Arrogance of the politicos

I spent all last week trying to get a federal or an Ontario politician to listen to a visitor from California who was an expert in the area of researching the causes of action of violent offenders and AD/HD sufferers. Red Hodges is the Chairman of the Violence Research Foundation, a California-based non-profit organization which is trying to make a difference for people. VRF wants to raise the profile in Canada of what is being done in California, to help reduce the incidence of violent offenses and to help treat AD/HD children.

What is the response of Canadian politicos? It runs the gamut from "Let me put you on hold so that you can talk to my assistant.", which is political-speak for "bug off" to "Let me see if I can get the MLA to call you back.", which is political speak, again, for "bug off".

We just went through a provincial election in Ontario wherein the politicians slapped themselves on the back saying that crime in Ontario is down, but also that we cannot rest until we eliminate crime. We also heard that Ontario must do more for AD/HD and autistic kids. We also have a federal government saying jail is where all offenders need to be... not house arrest or lesser forms of incarceration or alternate forms of treatment... and throw away the key.

If that is the case, why not listen to people like Red Hodges. Maybe we can all learn something new. Maybe our newfound knowledge can help our fellow Canadians. If we can reduce violent crime by treating the criminals as more than just political fodder, then maybe, just maybe, we reduce the number of victims. And that would be a good thing.

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