You know how in TV shows and movies where civilized society has broken down, or just in poor areas where a popular gang is roving around and gatekeeping commerce, where the group pulls up to the protagonist or side characters and demands money for protection and then the character fights back against them because they don't need their "protection" and they realize all they want is to skim resources off of them?

That's what police are. This is why we need the Second Amendment and this is what makes over-budgeted police departments so appalling. We're better off defunding police departments (maybe outside of big cities) and returning proper authorities to the local sheriff, like things should be. There are too many laws as it is and between traffic violations and victim-less crimes, we're wasting our time with most local PD budets. Besides, those guys are all in fraternities and too many cops get paid off as it is. Imagine how rampant blackmail or bribery is in big cities where there's hundreds and hundreds (or more) of cops.

With a free market, less restrictive laws (reducing black markets), properly dealing with money in politics and with proper incentives for kids to learn and seek entrepreneurship, we can alleviate most cartel or gang action. Drug lords would make perfect businessmen, for instance. If we really need the tax dollars, we should apply a tax to them and legalize them.

Alright, that's enough though. I could keep going for a while...