What do you call the recent arrest of 8 senior members of the UN gang?

An employment opportunity.

Not a pretty reality, but reality nonetheless. A reality highlighted by police statements that the public should not expect these arrests to effect drug supplies, gang activity or gang violence.

That the arrests represent an employment opportunity should come as no surprise in light of what Abbotsford’s Chief Constable had to say about the lure of the lucrative gangsta lifestyle. Given our societies distorted emphasis on money and the things it can buy as measurements of success and a key to happiness no one should be flabbergasted by the scramble for the $$$ to be found in the drug business.

Indeed, given the reality challenged social and economic policies of both the federal and provincial government and our current economic recession, more and more heretofore honest citizens will find themselves faced with a choice between poverty and homelessness OR involvement in drugs …. Tough choice to find one’s self faced with.

Of course if the federal Conservatives or the provincial Liberals were in touch with reality Canadians would not be subjected to the Conservatives enthusiastically patting themselves on the back for progress made toward enacting legislation to jail large numbers of addicts, while at the same time substantially increasing time spent in jail.

Removing their ideological blinders and ceasing their naval gazing would perhaps allow the federal Conservatives and/or provincial Liberals to learn from the experience of states in the United States were they have been pursuing this lock ‘em up policy for a period of time.

The State of New York (and increasing numbers of other states) have abandoned this policy.

Why? It was gutting state programs across the board and literally bankrupting the state(s) to pay the skyrocketing costs incurred in incarcerating an every increasing number of people.

Faced with either significant tax increases or spending the budget, for the most part, solely to lock people up rather than on roads, social programs etc New York did what anyone with common sense would do upon finding themselves in a hole – stop digging.

Thus it is that after more than a decade of “locking them up for long sentences” New York and other states have stopped this insanity.
A wise decision in light of the studies evaluating this policy that found the only things the policy accomplished was to make incarceration a lucrative business, to drive states to the brink of bankruptcy and to criminalize addiction (which is a physical and mental health issue).

This is the current situation California finds itself in, hovering on the edge of bankruptcy and facing the need to reduce the prison population by 70,000 over the next 18 months.

The costs of building and funding prison spaces for 70,000 prisoners were so prohibitive California was not able to increase prison cells. Faced with a deluge of new prisoners California packed its existing prisons to the rafters. Conditions became so inhuman even the Bush appointed conservative US courts ordered the release of 70,000 prisoners to reduce overcrowding.

Like a true capitalist (as opposed to a Harper Conservative pseudo capitalist) the governor of California wants to repair California’s finances by recovering at least a portion of the funds squandered on a policy (lock ‘em up for years) that proved ineffective and contributed substantially to California tottering on the edge of bankruptcy.

To save the state from bankruptcy California’s governor has called for the legalization of marijuana. Between the taxes raised and the funds saved, California would have the funds to focus on the truly important issues facing the state such as ensuring a supply of potable water.

Given the results and experiences of US states following a policy of locking up increasing numbers of people for increasing lengths of times it is nonsensical, bordering on out-and-out stupid, for Canada to pursue a policy that has proven to be pointless and costly to the point of beggaring anyone short-sighted enough to pursue this policy.

Given Mr. Harper’s behaviour to date the probability of common sense and experience winning out on this matter over Mr. Harper’s ideology approaches zero.

So it was that the media circus staged by the Abbotsford Police Department in arresting Tim Felger seemed to provide an appropriate exclamation point to emphasize the futility of current policies vis-à-vis the drugs society chooses to label “illegal”.

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” Margaret J. Wheatley