Neanderpundit

I just spent the weekend doing just that, so I thought I’d channel Norm Abrams and explain the process in detail. No, I don’t mean bob vila, that asshole never could swing a hammer, he was just the pretty face that PBS put on the series.

Anyway, first, to install a new door, you must buy a new door. This is fairly simple, you go to the lumberyard, and buy a door.
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Law enforcement is an excellent thing.

In the Chicago area, we have a lot of damned excellent cops, both at the state and local level. They do an excellent job.

My personal preference? I’d like there to be no need for cops, ever. I’d like for cops to be superfluous. That’s probably never going to happen, human nature being human nature. Still: If I have a choice of preventing crime rather than punishing people for it, I choose prevention.

Case in point: I live in Indiana. I used to work in a bad area of Downtown Chicago, years ago. I used to carry a 45 Auto under the seat of the car.

Mom saw it one day, said, “hey! you’re gonna get arrested with that, and you’re gonna end up in jail!”

My response?”Well, mom, would you rather hire a shyster lawyer to get me off of trumped up weapons charges, or come identify my body at the morgue?”

Mom’s response?”You got hollow points in that thing, right?”

The crux of the matter is, if you rely completely on Law Enforcement, you have cheapened human life. You choose to let people die, as Dick Daley does, and then punish their murderors (if you can find them- big if) afterwards. The preferred course of action, to anyone with a single functioning brain cell, would be to prevent the murder, or rape, or robbery. This may not always be possible, but every single effort that can be made, should be made, within reason. I’m not suggesting we lock everyone up. I’m not suggesting we become orwellian. I’m suggesting we do normal, sane, crime prevention measures. Lighted streets. Police patrols in dangerous areas. Strong locks on doors. Neighborhood watch. There are a million things to do to help prevent crime.
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When I moved into this house, I inherited a slew of what I call Stupid Previous Owner Tricks, or SPOTS. They ranged from electrical connections consisting of wires twisted together and wrapped in duct tape, to roof holes patched with cookie sheets. I have come a long way, but have a long way yet to go. Still: we love the house and the neighborhood, and we’re here to stay. At least one neighbor has moved into a home nearly as bad as ours, fixed it up, and moved out again. There is one person who moved out after spending three years fixing SPOTS, and the new owner immediately set about creating new disasters. A house can’t take that kind of maintenance/no maintenance cycle. Eventually, it becomes more patch than original structure, and someone comes along and decides it’s easier to rebuild than repair. A house that has continued maintenance and is kept in good nick has a huge lifespan, but the homes that are bought and sold over and over eventually succumb to the abuse of each fool who does Earl Scheib work.
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