The Government is Botching Its Most Important Job

As Daylight Savings Time 2023 returned, this reminder popped up on my FB page:

                                Attention Ladies:

It’s Fall

It’s getting darker earlier.

Make sure you fill up your gas tank before sunset.

Always keep an extra charger with you.

Signing up for AAA is a good idea.

Check your tires and oil.

No ATM runs in the evening.

Park in well-lit areas.

Only unlock your doors if you are immediately getting out of your car.

Pay attention to your surroundings.

Heads up, phones down

Actually, this is great advice; and my 19- and 24-year-old sons have heard many of these alerts, repeatedly.

But there is a problem here. As you read this “alert,” do you feel as though you live in a free country? I don’t.

The ONE thing I really expect government to do is what has always been job one: to protect me and my family as we all go about our day-to-day lives.

I feel more unsafe than I have ever felt in my life, and I resent it. I live in a generally safe suburban community with neighbors who look out for one another. Can you imagine living in a border town, or in a major east coast city unable to get out? Many of these Americans lockdown after dark and don’t venture outside their homes. So how did we get here? By defunding the police…that’s how.

Simply generating a phrase such as “defund the police” without defining the terms reflects the dumbing down of our policymakers. Of course, this policy has made our streets more dangerous.

As crime statistics continue to spike, many people living in woke policy cities realize they don’t want to live in fear. According to the District of Columbia (DC) Metropolitan Police statistics, there have been 905 carjackings in 2023, 77% of which involved the use of a gun. Violent crime occurrences in DC are up 40% from 2022, and property crime is up 25%. Although the numbers may vary, the trend is the same in Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, all cities that have been led by Democrats for decades.

New York under Mayor Rudy Giuliani became safer in the early 2000s with an understanding that a strong police presence and swift prosecution even of “the small stuff” was effective. Finally, this November resulted in the loss of some “woke” prosecutors who didn’t understand their oath to “uphold the law.” They believed that they could pick and choose which laws to enforce, and as a result, their communities became far more dangerous. Hopefully, communities will pay attention when voting for their local prosecutors and support candidates that want to fund MORE police, not less.

The 2024 elections are the next opportunity for you to decide how you and your family want to live. America cannot afford to miss the chance to turn things around. So here’s a thought: demand that our government on the local, state, and federal level keep us safe in our homes, businesses, schools and, yes….even after dark!

Kendel Ehrlich is the former First Lady of Maryland, a former prosecutor, former Deputy Director of ONDCP, former Director of SMART and former Acting Director of BJA.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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