It was thanks to Robert Stacy McCain that I saw this tweet from the Defender of the Republic.

Britney Spears has a guesstimated net worth of $60 million, according to Forbes, or perhaps a paltry $40 million, estimated by Celebrity Net Worth. The Defender wondered why no one could help a clearly wealthy and attractive woman. I know virtually nothing about Miss Spears, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer is that no one has helped her because she doesn’t want to be helped.

Which brings me to the more serious:

Only two people have successfully completed the Kensington ‘wellness court’ so far. The Parker administration wants to expand it.

Nearly two-thirds of the more than 40 people brought before the court since late January have dropped out of treatment within days, and then failed to appear at follow-up hearings.

by Ellie Rushing | Wednesday, April 9, 2025 | 5:19 PM EDT

In the nearly three months since the city launched its Neighborhood Wellness Court — the new fast-track court program for people in addiction arrested in Kensington — only two people have successfully completed drug treatment.

Nearly two-thirds of the more than 40 people brought before the court since late January dropped out of treatment within days, and then failed to appear at follow-up hearings, according to an Inquirer review of the cases.

But Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration says those numbers don’t define the program’s success, and has asked City Council to approve about $3.7 million in additional funding to expand it.

The additional money, officials said, would allow the court to operate five days per week, instead of one, and hire seven new staff members to oversee it.

Those numbers are so bad that even the very liberal and sympathetic Philadelphia Inquirer had to question things.

Parker and her team have touted the court as a key part of their goal to shut down the open-air drug market in Kensington and restore a neighborhood that, for years, has been overrun with public drug use, dealing, and homelessness.

But the data out of the early, pilot phase of the court has raised questions about its effectiveness, and for some, underscores the challenges of trying to force people in addiction, many with complex physical and mental health issues, into treatment before they might be ready.

“It raises red flags about consent, red flags about effectiveness, certainly about expense,” Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke said during a budget hearing this week. “Frankly, it’s hard to reconcile.”

Kensington is that wonderful neighborhood in Philadelphia which is internationally known for its open-air drug trade and legions of junkies camped out or conked out on the public sidewalks near the Frankford-Market St line SEPTA elevated train station. You want pictures? Here’s a google search for images for junkies passed out Kensington.

Let’s tell the truth here: in their few lucid moments, junkies might want help, but most of their conscious and semi-conscious thoughts are about how to score their next fix. As well-intended as Mayor Cherelle Parker Mullins’ program is, only two have completed the program, and two-thirds dropped out of the program within days. Mrs Mullins wants to throw more money at the program, the triumph of hope over experience, and it could at least be argued that it will be more successful as time passes and experience is gained, but the sad reality is that the mind of the addict is not rational. We might save some, but we’ll never save all.