If you were fighting a war, would you provide your enemy with all the necessary weapons to fight you? It’s like electing a pro-abortion president and Congress, then standing outside Planned Parenthood protesting abortion. Makes little sense.
We are not just fighting gangs — we are fighting well-organized and well-funded organizations.
Try and do the right thing, and you are faced with a lawsuit.
President Obama’s favorite myth is “Doing something is better than doing nothing.” The fact is that doing the wrong thing is worse than doing nothing.
Another myth: “Poverty causes crime.” Fact is, crime causes poverty. In the first 13 years of my life, the rich people in my community were poorer than the poor people living in United States.
We never had a TV, radio, newspaper, bicycle, running water, bathroom, electricity or car, but we also had no obesity, no boredom and no crime. An occasional fistfight would be the talk of the town.
Poverty does not cause crime — crime causes poverty. When you behave responsibly, get a job and take care of your family, eventually you will find prosperity. When you behave in a criminal manner, you will likely end up poor, bitter, in prison or worse, lying on the street with a bullet through your head.
So how do you prevent crime? We have for decades been going down the road to moral bankruptcy. Our lack of morals and ethics is probably the most destructive force that we face as a civilized nation.
As children, we knew who our mom and dad were and had a stable home to come to. We were never taught to put on condoms, nor were we able to get an abortion, but we were taught the difference between right and wrong, usually taught through religion. Christianity, in my case.
We were taught to honor our parents, be truthful, that we shall not murder, we shall not commit adultery, we shall not steal, we shall not covet other people’s family and possessions. Today, this would be grounds for a lawsuit from anti-Christian organizations, crying separation of church and state because the above is found in the Ten Commandments.
The teachers were not afraid of the students and were expected to keep control of the class. They either kept control or they were replaced. Today, our children are bombarded with mixed messages.
Parents who try to raise their children with Christian values face a great challenge. What do you think happens when we teach our children to obey God and outside the home they are told that God and Jesus have no place in public? Then they have to decide who is right, the parents or everyone else.
It is evident that the outside forces are winning, but with devastating results.
The no-fault divorce law is a cancer to society. The promise to stay together until death do us part has become meaningless. The out-of-control sex is responsible for sexually transmitted disease, abortion and out-of-wedlock children. Grandparents or the government have taken over their responsibilities.
Get my point? Are we naïve enough to expect different? Can’t we understand the problems that we are fighting are the same problems that we created?
Why do you think that kids join gangs? What do they have to come home to? It better be more than a broken home where Dad is 3,000 miles away living his fantasy with a new hot chick while the mother is shacking up with the first man or woman who promises comfort during the night.
For many children, joining a gang may promise a seemingly better alternative than what is waiting for them at home.
No amount of after-school programs, sex education or birth control will solve Tracy’s gang problem.
Gang activity can only be solved when our culture lives by a higher standard of values — when couples honor their wedding vows, when parents take full responsibility for their family, and children’s needs come before their own, when children are appreciated and respected and live in a stable home.
Children must be taught to obey the law and respect authority and be made accountable for their actions, and parents must refrain from the temptation of defending their children when they are obviously wrong.
There was a time when we got up from our comfortable seats and offered it to an elderly or disabled person, when “please” and “thank you,” “yes sir” and “no sir” were the norm. We need to return to that.
And yes, even if it means what some of you refer to as “living in the past.” Common courtesy must never be outdated — it must be taught and it must be lived. It sure beats the alternative.
• Joe Vieira has been a Tracy resident for 32 years, has owned several businesses with his wife and is a former Tracy Unified School District employee.
Thanks for the laugh!
Obama makes me think of spin top, spinning out of control at unbelievable speed taking everything into his vortex of destruction.... there's a name for it in space.
CN
Well ya know what they say about th golden goose don't cha? An sure enough, they seem ta be hell bent on killin it don't they?
Sorry, this is a change in subject but did ya hear th Feds an Obama are sendin lawyers an SWAT teams out ta th oil rig that exploded in th Gulf of Mexico?
Guess they need th SWAT teams ta ward off all them dangerous fish while th lawyers take their statements an file thair claims, or is that clams?
Sorry fer th outburst an back ta th topic at hand.
AWWWWW, I's soooo disappointed. ;)
CN
Seems the "Golden Rule" went out with prayers in school, I could be wrong.
Seems each generation gets embolden by many parent's meekness and lack of responsibility.
This is one time I am glad I don't have any kids, don't plan on having in this rough world (too many uncontrolled peers out there!) Dogs are friendlier, sorry!!
CN
Your point is taken. However I feel it clearly adds to the discussion and shows the price is too heavy a burden for society, when even our congressman won't stand up to get the police the money they need to combat the outcome.
I like the graffitti on the wall analogy too. I think the phrase comes from the Old Testament of the Bible, where it says, "Mene mene tekel upharsin".
Meaning society has been weighed in the balance and found wanting.
Folks in Washington may be more concerned with sending more of our jobs overseas than to do what is right. We have no backbone representing us in DC.
It's all about special interest and Nancy's latest agenda. Unfortunately the family is no longer represented in Washington.
Now now, don't go off topic here or yer apt ta bring down th curse of our self appointed moderator Tom on yerself. :) Haven't ya figured it out yet? Jerry McNerney is hands off fer just about any discussion even though he is th one person that could make th most impact an changes?
ConcernedNeighbor
Hum! Makes a lot of sense when ya put it that way. An it seems ta be scriptural too.
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
So, which should ya use, th Bible, which seems ta be correct, or Spock's book, which now seems to be filled with probles?
Th problem is those who were raised on Spock will continue ta follow his errant instruction on child raisin just as those who follow th Bible without completely understandin what they are actually doin an why.
Still, I got th notion that raisin children accordin ta th Bible is actually more beneficial than raisin em on Dr. Spock. What da ya think?
An afore some knowledgable person comments about all th nutty Christian views out thair, I will say yep, yer right, but what about all th nutty non-Christian views that dominate any conversation on th subject of raisin children?
An of course, bein a rather learned woman yerself, surely ya know whair we got th expression, "Th handwritin's on th wall."
Suppose we restrict non-christian believers from usin a phrase that comes from th Christian Bible an treat it like th dispicable "N" word where members of that race can use it at will against each other but it's taboo fer non-members of th race ta use it?
Nah, that wouldn't fly would it? It's just not PC.
What about Hollywood, do any of them regret exploiting impressionable youths by putting out trashy shows?
What about parent's influence to change Hollywood, you say it is impossible, it sure wasn't impossible for the woman who demanded prayers be removed from the schools.
Morality sure did change since? Graffiti writing is on the wall.
CN
With all the signs, we are left wondering what world our congressman was living in when he didn't "rally" to get Tracy Police the congressional funds they requested for anti gangs I'm Tracy.
The handwriting is on the wall.
Good article.
"Are we naïve enough to expect different?"
It seems that most of our citizenry are.
"Can’t we understand the problems that we are fighting are the same problems that we created?"
Apparently not. It's always someone else's fault isn't it?
Your part about th Ten Commandments is slightly in error though. They are not just fer Christians. They were given ta th Jews an other than a few religions their sentaments an instruction are contained in the religious writins of other religious groups of people, with some small exceptions.
Still, I like all yer points an agree with em. But lets not make this a Christian versus th rest of th world thang because it really won't go anywhare in our society taday, much as we both wish that it would.
Like yer last line too, "And yes, even if it means what some of you refer to as “living in the past.” Common courtesy must never be outdated — it must be taught and it must be lived. It sure beats the alternative."
Thanks fer havin th courage ta write it.