Crime Fighting

This comment is based upon the following WHB entry: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/03/06/Rebuilding-America-town-by-town/

The Recovery Act provides funding to states to utilize in the fight against crime in the form of Justice Assistance Grants totalling $2B. Well, my federalist leanings are going to show themselves here. So, isn't this something that the state should be taking care of without federal intervention? You could volley back that the states are just accepting federal funding but still managing the crime fighting function. This is true but isn't the money the federal government is providing based upon taxpayer dollars? You see, why is it that the federal government takes all citizens of the United States but then redistributes, in this situation, based upon population and violent crime statistics. Couldn't states collect the money themselves and cut out the middle man, the federal government? Now, I can't fault Obama any more than any President who has redistributed federal monies to the states, which is pretty much everyone. The point I would make is that this plan isn't any different than everything tried by past Presidents, Republicans and Democrats. Maybe that's the point, no matter how many times you call the plan novel or call it change, this is not change. This plan continues the federal government's general approach of throwing money at the problem, haven't we learned from history that throwing money at a problem will not solve the problem? Apparently not.

There is some change. Obama, more than any other President past, embraces the modern marvels available for marketing and public relations.