher school authorities to receive more federal funds by falsely lowering violence statistics in our public schools. Now Brevard County schools have the unenviable distinction of having the most profoundly violent and chronic juvenile offenders in Florida.

Disregarding violence and law breaking promotes it, while restricting law abiding citizen’s rights to protect themselves will increase the likelihood for it to occur.

We as a society are going down an absolutely wrong path. In certain locales we are allowing illegal immigrants not to be deported. The corrupt elite politicians in our federal government are self righteously throwing the book at less powerful rivals for minor transgressions. The objective is to tarnish their reputation while protecting their cronies. Without justice administrated equally and fairly, justice will cease to exist and injustice will flourish.

No fault auto insurance and no fault divorce were passed to streamline and unclutter court dockets. It has made it too easy to rationalize bad choices and behavior.  Auto accidents and divorce have sky rocketed. The stigma and shame for reckless driving and easy divorce has practically disappeared. This has tarnished the reputation of our court system.

In the current Florida legislation there are state laws being proposed to supposedly improve the quality of education that impact private schools.  Some politicians want the department of education to inspect non public schools to increase compliance with county and state laws. The goal is to raise such basic and easily prevented standards as hiring teachers with criminal records, falsifying fire and safety inspection records or hiring teachers without a four year degree. They also want owners not paying the rent or who have had recent bankruptcy kept from administrating a private school. Any private school would lose its accreditation and would be closed down with these types of violations by its accrediting agency.  Private schools that have spent years developing a great reputation would unnecessarily be forced to have staff energy diverted to comply with increased paperwork and bureaucratic restrictions. Again the conscientious people are being burdened for the lack of enforcement of existing standards and laws.

Our culture seems to be delusional thinking if you pass many laws criminalizing certain actions the society will be more orderly and civilized. The writing of laws without enforcement does nothing to change behavior. In fact, as more authorities ignore attaching the appropriate consequence to the clearly illegal actions, the less likely will the people comply with the law. 

Many modern parents lecture their children and establish numerous rules. Most of these parents choose not to monitor their child’s behavior or follow through on the needed consequences. It is similar to a president who creates a red line in the sand, not to cross and then does nothing when it is dishonored. The president or the parent should be discounted as a paper tiger.

Our national laws have exponentially increased while the punishments for breaking the law have practically vanished. The transgressors are getting away with murder while the law-abiding citizens are picking up the tab for anti social behavior. We are paying higher car insurance premiums for those with no insurance.  No fault divorce often has the good parents suffer the ill effects of a horrible judicial decision that not only punishes responsible parent but most importantly, the child.

The resolution of getting back to punishing the criminals and not the law-abiding citizen is simple. We need to unequivocally punish all criminals, rich or poor and those here legally or illegally. This will signal to the marginal citizens that they better stop walking on the illegal side or receive a heavy dose of punishment.  Justice delivered, not more laws, will turn the tide against anti social and immoral behavior eroding the nation’s unity and stability.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN  and a recently published book, entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.