Dismantling a political ad

Although no election has been called, the conservatives have been sending ads out for quite some time now. I've decided to look at one in more detail.

The latest one has a picture of a needle in a playground with the caption, "safe?" on it. Setting fear into the hearts of people is always a good tactic, even if you have no solid platform.

On the inside it says, "Junkies and drug pushers don't belong near children and families."

This ignores the fact that junkies and drug pushers are parts of families. They are dughters and sons, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers. This part of the ad sets up a them vs. us mentality, encouraging stigma. People who are addicted don't benefit from further putdowns. Lack of belonging is often part of the reason they turn to substances. This kind of mentality will not encourage postivie change.

The next line is "They should be in rehab or behind bars." Rehab good. What are the wait times for Rehab? How willing are Conservatives to put $$$ towards rehab? How equipped are facilities to handle the complexities of problems that people with addictions bring with them. Example: lack of child care is a problem that often keeps women from entering treatment. They may have no one in their lives who is safe to leave children with, and waiting lists for subsidized spots can be years in length. But who has been the main political opponent to a child care system for Canada? Conservatives.

They then boldly make the statement that "The Conservative Government will clean up drug crime" with the first point being "Punish drug pushers with more jail time". Logically that should lead to more people being in jail. The question is, then - are you going to let other offenders out earlier? Or build more jails? Or have prisons with overcrowded, volatile conditions? And if it's the first two, how much is that going to cost and where is the money going to come from? All answers that somehow have not been addressed in this mailout.

There is also an underlying assumption, imo, that more jail time will be a deterrent. The deterent theory has been put to rest. Criminals, often under the influence of substances, generally have poor cognitive skills, often have untreated mental health problems, tend to be impulsive and jail time is not something they weigh out before deciding to commit a crime.

The brochure goes on to say that the conservatives will "Keep junkies in rehab and off the streets." That was tried with Ms. G here in Manitoba about 10 years ago. It didn't fly with the Supreme Court. What makes them think that will change. People with addicts might actually avoid going for treatment if they think they will lose their rights to make choices.

The third point on cleaning up drug crime is "Crack down on Cross border drug smuggling." I think the question here is how? More searches? Search everyone? Can you imagine the wait times at the border and the effect on trade? Or if they have something else in mind, what?

Almost all my friends on FAcebook list themselves as Conservatives, so I may be stepping on some toes here. But whatever party you lean towards, go past the slogans and ask the hard questions. Every action has pros and cons. Every promise has a cost. Know the depths before you wade in the water.