CommentsALPERN AT LARGE-What does the LADOT, the FDA, the EPA, the IRS, and the Sheriff's Department have in common?
They all have various policing powers, and they are all to differing degrees authorized by government to enforce the law.
Because laws -- and enforcing them -- is what government is all about:
1) So WHY will LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva's political star rise after he took on the hordes of individuals breaking the law by loitering and residing illegally on Venice Beach?
Because the voters and citizens believe Villanueva's doing his job.
2) So WHY is CD11 Councilmember Mike Bonin being served recall papers because of his opposition to Sheriff Villanueva's efforts?
Because the voters and citizens increasingly believe Bonin is NOT doing his job.
3) So WHY is CD11 Councilmember Mike Bonin and his staff getting after Acting District Director Hanna Levien who called the police about a homeless person loitering/living outside the Westchester office?
Because the voters and citizens believe that this problem was caused by Bonin NOT doing his job and forcing the police into an awkward position of wondering when and how to do their jobs.
4) So WHY is the U.S. seeing explosive increases in crime (including violent crimes such as homicide) throughout the nation's large cities?
Because criminals are perceiving that police are being hampered and shackled from doing their jobs, so the criminals believe they can do whatever "job" they want on innocent, law-abiding citizens.
5) So WHY is it so dangerous for cities and states to remove "qualified immunity" for police while D.A.'s and governors get to keep theirs. . .and all the while trashing police officers' lives and safety in favor of those with dangerous criminal records?
Because if police officers are afraid for their own lives, safety, fiscal future, retirement, etc., then they will have to stand down and let the public fend for itself. . .because the police just will and can NOT do their jobs.
6) So WHY would anyone in their right mind become a police officer, particularly in a "Deep Blue" city where the police, and not those with criminal records, are suddenly the "bad guys"?
Because some of us are so brave and selfless to do their jobs that they are willing to fight and die for the rest of us.
7) And WHY is former Massachusetts Governor and Democratic Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis so worried about the future chances of high-level and low-level races in the election cycles to come?
Because Governor Dukakis, who was and still is a pretty straight shooter, lost his presidential race (and the Democratic Party lost a lot of momentum during the Reagan Era) because of a perception that the Democratic Party was NOT doing their jobs with respect to keeping American voters and citizens safe.
Laws are about government, and government is about a shared covenant between the people and their elected/hired officials. . .and the debates are endless about how much or little law and/or enforcement is required for good government (as it always should be).
But without laws, there is no government. Without police and enforcement, there is no government, and no society, and no quality of life.
So let's "Why's" and "Wise" up. Enough of the nonsense. We can have laws. We must have laws.
Or it's just the Wild, Wild West (or even caveman/medieval times) all over again.
(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father to two cherished children and a wonderful wife. He was termed out of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) twice after two stints as a Board member for 8-9 years and is also a Board member of the Westside Village Homeowners Association. He previously co-chaired the MVCC Outreach, Planning, and Transportation/Infrastructure Committees. He was previously co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee, the grassroots Friends of the Green Line (which focused on a Green Line/LAX connection), and the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.) Photo: Fox News LA. Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
