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Thanks a lot for this exposure! Anyway I feel there is something missing and I cannot exactly say what it is. Maybe it is simply something cultural that is not

Thanks a lot for this exposure! Anyway I feel there is something missing and I cannot exactly say what it is. Maybe it is simply something cultural that is not so easily graspable from those living somewhere else, it always feels so strange to me that a small town has so much freedom to shape its law enforcement so freely… for me a shared law across the state is the basis for equality, and to have a shared law you need to enforce it similarly. Thanks again :)

hollander 5y ago
What is "missing" is that the police apparently can do whatever they like, because they cannot be held accountable. They're untouchable. If you criticise a police officer, you criticise the police as a whole, and that is not acceptable to them and to society at large. It is un-American to do so. They represent the law, and they themselves are above the law. Accountability, that is missing!
ars 5y ago
What you are missing is that Americans a very against centralized anything, they want everything to be local, and then flow upward from there. In general Republicans are more against central control, and Democrats more for it (but not as much as Europeans). So for example that voting rights fight going on right now is not about voting rights, it's about the Federal government setting rules (Republicans are against that) vs. the State setting rules (Democrats are against that). There's arguments both ways for which is better, I don't want to go into that, but this should help explain what you are missing. This same argument shapes things like Health care - which is currently local, not federal, and actually a HUGE amount of political stuff boils down to local vs federal. Another thing is that personal determination is equated with local control (i.e. person decides what's best for themselves), while federal control is equated with social services (since some central authority decides what services to render). Keep in mind the way the country was created was "united states", with the main authority being the state, and the federal government given only limited power. Also keep in mind a US state is similar in size to a European country.
- 01acheru 5y ago
  I understand what you say, but a tiny Alabama town is just… a tiny Alabama town. I totally get that things change from state to state, that some states are huge. But from tiny town to tiny town?
  - ars 5y ago
    For the most part each "grouping" is left to govern itself, but the state will step in if they feel there is abuse. I remember reading basically the same story as this one: Police abusing their power to pull people over in a nearby interstate, and the state came in and completely disbanded the police force. Different laws are set at different levels, and historically policing was always at the city level. Also building codes are often at the city level. Voting is typically at the county level (which is a group of cities, or one very large city). Etc, etc. There are customs for most of these laws, and which level of entity is in charge of them. And the "higher" level entity can step in if necessary, but usually does not. Also typically a "sheriff" is a voted position, while police is appointed by the mayor. So ultimately they answer to the voters, either directly or through the mayor.

hollander 5y ago

What is "missing" is that the police apparently can do whatever they like, because they cannot be held accountable. They're untouchable. If you criticise a police officer, you criticise the police as a whole, and that is not acceptable to them and to society at large. It is un-American to do so. They represent the law, and they themselves are above the law. Accountability, that is missing!

ars 5y ago

What you are missing is that Americans a very against centralized anything, they want everything to be local, and then flow upward from there. In general Republicans are more against central control, and Democrats more for it (but not as much as Europeans). So for example that voting rights fight going on right now is not about voting rights, it's about the Federal government setting rules (Republicans are against that) vs. the State setting rules (Democrats are against that). There's arguments both ways for which is better, I don't want to go into that, but this should help explain what you are missing. This same argument shapes things like Health care - which is currently local, not federal, and actually a HUGE amount of political stuff boils down to local vs federal. Another thing is that personal determination is equated with local control (i.e. person decides what's best for themselves), while federal control is equated with social services (since some central authority decides what services to render). Keep in mind the way the country was created was "united states", with the main authority being the state, and the federal government given only limited power. Also keep in mind a US state is similar in size to a European country.

01acheru 5y ago
I understand what you say, but a tiny Alabama town is just… a tiny Alabama town. I totally get that things change from state to state, that some states are huge. But from tiny town to tiny town?
- ars 5y ago
  For the most part each "grouping" is left to govern itself, but the state will step in if they feel there is abuse. I remember reading basically the same story as this one: Police abusing their power to pull people over in a nearby interstate, and the state came in and completely disbanded the police force. Different laws are set at different levels, and historically policing was always at the city level. Also building codes are often at the city level. Voting is typically at the county level (which is a group of cities, or one very large city). Etc, etc. There are customs for most of these laws, and which level of entity is in charge of them. And the "higher" level entity can step in if necessary, but usually does not. Also typically a "sheriff" is a voted position, while police is appointed by the mayor. So ultimately they answer to the voters, either directly or through the mayor.