Musings on a Friday: Welfare vs business deductions and Police killing Young Black men

The U.S. spends almost as much as Europe on Social Welfare but so much is disguised under tax breaks that it gets lost in the accounting.  For example, a business can deduct 50% of a business meal and the participants have zero income for the benefit.  In contrast, the government gives a poor person $200 a month in food stamps and the world is focused on that.  I knew a lot of businessmen who had more than $200 a month in deductible business dinners and never gave a thought to that discrepancy; myself included.  But I don't see Kansas doing anything about that government subsidy while they go after welfare recipients who do not go on cruises and do spend more than $25 in one shopping trip to the Grocery store.


Link to column that provided the inspiration for that thought.

My initial reaction, when there is no video, is to support the police.  They have a difficult job when there is no effective gun control and the NRA supports criminals having both automatic weapons and cop killer bullets.  That is why a 12 year old with a toy gun can get shot by the police and no wrong found with them.  Not that the killing isn't a wrong, but kids cannot play with guns anymore.  There is no room for error on the part of the police when there are automatic weapons around.  You hope they take the time to not make a mistake and I believe in Cleveland they could have taken more time because the kid was not pointing the gun at them.

But when there is video, or when the instigator is a vigilante, you need to come down hard on the criminal act of a policeman or vigilante.  I don't understand why the policeman in NYC who choked Eric Garner to death has not been disciplined in some way by either the legal system or the police department.  And I certainly hope that the video and other evidence is enough to convict the policeman who shot an unarmed fleeing perpetrator of a misdemeanor in the back with 8 bullets.

I have great empathy for people who believe the police unfairly target young black men.  I do believe many innocent young black men are assaulted by policeman.  But I also have empathy for the police who have to always be in fear of hidden weapons and the only way to question someone is to first make sure they don't have a hidden weapon.  That leads to necessary unfair treatment.  The key is not kill or harm an innocent person.

The police need to be accountable to the public and the public is not simply white voters.  The public is everybody of all ethnicity.  That is why it is important that people of all ethnicity vote.  If minorities don't vote to elect people who care about this there will be no pressure on the police departments to respect citizens of all ethnicity equally.

Local police citizen relations are a local issue.  Solutions need to be found at the local level.  There is little the Federal level can beyond buying some equipment for the police.