Let the good times roll: violent crime in the U.S. up 2 years in a row

[Dis]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/04/usa.crime.reut/index.html

It's looking pretty bad, the streets are getting bad. Before I had the theory crime was going down because everyone was locked up. With 2 million people in jail, crime had to go down. Now it's increasing. Why?

They cite gang and street crime, especially by younger, more violent kids. Why are they so violent? Yup, you guessed it; computer game such as grand theft auto.

Seriously though, these game must have some impact. Sure it means nothing to us repsonsible folks who have impulse control. We can play all day long with no ill effects. But to people with a warped view of the world with little impulse control...

And of course they cite low police numbers. Do we have to turn this country into a police state to be safe? Are we going to have to have a cop on every street corner? The more cops you have, the more bad cops you are going to get. Which makes me trust them less.

And don't give me gun control. We have more gun control now than ever in our history. It isn't working. It will never work as long as the population has the desire to own guns.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070604/us_nm/usa_crime_dc_1

92837 rapes a year! What's up with that? Why do men have the desire to rape women?

[Dis]

and Reno, Nevada with such a large increase? Even the small cities are turning into cesspools.

He said the emergence of deadly drug crews or street gangs can have a potentially profound impact on a city's homicide or gun assault rate.

I'm sure some people will argue for legalization, but I doubt that will do much to curb violent crime.

[DanS]

I'm disatisfied with this. Murders in DC are up 18% this year with a new mayor and new police chief, after going down in each year of Mayor Williams' tenure.

Meanwhile, the city gets in national news for a woman high on crack plowing through a street festival with her car.

[Dis]

I need to see the numbers for my city, I think they are holding steady

[Provost Harrison]

Could they possibly get any higher

[Zkribbler]

L.A. has the best police chief in the nation. Our numbers are going down.

[SlowwHand]

They're running out of areas to loot.

[Dinner]

Gonzo was busy lying to Congress last week claiming there was no decernable trend. Except, contrary to Gonzo, there is a trend and it is all bad. What's more it is a direct result of Bush's cuts in Federal assistance to local police forces and the ending of the Clinton era subsidies designed to let local communities hire more cops on the street. Bush had to show some progress on his record deficits so he slashed funds for cops instead of admitting his recless tax cuts for the wealthest was a bad idea.

[Berzerker]

It's looking pretty bad, the streets are getting bad. Before I had the theory crime was going down because everyone was locked up. With 2 million people in jail, crime had to go down. Now it's increasing. Why?

Drug war, welfare state pathologies, government doing what it does best - screwing things up.

They cite gang and street crime, especially by younger, more violent kids. Why are they so violent? Yup, you guessed it; computer game such as grand theft auto.

During the mid 80s Reagan, Congress and most of the states cracked down on adult drug dealers - so they recruited more minors into the drug trade to avoid the penalties. Not surprisingly gang recruitment ballooned and juvenile crime rates skyrocketed and I dont think it has declined one year since even as adult crime rates fluctuate.

Seriously though, these game must have some impact. Sure it means nothing to us repsonsible folks who have impulse control. We can play all day long with no ill effects. But to people with a warped view of the world with little impulse control...

Warped people dont need outside stimuli to be warped, remove games and it'll be books or movies (or fill in the blank).

I'm sure some people will argue for legalization, but I doubt that will do much to curb violent crime.

Alcohol prohibition was repealed in '33 and homicide rates dropped 13 years in a row to half the level under prohibition. Guess what? Homicide rates began climbing in the late 60s and finally doubled under Reagan's drug war. The numbers dont lie...

And I just got a call from the Kansas Bureau of Narcotics asking for a "pledge". NYET!

They hate our freedom? We hate our freedom...

[Pekka]

Sloww, exactly, and where do you think they got all those people that are in jail now anyway...

[Jaguar]

LTGTR

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by Pekka
Sloww, exactly, and where do you think they got all those people that are in jail now anyway...

I don't understand the question. In Los Angeles?

[Datajack Franit]

Amurica