Re: Bush is wrecking everything

Scott H posted an intriguing comment under the original post:

I heard on the radio that the crime drops we were experiencing were likely to end when the wave of children born in the early 90's started to reach their teen years because that's the age at which most criminal activity occurs. I have no idea if it is true or not, but it makes a lot of sense.

My response is a bit lengthy for a comment and veers from the original premise:

I sincerely hope you're wrong, and in my optimistic view, it doesn't make sense.

Yes, I rail against the public system of education; yes, I rail against the ever-increasing dole lists; and yes, I rail against the culture of death and despair we seem to be perpetrating on our children, exposing them to frightening, warpingly inappropriate ideas and material at younger and younger ages all the time.

But they must make their own choices, which will be influenced by a desire to avoid or eradicate things they understand to be harmful - having witnessed them first-hand.

My generation has its tragedies like every generation; it's even possible that these kids could be responsible for an initial jump in the crime rate as they test the waters themselves.

Then again, considering the way we move to criminalize not only acts connected with crimes, but also acts that are normal but peripheral to inadvertant crimes (cell phone "distracted driving" laws, etc.), is it possible that we're setting them up with a much more intricate maze to navigate than we had? Do our labrynthine laws cause them to stumble right out of the gate?

Either way, I expect that most people come around to responsible and caring behavior in their lives because alternative behaviors cause them as much woe as they cause society in general.