America's Supercop...

...should probably stay in America. But nooooo, Bill Bratton- who, I admit has an impressive resume, having been Chief of Police in Los Angeles, Boston and New York is continuing to insist that he can 'lead the British police out of a crisis.'

Call me crazy, but can you really lay this mess at the feet of the police? It's hard to wrap your heads around sitting over here in America, but in Europe- the United Kingdom included, welfare benefits are generous enough that you can live comfortably off them (as in get a house and feed your family, not some cruddy apartments, powdered milk, malt-o-meal and Wild Turkey from the local supermarket). As a result, a whole culture of not working or even bothering to work has sprung up. So when the government runs out of other people's money, those people get a little pissed off...

And it's fundamentally contradictory what happens as a result. As one of the fam pointed out via Facebook rant, the rioters were burning down the businesses of taxpayers that pay the taxes that fund the welfare benefits they take advantage of. Britain's police force is more than up to the task- it's Britain's politician that have some work to do. Some radical notions:

First of all, recognize that individuals have a right to defend themselves, their families and their properties by deadly force if necessary- it's time to loosen the gun restrictions. As a member of the generation that grew up during the Columbine era here in America, I'll admit that my stance on gun rights is an ever evolving position, but I think Britain is in a better position to loosen their laws than America is to tighten theirs. Rifles, shotguns and handguns- all limited by barrel length and caliber could all be legalized. Everyone would need to go through a background check (responsible gun ownership means proving you're not crazy) and if someone suggest importing that fine, loony tradition of gunshows and their loopholes, tell them no.

Think I'm crazy- look at what happened in Koreatown during the 1992 LA Riots... the community and the business owners went out in force to defend their property from looters- packing such wonderful things as Ar-10s and Uzis reportedly. That might be overkill, but it's a rock solid guarantee that if those London looters had run into a store only to be confronted with the barrel of say, a shotgun, you might well have seen less looting- once word got around.

Second of all, Britain, like all the industrialized nations is standing on the edge of a demographic disaster. If David Cameron really wants to be a great Prime Minister, reforming the welfare state should be his target and he shouldn't be shy about it. Go big or go home- because wishy-washyness is unlikely to be respected by voters (as President Obama has been finding out lately) and it's better to reform now when you've got wiggle room than do something truly harsh when the money finally does run out.

Finally, Bratton might have a resume as long as your arm- but law enforcement is facing a new challenge that's going to take a lot of creativity to solve. How do police respond effectively to riots that are fast moving and mobilized via Blackberry or other forms of social media? If the primary concern of law enforcement is ensuring officer safety- how do you mobilize enough officers, equip them properly and get them to where they need to go before the rioters have dispersed and moved onto a new target? There's been a rise in flashmob attacks in America's inner cities this past summer that seems to indicate the trend of fast moving, internet directed riots isn't confined to either the UK or the US. And if the riots of the future are going to be fast moving and fluid- how can law enforcement mobilize and respond even faster?

Might be my piss-poor, distant view from the peanut gallery across the Atlantic, but from the sentiments I'm seeing on Facebook, from the stuff I'm reading in multiple press sources- from the uber-left Guardian to the uber-right Telegraph, this is about more than the police. It's about more than budget cuts and more than welfare- Britain's welfare state has served it well for the 20th Century- but now it needs a social contract that can benefit all of its society for the 21st.

Don't worry- you're not alone in this. America needs to have this conversation as well- and I don't know what the right answers are- but for sure, voters need to send a message to the politicians on both sides of the Atlantic: you're out of touch, entitled and failing us. It's time to end business as usual and do what needs to do be done: go big or go home.