The Ethics of Private Police

In my historic neighborhood, we are having a vigorous debate about the wisdom/propriety of paying monthly “dues” to hire off-duty police officers to conduct extra patrols. The concern is that the Indianapolis police force is stretched thin, and despite Mayor Ballard’s emphasis on public safety, not much has changed, and certainly not for the better.

I understand the problem; it’s real, and not improving. Like my neighbors, I want to feel that my person and property are being adequately protected. But I have a real problem with “rent-a-cop” proposals of this sort.

Public safety is one of the very few things that virtually all Americans believe should be provided by government. Practically speaking, private policing creates the classic “free rider” problem–if I pay a private security guy to patrol my street, my neighbor who refuses to pay his fair share for this service will benefit anyway. Ethically, the question goes to the heart of why we have collective mechanisms like government in the first place: why should citizens who can afford to pay extra get adequate basic services while our poorer neighbors don’t?

 If I thought that hiring private security for the Old Northside would prompt the city to deploy added police in underserved poor neighborhoods–where social dysfunction and economic distress increases the incidence of violent crime–I might reconsider my opposition, but anyone who understands the way these things work knows how unlikely that is. It’s more likely that the Mayor would breathe a sigh of relief and REDUCE the public police force proportionately. My neighborhood would benefit at the expense of poorer areas.

What’s worse, we’d be echoing the message that seems to resonate with all those “tea bagger” folks: that we don’t need no stinkin’ government. If for some reason you can’t fend for yourself,  it’s probably because you are undeserving. In any case, that’s your problem.

Maintenance

I believe it was Eric Hoffer who said that the mark of a nation’s civilization was the degree to which it maintained its infrastructure. In other words, while the ability to erect impressive structures is a sign of technological and artistic expertise, the real sign of a mature culture is its attention to upkeep.

I thought about that when I read Masson’s blog this morning; he notes the need to attend to our aging sewers, and makes much the same point that Hoffer did. It is a point worth pondering in an age where citizens seemingly care about nothing other than low taxes.

Muncie has 368 miles of water lines and some 600 miles of sewer lines, many of which were constructed 75 to 95 years ago, Bennington said.

I only mention it to note the difficulty in budgeting for upkeep of infrastructure. Present needs have a way of shoving aside intentions to set aside money for future needs. When you build something, it’s a certainty that repairs will be needed in the future. It’s almost as certain that routine maintenance will be less expensive in the long run than deferring maintenance until something catastrophic happens. But, it’s hard to say “no” to a present need or to raise taxes just to pay for something preventative on systems that are largely taken for granted.

The Pace of Progress

Civil rights activists often disagree over tactics. That was (and is) true of the African-American civil rights movement, and similar disputes characterize those working for equal rights for women, Latinos and other minorities. So it should not surprise anyone that gay rights activists often disagree about where resources should be deployed and when, or whether to be confrontational or to work behind the scenes.

There aren’t “good guys” and “bad guys” in most of these debates—just idealistic people of good will who have different ideas about the best way to proceed.

 The most recent evidence of such disagreement was this fall’s March on Washington. It is no secret that many people in the so-called “gay establishment”—HRC comes to mind—were less than thrilled at the prospect of diverting energy and resources from places like Maine, where the recent recognition of same-sex marriage faces a Proposition 8-like repeal effort. (HRC did get on board when it became obvious the March would be held, but its early reluctance was hardly a secret. Barney Frank never did support it.)

At the March itself, another fault-line became evident.

Many members of the gay community are clearly angry that the Obama Administration has not yet acted on several promises to advance equality for gays, lesbians and transgendered people. A number of those who delivered speeches at the March made their displeasure very clear. The general sentiment was: yes, you talk the talk. But where’s the walk?

Others–generally those who have worked on equality issues for many years and who are all too familiar with the political barriers that have to be dealt with–believe that  actually achieving these changes is more complicated than the critics seem to understand. They are impatient with impatience.

As a recovering lawyer, I am painfully aware that legal changes almost always lag cultural ones. That’s because legislatures and even the courts (angry accusations about “socialist” policymakers and “imperial” courts notwithstanding) rarely act until something akin to a social consensus emerges. Nor can a President unilaterally make most changes. And even when a President can act without Congress, through Executive Order, there are legislative consequences to be expected.

The impatience displayed by many of the Washington marchers is understandable. It’s like being told that “if you just stay in the back of the bus a bit longer” America is more likely to get health care and environmental protection. Why should GLBT rights be held in thrall to other goals? What’s the point of having political capital if you don’t spend it?

