New Flex

Heck no Norman, I'm waiting to move and taking you to Mexico with me.

 

I agree with you there Norm. My wife has family in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, and unfortunately it has gone from bad to worse. Recently the media there has been televising alerts to stay in doors because the Mexican military soldiers will be patrolling the streets in search of Drug Cartel leaders and likes of the such. There is so much corruption in Mexico that it is no wonder the the country is in desire straights. With that said, if we're not careful we will have a big mess on our hands as well, after all Mexico is just right down there.

 

We have two levels of National Police. The Mounties, which most folks know about (fancy red suits and boyscout hat) and our Spy Agency - CSIS. Now you'd think that the guys on the road, leading most of the nations criminal investigations nationally, and running most of the Provincial (State) Police systems, would know more about Gangs in our country than International spy agents, but every year, CSIS publishes the list of Gangs in Canada. In 1966, we had 6 national gangs, including the Canadian chapter of the Hell's Angels. Today, we have 950.

In 1966, we had 5 National Banks, and today, we still have 5 National Banks and credit unions, and Caisse Populaire (Quebec's equivalent to Credit unions) and maybe 15 other foreign banking firms.

So if we could control the legitamate thieves, what happened that the notorious ones exploded like a cluster bomb? Was the War On Drugs the kickstart? Were our cops to busy trying to infiltrate the first 6 that they made more? Did we make our media into a new source of social stress? Have we made it so hard for a good grease monkey to get a job (licensed, annual training, manufacturers' update courses), nannies, cooks, cab-drivers, etc. etc. (Have we over-regulated simple jobs, that folks can't qualify and go to easier money?)

We keep adding new technology to the cops' toolkits, and more police per person, and we've got more crime! What's the deal? Oh and Prisons in Canada cost more than building a Five-Star hotel for the same number of inhabitants. It costs us $75,000 to house the bad guy in prison, and welfare to sustain his family while he's in jail. And we keep building more prisons. In 2003, we built one for $11,000,000 for 1,100 federal crime prisoners. In 2002, BC built a holding jail for Provincial crimes at a cost of $44 million for 350 prisoners, and 6 years later people are TRIPLE-BUNKING. Here's the real rub. Since 1966, when we had a population of (are you ready for this?) 24,000,000 (the State of California, Mexico City) we've only grown by 8,000,000 (the City of New York).

What have our national security systems screwed up?

One thing we did do, that seemed to work, is we had Boys Reform and Trade Schools, and Girls' Reform and Trade Schools. They learned a trade of their choice and their sentences were structured to let them finish, get their trade papers, and they'd get hired on release. That was from 1948 to 1968. Only 10% of them returned to crime.

Why did we change a winning recipe? :banghead3::banghead3:

And!!!! They 'practiced' their trades, for example in furniture-making, making school desks, sports bleachers for school yards, the old welded schoolyard swings and slides and teeter-totters, and road signs, and got paid on release with a couple thousand to get started in a new life. A new 1966 Impala Sedan was $4,400. A new 1957 Chevy Belair 2-dr HT was $1765? A kid could get out and buy a cheap pickup and start his own plumbing or other trade business!

Now we slap an ankle monitor on them and teach them nothing, to stay in their dysfunctional family's home all day, and they are victims of the Kind and Forgiving society that Politicians don't dare upset on election day, with calls for new, tougher penal codes, but no plans to restore them as productive, self-supporting individuals.

Sorry about the rant, but we really need to rethink what kind of monster we've made.


EDIT: I just sent this to every Premier and major city mayor and all five leaders in our Federal Election (happening today). Somebody will put two clues together and start the ball rolling. Thanks for your post, maybe we'll turn this rig around for the next generation.

 

I guess I could pick you up on the way south, and you could drive it back, eh?

 

Or tow it back. How have you been?

 

I lived there for 5 years, but my wife's family know the good Junkyards really well. 9 kids all driving and the brothers doing the techy stuff. They all have new cars now, but a couple of her brothers still twirl wrenches on their project cars.

 

Cool now all I have to figure out is how much cash to hide.

 

So true Super Snake! -- Speaking of Houses and "living there" ANY closer to checking out the Kansas City Area?? Let me know if you need any help/tips...I'm too new to know much but I am in the general area now...think it was over a month ago Stormin' Normin' told me you'd be moving out my way...

I was really IMPRESSED with those new FORD FLex's...very impressed; a roomy interior to include the back seats and very well laid out inside/snazzy interior/plenty O' room and good mileage and amenities for it's size and it would ROCK with nice wood grain...I fell in love with a copper colored one on the showroom floor of my local dealer as I was awaiting an Oil Change on my car...Neat! HOPE it's a HOMERUN for FORD!

 

Sure Anything you can tell me will be a help. We can start a thread in the Lounge