As it happens with many of the news coming from the most progressive country in the world, I was shocked by the notion that criminals in San Francisco are paid not to shoot anyone. If you behave yourself and manage not to blow somebody's brains for a whole month you get 300 bucks! The article I read doesn't say if, for instance, you're still allowed to beat them within an inch of death. Or if you can still slit their throat. It's only about shooting or not shooting people!
This program is funded by an organization with a fancy name, the Dream Keeper Fellowship, and is targeting, what else, the black community in San Francisco. If you're white, you don't qualify. Black people, however, get paid to obey the laws (as is their duty).
I really don't see how this will help tackle the problems they have there. For the first half of this year, the number of shooting is twice as high as compared to last year.
What kind of message does such a program send? What happens when the program stops. Do those concerned polish their guns and go on a rampage since there's no more money coming? Not that the money makes a difference. Seriously, those included in this program are considered to be at risk of shooting someone or being shot at. That's criminal gangs we're talking here and I don't think such fellows are interested in 300 lousy dollars. My guess is they are involved in more lucrative business.
The simple idea of rewarding people for respecting a fundamental law that governs all the nations in this world is pure lunacy. Since the first civilized societies were created people have made it a rule not to kill each other. Those who did were punished in kind.
The Code of Hammurabi is based on the 'eye for an eye' principle. Well, except when you killed a slave, that was a lesser crime punishable by fine.
'Thou shalt not kill', says the Bible.
No code of law ever mentioned the the idea of rewarding people for civilized behavior.
When you come up with such a notion you're basically reverting to barbarian times when the guy wielding the bigger stick got to live in the bigger cave.
This story goes well with another one, a few months back, when some of progressive lunatics argued for the right of the poor to steal whatever they need from the store.
Add to that the Defund the Police movement and you have a society where the rule of law has been abolished. Or maybe it still applies to the privileged that work their asses off to buy stuff from the same store.
As it happens, I have a sister living in California and she's not doing so good after 30 years of hard work, health-wise and money-wise. Problem is she doesn't own a gun so she doesn't qualify for the $300 for not shooting anyone! (She's not black either) Maybe steal some groceries, then? At her age, I doubt it she could manage to run with a big-screen TV on her back, but I'm sure she could manage a loaf of bread and some cheese!
As for me, I don't have a gun either, and that's a good thing with my temper!