My own analysis is somewhat different. Barack Obama is one of the most strategic politicians to come along in my lifetime. I believe him when he says–as he did at the HRC dinner–that he is committed to achieving equal rights for the GLBT community. And I believe him when he says he will do so in his first term.

There are two things any constituency needs from its political champions: sincere commitment and the strategic smarts to actually get something done. I think Clinton had the commitment; but he couldn’t get it done.  He was ahead of his time, for one thing; the culture was not quite ready. But he also made a tactical error; his approach to the issue of gays in the military was clumsy and badly timed. I think Obama knows how to get things done–even very difficult things.

Basically, Obama is asking the gay community to trust him.

It’s easy for me to say, of course–I’m not gay. But I DO trust him. And those of my friends who’ve been long-time activists on behalf of GLBT  rights, people who know how tough these fights still are, trust him too.

We may be wrong–only time will tell. But when Obama says he’ll get it done during his first term, I believe him.

Bingo

One of the bloggers I read regularly is Ed Brayton, whose “Dispatches from the Culture Wars” takes on hypocrites of both the left and right. This analysis of charges of “media bias” is an example of his generally on-target commentary:

Let’s get something straight: there is no such thing as objective journalism. Every single journalist brings his or her own preconceptions to everything they do, including me. There is no point in pretending otherwise. Just own up to your biases and wear them on your sleeve for all to see and readers and viewers can take that into account. All that really matters is accuracy. If bias leads to inaccuracies in the reporting, then point out the inaccuracies. If it doesn’t, then accusations of bias are meaningless.

But the sheer chutzpah of conservatives, of all people, feigning outrage at politicians criticizing news outlets? You have to be joking. Bashing the media has been one of the most important strategic elements of conservative politics for decades. Media bashing is not merely a staple part of conservative thinking, it’s so deeply ingrained that it’s almost a reflex reaction for most right wingers.

And that’s the whole point of the strategy, to get their followers to instinctively react to any news that is inconvenient for them by dismissing it as another example of liberal media bias. It’s an inoculation against reality and it is very, very effective. Hearing conservatives whine about media bashing is like hearing Paris Hilton whine about Lindsey Lohan being shallow. The pot and the kettle might as well die in a mutual murder/suicide pact at that point.

“Morality” Policies and Political Realities

In Indiana, I cannot buy wine (or any kind of liquor) if I go to Costco or my local grocery on Sunday. Since–like most women in America today–I work during the week, Sunday is my preferred day to shop. Thanks to the Indiana legislature’s determination to protect my morals and their pocketbooks, I have the choice of making an extra trip, or changing my preferred shopping day, in order to buy wine.

As a matter of public policy, this is insane. I do not drink less because of this policy (actually, being a woman of a “certain” age, I pretty much limit my imbibing to one glass of red wine with dinner anyway). My dinner party guests are not deprived of a nice vintage due to this policy. It is simply inconvenient and annoying.

Periodically, there is an effort to change the law that forbids Sunday sales by groceries. We are seeing such an effort now, with advocates of change pointing out that we can drink at restaurants or bars on Sunday, so it seems silly and inconsistent to prohibit the purchase of spirits at the grocery.

What are the policy arguments being made by those defending the status quo? According to my morning paper, those arguments are:  1)Hundreds of neighborhood liquor stores might go out of business if groceries are allowed to compete. 2)There will be more drunken driving. 3) Remember the Sabbath.

Let’s take this one at a time.

  • If liquor stores cannot compete, then they should be allowed to fail. It is not government’s job to protect them, just as it isn’t government’s job to protect the corner hardware store from Lowe’s.
  • I hate to point this out, but the prediction that drunkenness, or drunk driving, will increase assumes that no one is drinking at those restaurants and bars, or buying enough liquor on, say, Thursday, to last until Sunday. This assertion is clearly not grounded in logic. Or reality.
  • Sunday isn’t MY Sabbath, nor is it the Sabbath of 7th Day Adventists, or atheists, or many others. And even if it were, the Establishment Clause prohibits the use of government to advance religion.

Of course, this was originally ALL about “it’s the Sabbath.” It was about reminding us heathens that this is a Christian (Protestant) Nation, thank you very much.  Most states have moved beyond this; not Indiana. Here in the Hoosier state, it has become a source of campaign cash from the liquor store lobby for those politicians willing to protect those stores from competition by making my life just a bit less convenient.

I’m sure they consider it a fair trade-off.