DISQUS

It's deeper than the many agencies, and it's been around for much longer than a few years. We may not live in a dictatorship, but we do live in a police state. Last month I spent a few weeks driving around Greece. For days on end I sped through beautiful countryside and never did I encounter a speed trap. I get back here, and in 6 hours of driving through northern Virginia I see exactly 6 speedtraps.
The war on drugs, which I think you've written about, is another example of over-policing by our government. There's a fundamental mistrust between state and citizens in this country.
As for tactical and strategic, it seems fairly obvious that until the people actually call for strategic solutions, little will change. Tactical solutions look more impressive, and are easier to implement and easier to excuse if they fail. And even if there is a call for strategic change, I'll believe it when I see it. The Gubernator made great claims about prison reform in California, yet as we approach the election, he's on the verge of implementing exclusively tactical solutions.