Ok, so some things in the golden era were not too cool...

[Atticus Finch]

Until you, or someone you know, is robbed, attacked, or otherwise the victim of it.

Our population here is *declining.* In 1950, there were nearly 10,000 people in this town, and a fraction of the crime -- the entire police department consisted of three men. Now, the population is under 8,000 and dropping steadily -- and we've got a dozen men on our police force and they still can't keep up. It's something more than statistics at work.

I was only referring to national crime statistics. Specific local areas may vary. And I was generalizing about "Crime", as in crime with a big C. There are specific kinds of crimes that have increasing per capita rates. Sadly, juvenile crime is one of those.

AF

 

[Atticus Finch]

Did anyone hear that interesting story on NPR about the crime rates falling and possible causes? One interesting cause was Roe vs. Wade.

I did. It left me feeling less fulfilled. I thought the crime rate was falling because I was putting all the criminals in jail.

AF

 

[Blackjack]

My father was a police officer in a Chicago suburb from 1950 until 1975, retiring as a Captain. He was always saying in the later years of his service that he was happy to be getting out of it as Chicago's problems we're soon going to be the suburbs. When I was in grade school the "police blotter" in the paper that listed crimes were maybe 2 or 3 a week. By the time I moved out of that town in the 90's you'd find maybe 60 reports sometimes more, mostly Hispanic.

 

[Tomasso]

mostly Hispanic.

Damn Hispanics!

 

[PoohBang]

and who said racism is dead....

 

[Marc Chevalier]

.
It's just one of those days on the Fedora Lounge.


Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday weekend, folks.

 

[John in Covina]

and who said racism is dead....

The trouble is if you watch the news and see who is committing crimes, most people will come to a racist conclusion. The crime rate is dropping because the intellegence level is dropping along with personal drive. We have a smaller number of truly committed criminals that take their vocation seriously which is why the cartels are moving into so many cities these days, it's another source of importing labor and outsourcing jobs. :eeek: :eusa_doh:

 

[PoohBang]

.
It's just one of those days on the Fedora Lounge.


Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday weekend, folks.

LOL same to you Marc...

 

[LizzieMaine]

and who said racism is dead....

Certainly not me. It's the same ulcerous sore on Uncle Sam's nose that it's always been -- we stick a band-aid over it and say All Better, but who do we think we're kidding?

For the record, the overwhelming majority of our crime here is white-on-white. My own neighborhood, with the drug labs, and the body bags, and the breaking-and-entering home invasions, is, and has always been, 100 percent white.

Crime is not "their" problem. It's America's problem. And as long as we insist on blaming Someone Else instead of looking at it as an issue faced by *all* of us, there will be no real progress.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

LOL same to you Marc...

Thanks, PoohBang. Happy MLK Jr. weekend to you too, Lizzie.

 

[Blackjack]

Racism has absolutely nothing to do with it, just stating a fact. If reading that bothers you just skip right on over my post and move on.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Racism has absolutely nothing to do with it, just stating a fact.

Fair enough, but how does that particular fact (among other facts you may have chosen not to mention) enlighten your point? And how would leaving that fact out have diminished your point?

 

[sheeplady]

I'll bet this thread could go on forever listing the reasons why life was better in the golden era than now...and why life is better now than in the golden era.

I have to admit, though, I've been surprised by some of the things I've learned here. Here are a few of the things I didn't know...

I didn't know that schools are now more segregated than ever. I attended a segregated public school until 1966, when I was in the sixth grade. That school, and all other public schools around here, now appear to be integrated. Our general statutes sure say they should be.

I think some areas of the country are much more segregated than others. People who move into my city always comment on how segregated it is. The most disturbing thing about the segregation between the city and the suburbs correlates with things such as the quality and funding of the schools. The schools in the suburbs have a nearly 92% graduation rate, while the inner city school has a graduation rate of 45%.

Now, of course, we could go around all day if this is worse or better than the "separate but unequal" days, all I know is that is not good and not the way it should be. It should not have been that way then and it should not be that way now. In my mind, it doesn't matter if the law requires that the schools be integrated if in all practicality they are not. And it also doesn't matter if my city is the only school in the US that is this way- it's still a vast injustice to everybody in our society.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And it also doesn't matter if my city is the only school in the US that is this way- it's still a vast injustice to everybody in our society.

