In the wake of the events of September 11th, 2001 the United States government has made its main goal to defend the United States from terrorist threats. Meanwhile, almost every state, and the federal government, are faced with massive budget deficits. To make matters worse, the economy has been slipping further and further into a recession, which has had a detrimental effect on the unemployment rate. The most heavily effected group of Americans, ages 16-24, have had an increase in joblessness of over 12 percent since 2000. Due to the budget crisis, many states are cutting back programs to help the jobless, homeless, mentally ill, and drug abusers. This lack of support for our underprivileged Americans will ultimately result in an increase in the crime rate across the United States. The governing body of the United States needs to take a hard look at the problems here at home and infuse more resources into programs that help the mentally ill, the jobless, the homeless, and the drug abusers whom can be just as large a threat to national security as terrorism.

“The presence of risk factors means that there is a higher probability for the development of problematic

For many, the only support systems available are those provided by the government. This is one of many reasons as to why it is so dangerous that San Francisco has proposed to cut thirty seven and a half million dollars from its day treatment programs. The budget cuts would affect “hundreds if not thousands of people who rely on taxpayer-supported programs to help them cope.” Removal and funding cuts on public support systems has a number of very import ramifications. First is that the cuts will have a tremendous impact on the people who currently use these programs, and those who may need to use them in the future. Second is that the removal of these programs means that a large number of jobs will be lost across the country. For example, San Francisco is faced with a large budget deficit and has decided to cut thirty seven billion from the Health Department’s budget. “And with the homelessness one of the most pressing problems in San Francisco, Katz made the unpalatable proposal to slash funding for outreach and drop-in services for the homeless.” The Health Department is in charge of creating support systems to help the growing homeless population in the area as well as help HIV victims, drug users, and many more. These programs will be the first things to be cut and San Francisco will loose at least 300 jobs. In many cases the lower paid, young, and less senior employees will be among those who loose there jobs. This would add to the number of young adults who do not have a job and may even add to the number of young adults living on the streets. Lastly, the most important effect is going to come from the fact that the removal of these support systems will surely increase the crime rate in San Francisco and across the country. This stems from the fact that we are decreasing our protective factors while increasing the risk factors for people who are or may be involved in these programs.

In the article entitled “Young, Jobless, Hopeless,” Bob Herbert talks about the rising percentage of young Americans who may have no job and no place to call home. These young adults, ages 16-18, are introduced to a number of risk factors that may make them more likely to commit crimes. One such risk factor, categorized as stressors, can be se

Some topics in this essay:
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