School Districts get MRAPS and grenade launchers, Cops still don't have cameras

After reading how a decent Oakland cop has had his career and reputation saved by a body camera, and how the consensus among everyone here is that body cameras would be beneficial to all cops and citizens, I got to thinking.

This is absolutely mind boggling. I understand the MRAPs are paid for and are being gifted (which in and of itself is an insane display of this very waste), but this issue goes down to the root of big government, especially the Military Industrial Complex. These nation building efforts are not only costing us American lives, but they are bleeding out money that could be used to actually better the lives of taxpayers and citizens of this country.

Take for example the MRAP/police camera example:

The cost to outfit the entire St. Louis PD with body cameras would be $1.2 million. The average MRAP costs $1 million. More than 12,000 MRAPs have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. That's $12 billion. Factor in the $12,000 cost of decommissioning an MRAP, let's say for only 6,000 of them, and you've got yourself another $72 million. How many cities could have their entire departments outfitted with less than half of this money, let's say just $6 billion.

Consider the discounts given to local PDs on equipment and hardware, in addition to their receipt of decommissioned MRAPs (again, WASTED money) and it is maddening how warped policing and government is right now. I was trying to separate the policing, from the bureaucrats, from the DoD, but I can't help it because they are all wrapped up in the same web of government bullshite.

So... that's my rant for the day.