POLICE AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS 803

run dry. I want my youth advisors to be totally immersed in the
political experience and totally informed. I want them to see not only
what they're up against but what we're up against; and then to recom-
mend a workable solution.

Let me give you a test example. How can the State build more dor-
mitories, hire more teachers, add more courses to a college's cur-
riculum without money available? Raise taxes? This may discourage
industrial development; which in turn cuts back employment; which
in turn lowers personal income and income taxes; thus, decreasing
total revenue available for higher education. Raise tuition fees? This
hurts worst those students that need help most. Divert funds from
other areas of State spending? Fine, what cuts would you pick —
health, welfare or public safety?

This gives you an idea of the scope of the problem. Everything is
interrelated. No conditions are fixed or static. It is as the poet John
Donne wrote: "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a
piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away
by the sea, Europe is the less.... "

Today, as you plunge into the Police-Community Relations In-
stitute, you will face comparable challenges. And hopefully, you will
emerge with some fresh ideas and plans for concrete action. You can
do things to improve your community right now. You can be an
extremely effective citizen even before you're old enough to vote.
Specifically, I believe there are several tangible things which you and
only you can do.

One. You can begin today a dialogue with law enforcement of-
ficials where you listen to their problems as well as discuss yours. A
lot can be learned through truthful, thoughtful conversation and no
plans or programs are going to succeed without genuine understand-
ing.

Two. Do not let the dialogue end after one day. This is a begin-
ning but only a beginning and your efforts, no matter how honestly
inspired, will not be fruitful without follow-up. I suggest that you
explore practical ways to continue communication and cooperation
today. Perhaps you could establish what we might call the "adopt-a-
cop" plan. Many school service organizations support a foster child
in a foreign land. In some cases they contribute funds for the child's
welfare, in other cases they simply exchange letters; in most, they do
both. The foster child program promotes international friendship and
understanding.