Among other things, he points out that violent crime dropped 57% between 1989 and 2005, but has risen a bit since 2005. Also homicide rates were highest in the 1950s and 1970s. So, if kids were walking around Atlanta in the 1950s, it doesn’t sound like they’re walking in an any less safe environment today.

Sandi, I see where you are coming from, but I also think you are mistaken in the assumption that terrorism is in some way treated differently, as if we do consider motives in such cases. We don’t. Think of perhaps the most famous domestic terrorist of recent times, Tim McVeigh. He was convicted of murder and use of weapons of mass destruction — crimes that, without “enhanced” penalties, were sufficient to warrant a death sentence. His reasons for bombing the federal building were irrelevant to the case. So I think much of your argument stems from a false premise.

Frankly, I think your argument ends up in some rather absurd places. If McVeigh bombed the federal building out of a morbid desire to see people die randomly, under your argument, he gets a certain, though not “enhanced”, level of punishment. But if he bombed the building because he wanted to kill African Americans working there, he’d presumably get a higher level of punishment. It’s hard for me to see how that makes sense. It’s also a bit insulting to victims. A perp who mugs an old lady for her purse might get 3 years, but one who mugs a woman because he mates women gets 4 years?

As to whether there is a consensus against racial, sexual orientation discrimination, etc., of course there is. I don’t think there is also a consensus for subjecting crimes motivated by such animus to harsher punishment. We have long criminalized what people do, not what they think, and we should not change that approach. I think hate crimes laws arise froma very laudable desire to condemn racism, etc., but its proponents let that desire interfere with their better judgment on this issue.

Why the worry though? That is exactly what you should do for your kids: teach them self-sufficiency.