The menace of our society

This all pervading social malaise has been acknowledged, reported and discussed, but till now precious little has been done to ease its frightening grip on the society. There is a plausible explanation for the same- that corruption is being bred and nurtured within the very system that generates power and authority.

Corruption results from a structure that can be manipulated.
he two might be regarded as the two sides of the same coin, given the fact that where power resides, there is bound to be corruption, for at the heart of the matter lie the irrefutable truth that corruption is a result of inequalities, of imbalances in power and authority and the insatiable urge of men to collect wealth and riches not warranted by the power and authority vested in them by the society.

In other words, corruption means the practice of obtaining power, influence, or other personal gains through illegitimate means, often at others’ expense.

While the situation looks gloomy, there also remains the fact that corruption is a practice as old as civilization itself, and that despite the years, there are still institutions and systems which have managed to fend off or reduce the menace to a great extent.

Taking a leaf out of such government institutions and systems, we need to build on the principles and procedures which will elevate the problem to a manageable level, because truth be told, eradicating corruption completely would be an impossible ideal and wishful thinking.

A more pragmatic approach would be to build a sub-system of checks and balances into the system to counter the present practices and the procedures that enables such practices to continue and flourish.
Illegal drugs are a menace to our society
We strongly support the formation of a task force to deal with the alarming increase in drug overdoses in Carbon County, and we urge all community-minded people to get involved in this effort.

According to statistics, in 2014 there were 17 drug-related deaths and 635 overdose-related calls to police and emergency res-ponders throughout the county.

Now, mind you, this is for a county of just 65,000 people. This means that there are roughly two drug-overdose calls a day. This does not take into account those who overdose who do not seek emergency help.

Nor does this take into account all of the collateral damage that drug addiction does in our society. There are murders, assaults, robberies, thefts, break-ins and other violations of the law. Families are ripped apart; lives are squandered; criminals are born.
Nor does this issue just touch the people or the families and friends of those involved, but it is an issue for all taxpayers. We have to support the aftermath of addiction: the jails and prisons and all of the other fallout from drug abuse.

And for what? Escapism and cheap thrills? We do not say this lightly, but drug overdoses have become an epidemic in Carbon County.

Jamie Drake, acting director of the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission, says the concept for a task force emerged from a statewide opiate symposium last month in Camp Hill attended by local officials. She said the information at the symposium makes it clear that a "coordinated approach to dealing with the opiate epidemic is crucial."

In a positive first step to creating this Overdose Task Force, Drake has invited local officials and family members of those who have experienced the wrenching effects of drug overdoses to the first meeting, which will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Drug and Alcohol Commission's office, 428 S. Seventh St., Lehighton. For additional information, call 610-377-5177.

According to Drake, this will be a "brainstorming session" to come up with strategies to take on this growing menace in our communities. Drake's sobering observation should be taped on our mirrors and our refrigerators so that it is always top of mind awareness: "We are losing too many young individuals to this disease and need to take action now," she said.

In addition to the Tuesday meeting, Coaldale is holding a town-hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Angela Theatre to address officials' concerns with the growing drug-addiction threat in that community.

Hosted by Mayor Joel Johnson, the program will feature presentations by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Schuylkill-Carbon, and Jason Snyder, press secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

The program is being aimed primarily at students from Panther Valley and Marian Catholic high schools, but anyone interested in the problem and possible ways of dealing with it is invited to attend, Johnson said.

Once associated with urban poverty, heroin is more popular - and deadly - than ever, and it has become embedded in the middle class. The heroin crisis is directly linked to the crisis in prescription pill abuse.

What is different now compared with the heroin epidemic of the 1970s? Back then, heroin was typically the first opioid that a heroin addict tried, but, according to recent studies, today about three-quarters of heroin addicts started with legal drugs such as Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet, frequently prescribed by a doctor after an illness or injury.
The Menace of Indecent Dressing in Our Society. the story of Catherine, whose "provocative dressing led to her being caught by some young men suspected to be students of her university who attempted to rape her." This connection between rape or sexual assault and indecent dressing
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Thuggery is a menace which is seriously ravaging our society and wasting a great chunk of generations of our youths who should have been meaningful to the development of our nation. Speculations have shown that there is a direct linkage between thuggery and the growing level of poverty in our country fueled by unemployment and joblessness. All these thugs are jobless youths who do not have any gainful means of living. They therefore resort to thuggery.
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There has been one glimmer of hope: At one time, out of fear of embarrassment and public ostracism, families remained quiet about the problem. No more. Many have become outspoken in seeking help. As this crescendo grows, the tide appears to be turning toward considering heroin addiction as the public health problem that it is rather than one that needs to be addressed by exclusively punitive measures.