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For the record...I'm old school. I'm who both of you hate.
Interesting read, so is this one I found on the Huffpo blog site, which was written by attorney Lawrence Lessig, well, he's actually a professor of law.
I think some people must bathe in irony and think it's a bubble bath...
Conservatives across the country are trying to criminalize poverty in their municipality (Bobbie Ibarra: Criminalizing Poverty) and the OP has the gall to use faux logic to pretend that liberals are the true enemy of the poor.
Prove it. I've talked to elderly people that were dirt poor during the Great Depression, but they didn't resort to crime, they had respect for themselves and others. Your belief that poor people resort to crime because they're poor is bigoted.
Crime was actually *much* higher during the Great Depression than it is now. Yes, there were people back then who didn't break the law, or at least claimed they didn't.
It's also worth remembering what the US was actually like back then. Discrimination based on race or gender were legal, and rampant. A guy who raped his wife can say he didn't commit a crime. A person who joined in a lynch mob or a race riot can say the same.
In any case, yes, violent crime often correlates with poverty, both because the criminal won't lose much of anything, and because the victim often has no recourse. I grew up surrounded by poverty in the 80s (my family was not poor), and watched a neighbor beat the crap out of his wife in the street. We even called 911 on him, and they flat out said that they would not send the cops over. Dude walked free, right up until he broke into a house and beat the little old man who lived there to death.
In any case, there's a basic truth to US society, and it's worth remembering. If you have money, the system is designed to let you make more money. But if you don't have enough money, the system is designed to take anything you have. And "enough" is moving higher faster than inflation, thanks to skyrocketing costs in health care and education. So it's no shock that people who don't have "enough" opt out of the system, turning instead to under the table businesses running and selling drugs, picking fruits, running day cares, or whatever. And it's no secret that many of the single moms have their kids raised by relatives, like the cousin who mad something of himself, or the grandparents. Such things are technically illegal, but people do what they need to do.
I think some people must bathe in irony and think it's a bubble bath...
Conservatives across the country are trying to criminalize poverty in their municipality (Bobbie Ibarra: Criminalizing Poverty) and the OP has the gall to use faux logic to pretend that liberals are the true enemy of the poor.
It's not just that either, coming up with this neo-prog garbage too.
If anyone takes the time to read my huffpo blog link, progressives aren't anything the OP describes. Progressives are pro government accountability and believe lobbyists and the like have no place in the political theater. Progressives do not want outside influences of money and power dictating what government should and shouldn't be doing. The progressive movement want's to return the power to the people, the voters, the citizens, not corporations.
The constant refrain from the left is that high crime areas are that way because of rampant poverty. But if you flesh that idea out, they're basically saying that poor people are barbaric savages that have no self control. The thing is, back in the day poor people had respect and didn't resort to crime. To say that poor people are criminals because they're poor is very disrespectful and bigoted. Discuss.
I find it curious that as someone who wasen't born in this country you continually make up half witted posts about crime, liberals and an assorted host of ill informed posts...
Who ever said that "poor people are barbaric savages"..please post that link???
Back in the day poor people didn't resort to crime???...that's a pitifully ignorant statement to make.
Any idea how many poor average people partaked in the illegal alcohol criminal enterprise during prohibition??...how about moonshiners, drug pushers (yes, they even had them back then), theives, con-men and kidnappers.
usually those were poor people trying to enrich themselves though crime.
Please at least try to hash a half logical thought before you attempt to post further.
Crime was actually *much* higher during the Great Depression than it is now. Yes, there were people back then who didn't break the law, or at least claimed they didn't.
It's also worth remembering what the US was actually like back then. Discrimination based on race or gender were legal, and rampant. A guy who raped his wife can say he didn't commit a crime. A person who joined in a lynch mob or a race riot can say the same.
In any case, yes, violent crime often correlates with poverty, both because the criminal won't lose much of anything, and because the victim often has no recourse. I grew up surrounded by poverty in the 80s (my family was not poor), and watched a neighbor beat the crap out of his wife in the street. We even called 911 on him, and they flat out said that they would not send the cops over. Dude walked free, right up until he broke into a house and beat the little old man who lived there to death.
In any case, there's a basic truth to US society, and it's worth remembering. If you have money, the system is designed to let you make more money. But if you don't have enough money, the system is designed to take anything you have. And "enough" is moving higher faster than inflation, thanks to skyrocketing costs in health care and education. So it's no shock that people who don't have "enough" opt out of the system, turning instead to under the table businesses running and selling drugs, picking fruits, running day cares, or whatever. And it's no secret that many of the single moms have their kids raised by relatives, like the cousin who mad something of himself, or the grandparents. Such things are technically illegal, but people do what they need to do.
Domestic violence cuts across all socioeconomic classes.
Are you honestly not understanding the thread topic? Okay, let me try it this way. The vast majority of the left says that high crime areas are that way due to poverty. If that idea is unpacked, they are saying that poor people have no self control and can't help themselves, they believe this despite tons of empirical evidence to the contrary. Do YOU believe that high crime areas are that way do to poverty? Can poor people no behave responsibly?
Yes, I believe that high-crime areas like Wall Street are peopled with greedy criminals with no self-control---people who with full culpability perpetrate fraud and financial crimes, and who do not behave responsibly.
So, my answer is that there are probably an equal number of poor and rich criminals who cannot behave responsibly, it's just that poor people are more likely to get caught and go to prison.
Since wealthier criminals have more options, I actually hold them more responsible and think they are more evil than low-level street criminals. They have certainly done me more harm than any street criminal has.
Poor areas have always had more crime, what the hell are you talking about?
Most crime is out of necessity, or at least perceived necessity. It only makes sense that poor people will commit those crimes more.
Interesting point of view, but I grew up in an area where the average family made less than $20,000 a year and yet nobody locked their doors. Other than a few cases of teenage vandalism or the occasional drunken bar fight, the area was pretty much crime free. No burglaries, very few assaults (the only assault case I remember was 2 brothers that got into a knock-down drag-out fight at the grocery store. Charges were dropped.). Not really supportive of your supposition.
Domestic violence cuts across all socioeconomic classes.
Sadly, this is correct. And it's all too often ignored among the poor, and the famous, and even among the middle class. That must be said.
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