Texas turning blue.... (Portland: crime rates, tech jobs, assault)

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by redguard57

Only aboout 5% of police budgets in the 60 largest cities were reduced 2020-21. They weren"t really reductions in most cases, they were reallocations. It was about $840 million of reductions in a country that spends $100-150 Billion on police departments. That's not really "defunding." It's barely a haircut. Most of the cuts were to equipment purchasing and overtime.

Finally the the police know how it feels to not get everything they ask for. In education we get this message from local and state leadersbip all the time. Police budgets have SKYROCKETED in the last 40 years. Adjusted for inflation we spend 200% more on police than we spent in 1980.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnb...00percent.html

Austin has done some of the most dramatic "defunding." It's not really defunding though, it's reallocation.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...oney-community

And now many cities are restoring or increasing police funding.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj...me-11622066307

I was never for defunding police. Always thought that was a ridiculous idea. I want MORE funding to go to police, but I would prefer they reimagine how they train and operate. Ie: I would like our police system to be more like the UK, where they have responders more appropriate to the types of calls and only bring out the armed officers when warranted. If anything I want the armed ones to be more well trained, more elite, and more well paid.

If anything liberals should probably focus more on police unions. That's where a lot of the problems they have with police come from. The unions are not invested in changing the culture. Rather, they protect it and resist reform.

Yea. Now just about every city that defunded and re-allocated is scrambling. Defunding has been a brutal fail for the democrat brand.

[Andtheblack]

Republicans have been masterful at conflating much needed police reforms with defunding the police, which is not something supported by the vast majority of Democrats. An inflammatory sound byte is much easier to advance than a concept requiring explanation.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Andtheblack

Republicans have been masterful at conflating much needed police reforms with defunding the police, which is not something supported by the vast majority of Democrats. An inflammatory sound byte is much easier to advance than a concept requiring explanation.

It doesn't matter precisely how many democrats support or supported defending. You guys got the anti-police ball rolling. Lots and lots of career cops have quit. Crime is much worse. Own it.

[ScoPro]

Sure is a lot of revisionism going on here to deflect from the events of the past several years and denial of how the democrat party supported those events.
But go right ahead with the “it’s all the republican party’s fault” nonsense.
There is plenty of culpability to go around.
No wonder the younger people are ill-informed

[As Above So Below...]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

Sure is a lot of revisionism going on here to deflect from the events of the past several years and denial of how the democrat party supported those events.
But go right ahead with the “it’s all the republican party’s fault” nonsense.
There is plenty of culpability to go around.
No wonder the younger people are ill-informed

Republicans and Democrats are guilty of the exact same things. They just both like to pretend they aren’t.

[redguard57]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

Sure is a lot of revisionism going on here to deflect from the events of the past several years and denial of how the democrat party supported those events.
But go right ahead with the “it’s all the republican party’s fault” nonsense.
There is plenty of culpability to go around.
No wonder the younger people are ill-informed

I think covid is behind much of the crime wave and it's not something that politicians intended or approve.

[redguard57]

Originally Posted by EDS_

It doesn't matter precisely how many democrats support or supported defending. You guys got the anti-police ball rolling. Lots and lots of career cops have quit. Crime is much worse. Own it.

"It doesn't matter what the truth is but I want my political opponents to know I blame them for it."

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by redguard57

"It doesn't matter what the truth is but I want my political opponents to know I blame them for it."

So what is the truth in this context?

[Andtheblack]

Originally Posted by EDS_

It doesn't matter precisely how many democrats support or supported defending. You guys got the anti-police ball rolling. Lots and lots of career cops have quit. Crime is much worse. Own it.

If career cops quit because they don’t like the idea of being called to account for their misdeeds, that’s a win for the people who are often the targets of their abuse. Hopefully, Democrats will continue to advocate for much needed police reforms.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Andtheblack

If career cops quit because they don’t like the idea of being called to account for their misdeeds, that’s a win for the people who are often the targets of their abuse. Hopefully, Democrats will continue to advocate for much needed police reforms.

So all the cops quitting are abusers? That's really your take?