Answer to America's youth violence is jobs...

While the urgency to address Chicago's rampant wave of violence is extremely warranted, I think it's absolutely ridiculous that two Illinois lawmakers are requesting to bring in the National Guard as a way to control the problem...Granted the city has seen a rising surge of violence recently, especially now that the weather appears to be warming up. Every year residents here have to deal with a deadly trend that only gets worse as summer approaches and it's our children that continue to suffer its tragic consequences. Last week alone seven people died and 18 were wounded, mostly by gunfire. Chicago has had over 100 homicide victims so far this year. And 25 Chicago student's lives have been cut short due to youth violence. The numbers are grim and the reality of young lives lost is staggering. At the same time working-class families in Chicago, whether Black, Latino or white are dealing with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Good jobs that pay livable wages with decent benefits not to mention health insurance are increasingly scarce these days. Everyday families across the city are being hit with dire unemployment figures and many continue to lose their homes in an on-going foreclosure crisis....More

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[Dr. Peter Vakunta]

•The problematic issue of youth delinquence and violence in Chicago and in other States in America, I believe,are attributable to systemic dysfunction. Resegregation in the school system has created an unbridgeable gap between inner city schools and schools in the suburbs. There are still schools in this country (backwoods schools)where kids don't have what it takes to pursue their academic goals. Former president Bush's NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND paradigm is a sham and has failed. Consequence: we have kids who leave the K12 school system ill-equiped to perform tasks that need mental wherewithal.The harsh economic conundrum has made most parents in America absentee parents. Children left to their own devices can do anything: premature sex, drugs, gun-totting, alcoholism, etc. I think that our officials should desist from chasing shadows and face the problem head-on. For Reps like Fritchey and Ford to suggest bringing in the military as a way to solve the problems plaguing Chicago's streets only goes to show how disconnected these officials are from reality.