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D.A.R.E. is nothing more then a jobs program for over paid cops!
Cut Chandler drug education? Dont you D.A.R.E. Dave Parsons, Commentary February 12, 2010 - 5:48PM As a Chandler resident, I know we have come a long way during the past two decades lowering the drug abuse that was previously getting out of control. We are winning the war on drugs. [Since when? Every year the cops spend more money on fighting the drug war and claim they need more money to win it! While at the same time any high school kid can buy any drug they want on the high school campus] Studies done by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission on drug use among eighth-graders show that between 2005 and 2008, alcohol use was down 9.4 percent, tobacco use was down 3.6 percent and marijuana use was down 3 percent. [Again the cop tells a white lie! Alcohol use is way down, not drug use] The police have gained a solid footing in our city, accompanied by a matching reputation regionally, nationally and internationally. [Lots of bragging with no facts to back it up] The cuts to the D.A.R.E. program will not only diminish our quality of life for Chandler residents but will begin a process of turning our backs on our children, their future, and ultimately our future. [Wrong studies have shown that the D.A.R.E. program is pretty worthless when it comes to preventing kids from using drugs - D.A.R.E. is a jobs program for cops - nothing more] I am counting on your vote and support to save the D.A.R.E. program. Schools are vulnerable and continue to be soft targets In Chandler, D.A.R.E. is taught in 38 public and private schools. [Nice stats but so what! Did it reduce drug use? Was it cost effective?] Last year, 3,900 Chandler students graduated from the D.A.R.E. program. [Nice stats but so what! Did it reduce drug use? Was it cost effective?] D.A.R.E. officers also teach gang-prevention training along with Internet-predator classes, prescription- and over-the-counter drug abuse classes, bullying classes, stranger danger, meth classes and others. [What does that have to do with preventing drug use] Removing D.A.R.E. officers from our elementary schools will remove the only regular police presence. [Sounds like a damn good idea. It's time to get cops out of school classrooms! ] D.A.R.E. officers serve as the first line of defense in our schools during a critical incident. [Again what does this have to do with reducing drug use. You are saying we need a cop in every class room to give the cops jobs] Budgets are about Priorities not Dollars Proponents tell us cutting D.A.R.E. will save $720,000.00. Less than nine-tenths of 1 percent of the operating budget. [That is $720,000 too much!] Utilizing off-budget sources, such as fundraising, honorariums and a few dollars from the schools, all books and supplies for D.A.R.E. do not come out of the general budget. D.A.R.E. also conducts two youth academies camps for some of our most at-risk youth. D.A.R.E. is Cost-Effective [Rubbish! D.A.R.E. is a jobs program for cops] The math is straightforward: D.A.R.E. workbooks cost .89 cents each. [Nice stats but so what! The silly workbooks don't reduce drug use!] Cost of incarcerating a prisoner for one year is about $40,000. [Now you are pointing out another huge problem. Why are we spending $40,000 a year to jail people who committed victimless drug war crimes that didn't harm anybody? Let these political drug war prisoners and reserve the prisons for real criminals like robbers, rapists, thieves and muggers, not harmless drug war criminals smoked or sold a joint of weed!] D.A.R.E. is Tested, Proven, and Works! [Rubbish! D.A.R.E. is a jobs program for over paid cops that does not prevent kids from using drugs!] 19 studies since 1997 show D.A.R.E. is effective, including a study by the National Medical Association showing D.A.R.E. graduates are five times less likely to begin smoking than non-D.A.R.E. graduates. At least 11 independent studies can be found at www.dare.org showing the proven effectiveness of the program. [Now you are comparing apples to oranges. You claim D.A.R.E. is used to prevent illegal drug use. Even if D.A.R.E prevents tobacco use D.A.R.E. is a dismal failure at preventing drug use and should be canceled] D.A.R.E. now has enhanced lessons and activities on cyber bullying, teen over-the-counter and prescription drug abuse, methamphetamine, bullying, gangs, and Internet safety, to name a few. [Again a lie! D.A.R.E. doesn't prevent kids from using drugs. D.A.R.E. is a jobs program for cops] All curricula are science-based, age appropriate, reading-level appropriate, and written by a national panel of prevention experts. All meet health, reading and math standards. [Nice stats but so what! The real question is does D.A.R.E. reduce drug use? No it doesn't!] D.A.R.E. PASSES the Common Sense Test [Again more government propaganda from a cop who wants to save his program. D.A.R.E. does not prevent drug use.] D.A.R.E. not only educates children about the dangers of illegal drugs and violence, while fostering positive relationships between police officers and children, D.A.R.E. helps place future good decision-makers on the street, a wise budget decision by any measure. [The cop keeps expanding the purpose of D.A.R.E.! From this sentence it sounds like he is selling D.A.R.E. to solve all the worlds problems] Please let your concerns be known; call or e-mail your council today. [tell them to fire the over paid unneeded D.A.R.E. cops] Dave Parsons is the Arizona state D.A.R.E. coordinator. [And he is pushing the D.A.R.E. program to build his empire, not because it works! D.A.R.E. is nothing more then a jobs program for over paid cops!] |