Posted by delano on September 07, 1997 at 15:16:01:
i was at the poll question discussion board, and i tumbled upon AJ's "the State of Humans" entry.
...about the crime rate in america...
perhaps it is because we(the US) are under a democratic society?
socialism controls business..and so many things are in control. the "divide and conquer" motto is not exaggerated, or practiced for that matter. there is no emphasis in status division.
in canada, health is paid through taxes. this reduces the % of homelessness. there aren't people who are terribly poor, or terribly rich. the welfare program nourishes the weak to strength. education is for everyone, not for those who pay higher taxes. it's very balanced.
since there is no free enterprise, there is no room for corruption, which ultimately reduces the crime rate.
as for the sudden rise of the US serial killer...i can only say that we(US) are a sexually suppressed country(i hate to say it..), and the "forbidden"ness of sex is taken to a high extreme, which promotes curiosity and room to fantasize. what do you guys think about all this?
just thought i'd lighten the board with a little discussion.
all good things, del.
Posted by Sheila on September 08, 1997 at 06:17:01:
In Reply to: US crime rate-top DAWG. why? posted by delano on September 07, 1997 at 15:16:01:
I don't think democracy and free enterprise come into it much. By the way, they don't necessarily go together. There are planty of dictatorships with free market economies, and some democracies where almost all businesses are run by the state., although most of them are going free-market as fast as they dare. Mind you, when eastern Europe was communist, those countries had very low crime rates, perhaps because you couldn't fart without the secret police finding out about it. And also, communism does usually provide lots of state help.
I think good social services make a big difference. Firstly because you don't get an underclass of desperate, alienated people with nothing to loose, and also because it's based on the idea that people matter, and we're obliged to take some sort of care of people we've never met, if only through taxes. That sort of unspoken attitude is very catching.
Under Margaret Thatcher, the UK's social services went down and down and down, and crime and unemployment went up and up and up. The Scandinavian countries all have lots and lots of government help for the poor, sick etc., and very low crime rates.
I also think a high (or low) crime rate tends to be self perpetuating. If you live with a high crime rate, crime seems normal to you, and that makes you more likely to comit one yourself. If also makes individual crimes harder to solve. These days the british police don't even try to solve most ordinary burglaries, and the burglars know it. So the burglaries go up and up and up. Whereas if you live somewhere with almost no crime, you'd feel a freak if you robbed someone. And if you went ahead anyway, you'd probably be caught.
Sheila
Posted by SheStalker on September 08, 1997 at 10:20:01:
In Reply to: Re: US crime rate posted by Sheila on September 08, 1997 at 06:17:01:
You stated: .
: The Scandinavian countries all have lots and lots of government help for the poor, sick etc., and very low crime rates.
:It is true that the crime rate is low in those countries, but there are many contributing factors other than the extremely high taxes and social services and there are other very negative results which go along with the territory.
From my experience living in Denmark, one of the reasons for a lower crime rate lies in the homogeneous population. Racism is strong in the northern `countries and immigration is discouraged. 'Hatred' is focused outwardly at other countries, America being the leading scapegoat.
The main reason, however, for the lower crime rate, is that social services cares for everyone. One can get housing, food, child care, etc. without working. This, however, leads to the highest suicide rate in the world. I, myself, have never been so depressed as the time I spent in Denmark. Alcoholism was out of control, morals and morale were extremely low and many people felt no one cares. I too felt an incredible uncompassionate view during my time there. The thinking went like this. I will never need you (I have social services to take care of me); therefore, why should I help you?
A low crime rate is not necessarily indicative of a healthier culture; possibly, just a different kind of pathology.
Posted by delano on September 08, 1997 at 11:17:38:
In Reply to: Re: Scandinavia posted by SheStalker on September 08, 1997 at 10:20:01:
true SHE.
it's not only denmark who feels that way about americans...it's the whole friggin GLOBE!
it's kinda funny, though..
when canadians visit europe, they display the canadian flag on their backpacks to indicate that THEY ARE NOT AMERICAN..they get soooo offended if anyone suggests they are in any way, related to the US.
we could put the blame on two things: our constant over-patriotism/cockiness/arrogance, and (heh heh) MTV(laff).
i find it all quite amusing.
musing thoughts, del.
Posted by delano on September 08, 1997 at 10:08:17:
In Reply to: Re: US crime rate posted by Sheila on September 08, 1997 at 06:17:01:
but what promotes high crime rate?
"Whereas if you live somewhere with almost no crime, you'd feel a freak if you robbed someone. And if you went ahead anyway, you'd probably be caught."
so you feel that people are more able to commit crimes in the areas where crime flourishes. absolutely...but what creates these areas of lawlessness? what allows this to happen?
US taxpayers get protection, and those who don't make enough, and cannot pay the taxes are not blessed with a cop on the street.
why are there ghettos and housing projects? our government chooses to be "ignorant" about the poor. over here, it's all one man for himself. how can society expect the people of the lower class to rise when their opportunities are stripped from them at birth?
in Canada, the unemployment rate may be higher, but the homelessness rate is unbelievable low. this is because canada nourishes their poor back to health with their welfare system. people who need a place to live are granted a good home to "coverup" their true financial burdens. they are put in a good neighborhood; there is no segregation. their kids are given a good education, and are granted the chances that some poor kids in america are deprived of. there are no bad neigbborhoods where crime thrives and lawlessness prevails...there's no chance for it to become.
another problem with the gov. is the paranoia. why do we taxpayers have to waste our hard-earned $$$$ on the military? canada does fine without the military..and in place of that, they have free health care. so, if you ever need surgery to save your life, and you're close to being in debt, you won't go bankrupt and lose your house.
welfare-
would there be a reason to steal, if the government provided you with money, food, and shelter? (of course, other than adrenaline, or underage purposes)
free enterprise-
would there be room for corruption in businesses? monopolies? status division?
i know a docter in canada who lives next to a plumber. they both live on the lake, and the plumber has more "toys" (jetskis, boats, etc..) than the doctor..not to mention, a bigger house too.
education-
people who are not considered "book smart" are given the chance to excell in their other skills(carpenters, plumbers, even garbage men), without being poor because the government pays them well for the hard work they do. why is it so much cleaner in canada? because the inspectors who are hired to enforce these rules are paid more, and therefore, finds more reason to clean up and report litterbugs.
in america, there is too much room for corruption of all sorts.
ok..hmm, maybe i should talk about serial killers in here to stay with what we're supposed to be talking about...
i guess all i have to say about that on this topic, is that canada only has 10% of US's population...which in a ratio manner, would mean canada has less sex offenders.. hee hee, sorry i went off...
del.