Doing Nothing is Not an Option

Mass murder and chaos are not acceptable in any society, least of all in America. So let’s do something about it.

First steps should include:

1. Politicians should not make public statements about ideology on the matter, but rather pledge to cooperate with forming a task force whose job will be to coordinate research, data gathering, and behavioral sciences that will form reasonable action plans for the nation to follow in the future.
2. Depoliticize mass violence issue; this is not a political party or ideology related issue; nor should it ever have been.
3. Task Force on Mass Violence should be entrusted to academic experts in the related fields of study; management should be assigned to non-profit organization managers of experience.
4. Task Force will include constitutionally protected rights, including gun ownership, but not ignore possible solutions connected with these rights.
5. Funding to come from a federal grant under White House supervision but not controlled by the White House or Congress.
6. Time limit for Task Force: 18 months to produce preliminary report outlining possible solutions, timelines and costs for each of those solutions, and a recommendation as to the preferred solution to implement. Five years to implement the chosen solution. If successful the solution will be used as a template to guide public policy going forward for all affected levels of government units.

 Two key elements from the above:

• Non political nature of the issue; this is public safety, not ideology
• Powerful Task Force unabridged by political power centers so it has freedom to research, propose and act in the interests of public safety now and in the future

I have no qualms with the freedom to act by this Task Force. We have much to lose by doing nothing, and much to gain from taking reasonable action. Without public safety none of us has the ability for ‘pursuit of happiness’.

If elected politicians do not understand this then they do not deserve our support and should be removed from office.

President Obama has asked for the American people to gather behind a collaborative process to address and hopefully solve the problem of mass violence in America. He cannot do this alone, nor does he have the authority to do this alone. This is a national need and must have a national response to be workable.

Congress has proven its inability to respond to national concerns of any kind. Therefore solutions to our largest problem will necessarily avoid their involvement.

Now, when do we start on this project?

December 7, 2015