SCHILLINGER: Back The Blue With Just More Than Words!
It is time that those in law enforcement gets the support that they deserve from elected officials.
The Wolf administration has failed our men and women who put their lives in danger every day to keep us safe. I am running for lieutenant governor to be the voice for law enforcement. Many people may not know this but the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor is in a unique position to be a strong ally to the men and women in blue.
In Pennsylvania, the lieutenant governor chairs the Commonwealth Board of Pardons. This important role allows the lieutenant governor to make sure that dangerous criminals do not get released, undermining our police officers and leaving them to fend for themselves.
I have had a number of conversations with police officers about what the real issue is when it comes to the skyrocketing crime we have seen not only in Pennsylvania but across the county, as CNN reports the US records the highest increase in the nation’s homicide rate in modern history. Many of you may be expecting what I was expecting to hear: The ‘Defund the Police’ movement.
Their answer was chilling and not at all what I had expected. They explained that the number of times they deal with repeat criminals makes their job extremely hard, and was the single biggest issue they were facing. Police are putting their lives in danger day in and day out by locking up criminals and yet two days later, they get the same call for the same criminal and the same crime.
Why? The radical left is favoring criminals over our men and women in blue. Two of the most well-known radicals are current sitting Attorney General Josh Shapiro and District Attorney Larry Krasner in Philadelphia.
A teacher in the Kensington section of Philadelphia shared with me that during the height of school closures he was so discouraged as he logged into his zoom class and zero students would be online. So he, in his words, “hit the streets.” He explained that he would walk the streets of Kensington to find his students. He found them on the streets making quick easy money. Joining gangs, selling drugs, prostitution, and all the above. The opportunity to escape poverty, to lower crime, and to achieve the American dream was stripped away from these students in a blink of an eye.
No matter the ZIP code, our kids need access to a world-class education system that equips our youth with knowledge, setting them on the path to success rather than condemning them to a life of crime. It is our duty to ensure these tools and resources are available to our families and students. This is not what we have now. Instead, we see our elected officials blatantly ignoring the needs of our communities. It is time to say enough is enough! Stronger communities will lead to safer communities. A safer community helps our men and women in blue get home to their families after their shift.
There is no doubt that America is founded on second chances. But with anything in life, these successes are earned. Not given. That is exactly how we need to address the criminals that have looted our stores, burned our cities, and who have been made to feel empowered to continue their criminal activities. They must earn their release not have it handed to them.
