Is this true? It obviously "meme logic" but is it accurate? If it is accurate and we know the solutions why don't we execute a plan?

[DrPepper12]

I think this question really helps define the parameters of a liberal / conservative divide and that we all (mostly I hope) share at least similar goals and definitions of progress but differ on the methods and how much resources we should dedicate to solving societal problems. Can't wait to hear what GAG has to say!

[OlderAndWiser]

1. "Police don't prevent crime. They respond to it." Wrong! Take away the police and crime will escalate. Return to a police presence and the crime rate will reduce. Police don't prevent ALL crime but they certainly deter some crime. Look at the experience of woke cities which have defunded the police.

2. "Higher wages, guaranteed health care, food security, high quality child care, housing, good schools, and addiction treatment prevent crime." What this suggestion embodies is socialism, and a socialist society pays a price in exchange for "free everything." Socialism causes economic slavery because of the tax burden necessary to bestow all of these "free" benefits. And the idea that we should essentially pay people to not commit crime is a bit repulsive to many of us.

But, most importantly. . . does socialism succeed? Sweden is a country that embraced socialism in the 1970s and 1980s, but eventually discovered that the criticisms made by conservatives are valid. "Over the past 50 years, for instance, Swedish GDP per capita has only grown by a factor of 2.1. More importantly, the norms relating to hard work and responsibility have started to erode, according to measurements by the World Value Survey, as welfare has increased. For example, in the early 1980s, 19 percent of Swedes agreed that it could be justified to some degree for someone to claim public welfare when they weren’t eligible. This share gradually increased to 40 percent in 2011, and it has since fallen to 36 percent following stricter control of welfare systems and public campaigns warning against overuse."

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/10/27/nordic-countries-not-socialist-denmark-norway-sweden-centrist/

And. . . is there actually any evidence that socialism reduces crime?

[jahaims]

If everyone had adequate resources crime would drop drastically. It would take 3 generations of that probably then pretty much only the mentally ill would commit crimes. If mental health was taken care of then most mentally ill people could get help.

[Anpu23]

Also an armed population and stand your ground laws also have shown a reduction in crime. Not saying the meme isn't true, it is, but not a single solution as there are antisocial individuals who commit crime simply because they can not that they need to.

[DrPepper12]

I'm not with you for an armed population to the likes which USA America has but I do think that eliminating the causes of crime will cause a dramatic reduction

[David94358]

The police are there to hopefully prevent the next crime.. problem is when you let criminals back out on the street then they are no longer prevented from that next crime..

All those things with better jobs, higher wages etc will never happen when the neighborhoods are full of criminals and no business will ever develop in those neighborhoods..