Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Let's just blame the perpetrator

Conservative Perspective blogs about ACT's Three Strikes for Burglary policy. He remarks about 'Gavin' who has been burgled 5 times.
"I’m sure Gavin represents a good percentage of the population when he suggests that the causes of burglary are ‘poor education and the wealth gap between rich and poor.’  But is that really the case?"
People who blame burglary on poor education and the gap between rich and poor are often equally quick to highlight white collar crime - theft via solicited dodgy financial investments, corporate fraud etc.

Can't blame those on poor education.

There's a perversion or rejection of values at all levels of society.

Remedying problems would be much simpler if we just started blaming the perpetrators - period. Let's proceed from that position and then, maybe, permit mitigating factors.

As it is, too many look first for the fashionable, extraneous causes of crime because they've been - and continue to be -  well-versed in them. Right from school.

An American guy rang Sean Plunket yesterday and said that NZ is a great country but we are too nice to our bad people. Not like you Yanks, went through my mind, thinking large-scale imprisonment for drug offences and capital punishment.

But he has a point. Our Kiwi tolerance (and Christian forgiveness) sometimes extends into damaging excuse-making for deeply immoral, unacceptable behaviour.

What I do like about any 3 Strikes philosophy is the inherent expression of clemency and redemption - TO A POINT.

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