The Youth Development program I am most familiar with is the 4-H program, and it is probably the least understood and best kept secret. 4-H offers development of life skills to all youth regardless of economics. It does so by providing programs tailored to the interests of all youth. Interested in gardening? 4-H is there. Robotics? Computers? Dogs? Cats? Ecology? Yes, there are projects. In fact, there are projects available regardless of the interests of the youth. Want to learn to sing, perform, act? Yes, those too. Very little public money goes into these programs – mainly to support office space and expenses for one or two people in each county. But thousands and thousands of volunteer hours are put in each year along with countless dollars from the pockets of these volunteers. Recently though, this program is facing disaster. King County has eliminated the funding from its budget and 4-H will be no more there after October. It could happen here in Pierce County as well, where well over 14,000 youth were served in 2011.

So, the choice is yours. A few dollars from your tax money to support intervention programs and development programs such as 4-H or thousands of dollars to deal with the aftermath of not having them.

If you could point me to them, I’d appreciate it. Like I said, I’m unconvinced, but not UN-convincable.

My comments on the Prosecutors office might need qualification. While what I stated IS actually happening, there may be reasons for it unrelated to willingness to prosecute, like the costs of jury trials, incarceration etc.

The voters and politicians often vote overwhelmingly for tough anti crime laws and larger penalties. Then they are unwilling to vote the money to make them reality. As if everything past the arrest is cost free. Everybody seems to forget the Dept. of corrections and the county jails are integral parts of law enforcement, and deserve appropriate funding, AND staffing.

So we may well have the level of prosecution we are willing to pay for. Nevertheless, crimes involving firearms, including theft of a firearm, or a felony while armed, should NEVER be plead down. Ever. As long as a suspect is charged appropriately, which the PCPA seems to do well.

Your jab at the Pierce County prosecutor is a bit off the point, but worth addressing. Let me think on it.

You can play sports and do crime. The day is 24hrs long.

Meanwhile, the county prosecutor seems to do a great job on high profile cases, but those are in the minority. I have personal knowledge of serious felonies, including firearm theft and Burg A being plead down to nearly nothing, totally missing the point of “Hard time for Armed Crime”. Multiple counts of firearm theft? Drop all but one. Burg A? Drop it to B. Skirt and evade the mandatory minimums any way possible.

The county PO is playing catch and release, only to have the fish come back bigger and with more fight next time.

But on juvenile crime. What’s changed? Well, the nature of the criminal.

First, they grow up mostly unsupervised, in broken homes, without fathers, or bad examples of one. Or any combination of those factors.

Next, they are more mobile via personal or public transportation. Then, we don’t employ and or enforce curfews. Then we program into them materialistic greed, misogynistic ideals, disrespect for society, the law, and each other, via popular “entertainment”. We give them a whole lot of freedom. While our schools totally fail to teach them ethics and morals. We tolerate their behavior because “it’s their culture”.

Add drugs and gangs to the mix. Gang activity and doping are perceived as more fun. More cool. More tough.

I don’t think youth sports can solve that unless kids value it more than the gangsta culture they are spoon fed daily. And there is no evidence on the whole, that they do.

In short, simply occupying their time isn’t good enough. You have to change their minds. While they can still be changed.