Comments on: Damn Kids

By: Midwest5

Midwest5 — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 07:56:58 +0000

Kids are getting worse and worse. They think that they are all so great and wonderful. I know this isn't all kids, because I know a lot of kids in my neighborhood who are fine kids, and aren't yound criminals, but on the news they arrested a gang of kids ranging from NINE to 17. That's pretty bad.

But we are MUDERAPOLIS once again. : [

By: DaveM

DaveM — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:51:00 +0000

I have a big idea. Put the criminals in jail and keep them there.

That must make you the most liberal of all, Bartbrett -- since you're obviously supporting the enormous tax increase it would take to keep our criminal population incarcerated for the full length of their sentences.

Just sayin'...

By: compubox

compubox — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:45:09 +0000

amber, what the hell with the name calling? let’s see, i mentor a child who lives in north for the last 7 years, i coach a basketball team in the heart of north, and my g-friend teaches at a charter school in north. so yeah, i’m qualified to state an EDUCATED opinion on what i see. BELIEVE me, there’s not too many parents so exhausted from working at mcdonalds that they’re too tired to parent. PLEASE! we had a “parents day at the school last semester….approx 150 kids in school, you know how many parents showed up. 14!!! but yeah, the other 136 were all working the fry machine, right?

come see what i see….dad’s absent, mom’s doing a whole lot of nothing. or just stay in your little “oh, it’s so hard to be product of the ghetto” mentality, and just keep making excuses for people. THAT will initiate change, right?

BTW, i have no problems with welfare. it is a good system that truly helps many deserving people in times of need. it is the abuse of welfare that is at the root of many problems, i believe.

By: Bartbrett

Bartbrett — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 01:47:40 +0000

Buckwheat rules!! Liberals. All 4 cities are LIBERAL run cities. I have a big idea. Put the criminals in jail and keep them there.

By: msparber

msparber — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 23:30:34 +0000

Too busy chuckling.

By: Amber

Amber — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 23:23:32 +0000

So then perhaps you can enlighten us, buckwheat?

By: todd

todd — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 15:54:32 +0000

you.will.get.robbed.in.uptown.

By: buckwheat

buckwheat — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 14:33:06 +0000

What we have here is the type of misunderstanding about how societies work that can only come when you have a community that's comprised of home-grown innocents, farm kids with no history of this place and who never saw a blood til he/she went to Carlton, and refugees from Chicago and points East who have no history of this place and who view this burg as relatively trouble-free, and foreign immigrants who just feel thankful to have a clean place to go to the bathroom.

As someone who grew up in St. Paul's ghetto, which is probably equivalent to Chicago's nicest suburb as far as crime is concerned, I'm just chuckling observing the debate about the cause and cure of crime between such divergent groups, neither of whom have any clue.

Nice debate though.

By: Amber

Amber — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 08:45:53 +0000

I practically live my life with these kids, and I would say that I know everything there is to know about juvenile crime...

Correction: I would *never* say that I know everything there is to know about juvenile crime...

By: Amber

Amber — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 06:08:42 +0000

Compubox, whether or not Minneapolis is as bad as Chicago or Philly is not the point. I live in Minneapolis, therefore when I see juvenile crime rising in this city, I don’t say “Well, at least it’s not as bad as in Chicago!” I don’t effin’ care about Chicago.

And yes, it is a little presumptuous to assume that all parents of JD’s are on welfare, as well as your presumption that the problem is “simple”, i.e., always the fault of the parents. In fact, your presumption kind of refutes many of your arguments…you presume to know all of these things about these kids, yet you don’t. I practically live my life with these kids, and I would say that I know everything there is to know about juvenile crime…I don’t just drive by them on a street corner in north and think I know what their lives are like because I spent “a lot” of time up there.

I am not making excuses for anyone – nothing disgusts me more than people who commit crimes with no regard to others – but in order to solve the problem, it might help to look at the cause. Gangs are not the way out, but you have to understand that it sure as hell looks desirable to a population of youth who don’t have a lot of distinctive role models who work at McDonalds or any other 9 to 5. Parents are not always wholly to blame…some try to be great parents, but because they are tired of assholes like you blaming everything on welfare, they work their asses off to stay off of welfare, therefore they’re not able to be around for their kids. You want parents to not take advantage of welfare, yet you would also probably blame parents who worked too much and who were never around…which one do you want more? Because you’re not gonna get both.