That's exactly right. The more this stuff gets discussed -- not just here, but everywhere -- the more I get the feeling that there's somehow some sort of Acceptable Misery Quota -- as long as no more than xx percent of people are miserable, we're justified in saying Wow Look At All The Progress. Maybe I'm just naive, but I think the Four Freedoms really ought to be more than just magazine covers hanging on your grandmother's kitchen wall -- and especially the last two. And we're still a long long long way from that -- probably no closer, really, to accomplishing those goals than we were when FDR laid them out seventy-one years ago.

 

[sheeplady]

That's exactly right. The more this stuff gets discussed -- not just here, but everywhere -- the more I get the feeling that there's somehow some sort of Acceptable Misery Quota -- as long as no more than xx percent of people are miserable, we're justified in saying Wow Look At All The Progress. Maybe I'm just naive, but I think the Four Freedoms really ought to be more than just magazine covers hanging on your grandmother's kitchen wall -- and especially the last two. And we're still a long long long way from that.

At the risk of sounding inflammatory, I think the reason why the acceptable misery quota exists is because it's the acceptable form of "ism" today. And I think that as a society we let it pass.

Not even a small percentage of "ism" is acceptable. We at least owe each other treatment as human beings. That's pretty basic.

 

[Blackjack]

Fair enough, but how does that particular fact (among other facts you may have chosen not to mention) enlighten your point? And how would leaving that fact out have diminished your point?

My point being that before the influx of minorities into the town ( in the 70's 80's) the crime rate was low, very little crime. As the minority population grew the crime shot through the roof. I'm sorry if my lack of political correctness offends anyone but facts are facts and I calls em as I sees em. Hence Chicago's problems becoming the problems of the surrounding suburbs.

 

[vitanola]

The last time that I mentioned the Four Freedoms (at rather Austrian influenced cocktail party in my town of Hillsdale MI, home of Hillsdale College) I was accused of being a Socialist.

 

[PoohBang]

so do you have any facts towards your Chicago crime rates or is it just your gut feelings?

Couldn't be the new drug problems of the 60's or baby boomers coming of age or anything like that...

Besides Chicago's always been known as such a safe city...

 

[vitanola]

My point being that before the influx of minorities into the town ( in the 70's 80's) the crime rate was low, very little crime. As the minority population grew the crime shot through the roof. I'm sorry if my lack of political correctness offends anyone but facts are facts and I calls em as I sees em. Hence Chicago's problems becoming the problems of the surrounding suburbs.

There has been an influx of minorities into Hillsdale, too, which coincides with an increase in drug and property crime. the 2010 census shows that we are now only 96.53% European origin, with 1.53% Latino, .01% Pacific Islander, .05% Native American, .83% Asian, .60% African origin, 1.06% two or more races, and .49% "Other". The increase in drug and property crime MUST therefore be related to the influx of these other races, at least using what appears to be your rule of thumb "post hoc, ergo propter hoc", for back in 1990 when reported crime was lower we were nearly 99% of European origin.

The closing of the Stock (Pillsbury) mill, Hillsdale Tool, Addison Products, Vaco (Klein) Tool, Alson's Plumbing Products, Delta Faucets, Essex Wire and Cable, SKD Products, National Milling, Quincy Die, and Hillsdale Products Standard Sash and Millwork, and Simpson Mfg, and concomitant the utter collapse of our job market would have noting to do with any increase in crime.

Of course much of the increase in reported crime in our city is in minor property crime, things like mailbox baseball and graffiti, problems which formerly would not have a formal police report. The drug crime generally involves (white) city folk who come out hear to the "sticks" to set up drug manufacturing labs in vacant isolated houses, which are often then so badly damaged and contaminated that after a drug raid the house is commonly demolished.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think, with all the much-vaunted technological prowess of the last seventy years, it's entirely possible for those goals to have been accomplished long ago -- if we can come up with a way for any teenager to watch zit-popping videos from anywhere in the world, surely Freedom From Want and Freedom From Fear should be a piece of cake. But deep down, *modern society -- not The Man, not The System -- but modern society in general doesn't want that.* Because then they wouldn't have Those Other People to look down on, and what's the point of prosperity if there's no rabble to lord it over? If every kid has a quality education, what's the point of bragging about sending your kid to Such and Such Academy? If everyone has a job and enough to eat, how will all the riff-raff be kept in its place?

The last time that I mentioned the Four Freedoms (at rather Austrian influenced cocktail party in my town of Hillsdale MI, home of Hillsdale College) I was accused of being a Socialist.

Sad. Seventy years ago, we put those very same Freedoms on postage stamps, and sent millions of men off to fight and die for them.