President Clinton recently announced a new initiative in the war against illegal drugs. He called for the hiring of 100,000 drug counselors to go into the classrooms and speak of the evils of drug use.
That number rang a bell. It fits quite nicely with 100,000 new police officers and 100,000 new teachers he has called for in the past. It is interesting that the same round number is required for vastly different problems. Are these numbers well thought out or merely the number pollsters and focus groups arrived at because they sound good? Sadly, experience tells us it is the latter.
It is typical of this administration to see big and expanding government as the answer to our problems. Throwing money at them may not solve the problems, but we will feel better because, at least, we tried.
Strengthening families and getting parents involved would be far more effective than hiring a cadre of mercenaries. Then again, this administration believes that “it takes a village.”
