State Troopers to Begin Patrolling St. Louis City Interstates (Liberal: law, transportation)

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by 2000_Watts

Please elaborate how the state should go about acting on those suggestions:

What should be done to tighten gun laws and what measures should be taken to ensure there's no adverse impact on law-abiding, responsible gun owners?

What should those tougher sentences be for criminals? And which criminals?

What steps do you suggest to eliminate poverty?

How has this worked for Memphis, and what can STL/KC/Springfield learn to combat their problems with gun violence and poverty?

Tougher license standards including drug and alcohol testing applicants. Develop a database to identify those who have hate group or militia ties including street gangs crips bloods KKK or anything else. Check social media and sites like CD for racist posts to identify potential racists to prevent hate crimes. (Some on this forum would fall into this category) and finally ban the NRA and other organizations who promote violence!

If you are found guilty of murder, you should get the death penalty.

Eliminate poverty by encouraging entrepreneurship and education. Focus on strong families. No one should be allowed to have children they can't afford to take care of! Schools need to be training all students to successfully compete in a global marketplace.

What does Memphis have to do with anything?

[RisingAurvandil]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

Well in a lot of states there is a shortage of troopers.

I can assure you, there is no shortage of troopers in Missouri. Or any other state. Simple economics dictates that there are no shortages in a free market.

The state should be patrolling StL freeways, as it does in every other part of the state. We all pay the same state taxes.

[FrankMiller]

Originally Posted by RisingAurvandil

Simple economics dictates that there are no shortages in a free market.

Unfortunately, complicated economics is more accurate at describing reality.

[1grin_g0]

I don't think a government agency or service should ever be deemed the result of free market dynamics. It's quite the opposite actually.

[RisingAurvandil]

Originally Posted by FrankMiller

Unfortunately, complicated economics is more accurate at describing reality.

Originally Posted by 1grin_g0

I don't think a government agency or service should ever be deemed the result of free market dynamics. It's quite the opposite actually.

To the both of you...

In America, any legal product can be purchased for the going price. There is a difference between...

a) a shortage

and

b) refusing to pay market rate for services rendered.


In the case of Missouri, the state refuses to pay it's officers market rate, and thus officers take positions in local and county governments, where the compensation is higher. These county and local governments are competing for experience and talent.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by RisingAurvandil

I can assure you, there is no shortage of troopers in Missouri. Or any other state. Simple economics dictates that there are no shortages in a free market.

The state should be patrolling StL freeways, as it does in every other part of the state. We all pay the same state taxes.

Here in Florida there is a severe shortage. They have a lot of positions to fill because they're having trouble finding recruits due to the LOW pay. The governor recently authorized a 6 percent raise but it's still not much. Starting pay before the raise was about $34,000 a year. Not a lot to live on in most places in Florida, especially a single income as cost continue to rise in florida, especially housing.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by RisingAurvandil

To the both of you...

In America, any legal product can be purchased for the going price. There is a difference between...

a) a shortage

and

b) refusing to pay market rate for services rendered.


In the case of Missouri, the state refuses to pay it's officers market rate, and thus officers take positions in local and county governments, where the compensation is higher. These county and local governments are competing for experience and talent.

That is the same problem here in Florida. The highway patrol pays crap. Mississippi even pays a higher starting salary than Florida highway patrol. That is sad when MS pays more and they're usually one of the states with lowest pay in everything.

[1grin_g0]

It looks like Greiten's decision to have state troopers patrol St. Louis is already making a difference. You wonder how many lives have been saved as a result of the DUI arrests that have been made thus far.

Missouri troopers say governor’s order to patrol St. Louis interstates is working | FOX2now.com

[FrankMiller]

Although the troopers may be making a difference, that article provides no evidence of that and in fact quotes the state trooper as saying "it will be at least a month before troopers know the actual impact of the program."

[1grin_g0]

From the article:

"We've had a solid first week and going into second week now," he said.

Burckhardt said in that first week, troopers made roughly 1,300 different enforcement contacts, 450 of which were warnings and another 700 were charges including tickets, felonies, and DUI arrests.

That's enough evidence for me.