The Crooked Ladder

Have the Cops gotten too good at busting people? Interesting question.  The crooked ladder  is a way to transcend humble beginnings. But if we bust and incarcerate a whole generation of people, that ladder will never be available to lots of young males.  Our drug laws have criminalized way too many people. And the laws have not been applied equally.  Maybe a little bit of tolerance of non-violent "crime" can actually be a social good? Maybe lots of those young "street dealers" are just social strivers, street-level entrepreneurs, maybe we'd all be better off if some of these "crimes" were de-crimilized? Maybe busting poor people for jay-walking is total bullshit! Turns out court fees for low level stuff - traffic stops and jaywalking, is a major cash cow for Municipal Government in Ferguson MI. Malcolm Gladwell reviews the history and shows us that America was built by immigrant gangsters. Maybe we shouldn't just pull the ladder up and away, maybe we want people to climb the ladder? Maybe assimilating the "street smart" is good for society. I guess that sounds like a Liberal argument. But maybe it's just common sense?