Corrupt Government
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Title: Trump Makes Up Murder Stats to Push for More Government Power
Source:
Mises Institute
URL Source: https://mises.org/blog/trump-makes- ... ats-push-more-government-power
Published: Feb 10, 2017
Author: Ryan McMaken
Post Date: 2017-02-10 18:51:26 by Hondo68
Keywords: None
Views: 1046
Comments: 7
Donald Trump appeared deeply confused this week as the president declared today that "the murder rate in our country is the highest it's been in 47 years." Perhaps Trump confused the word "highest" with "lowest" since he would be far closer to the truth if he said the homicide rate in the US is "the lowest it's been in 47 years." On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly claimed that crime and murder rates are at historic highs in spite of all evidence to the contrary. Trump is likely able to get away with this because, although homicide rates have declined substantially over the past twenty years, Pew reports that 45 percent of Americans polled think that crime and homicide are increasing. RELATED: "FBI: US Homicide Rate at 51-Year Low" Nevertheless, in 2014, the homicide rate in the United States hit a 51-year low, coming in at 4.5 per 100,000. To experience a lower homicide rate than this in the US, one would need to travel back in time to 1957 when the homicide rate was 4.0 per 100,000. Trump may be reacting to the fact that homicide statistics show an increase from 2014 to 2015 (the last year with year-long data available). However, even with the increase from 2014 to 2015 — a sizable increase of 11 percent — 2015's rate of 4.9 per 100,000 still puts it at approximately half of where it was in 1991 (9.8 per 100,000) and less than half of where it was in 1980 (10.2 per 100,000). In other words, it's extremely difficult to see how these numbers could be spun to look like homicides are at a 47-year high. But, perhaps Trump is talking about homicides in Chicago? After all, Trump has fixated on Chicago homicides and has suggested he'll send in federal officers to take over local law enforcement in Chicago is the government there cannot reduce homicides. But even in the case of Chicago, homicides are near (at least) 20-year lows. They are increasing, however. Given Trump's usual M.O., it may be that the whole affair is just another case of Trump attempting to pander to a specific interest group. These remarks came in a speech to the National Sheriff's Association, a lobbying group for sheriffs. In addition to claiming that homicides are at historical highs, Trump also vowed to seek retribution against a Texas legislator who has introduced legislation to curtail the government's power to seize private property without due process (i.e., "asset forfeiture"). Trump declared: "We’ll destroy his career.” These comments suggest that Trump, like much of the American population, is hysterical over crime and homicides when there is no indication that these problems are at unusually high levels. This doesn't mean all is perfectly well, of course. As noted in this article, the homicide rate is increasing, but is driven by only a handful of cities. Homicide rates in some cities remains alarmingly high, even if most of the country enjoys very low rates by nearly any measure one can muster. If the growth in 2015 represents the beginning of a new trend, it is cause for concern. Needless to say, Trump doesn't exactly capture the nuance of this situation, nor is it likely he even knows anything about the situation other than the bullet point some staffer fed to him before today's meeting. Trump is not alone in attempting to play homicide data for political gain. The Left has long hinted or implied that crime is surging as part of the left's efforts to increase gun control. To its credit the left knows how to use Google — unlike Trump, apparently — and so never claimed that homicide rates are at historically high levels. The furthest the Left has generally been willing to go is to suggest that "mass shootings" are increasing the homicide rate and that homicide rates are higher in the US than in the rest of the so-called "developed" world. Both of these claims are themselves extremely sketchy and rely on twisting the data or conveniently ignoring data that contradicts their position. In this US, a nation of 320 million people, the odds of being a homicide victim in a mass shooting are so vanishingly small as to be essentially zero. RELATED: "Guns: How The NY Times Manipulates Data" and "5 Tricks Gun Control Advocates Play" Whereas the left exploits homicides to increase federal gun control powers, it seems Donald Trump seeks to exploit homicides to increase federal powers to engage in asset forfeiture and to increase federal anti-immigrant legislation. Whatever the politician's agenda, the fact remains that homicide rates are low by historical standards, and this is in spite of rapid increases in gun ownership over the past twenty five years, and in spite of continued immigration. Trump's behavior on this matter demonstrates a continued knee-jerk preference for increasing government power to address every perceived problem. In the case of Chicago crime, he advocates sending in federal agents to take over. He advocates the use of Presidential power to destroy a legitimately elected state legislator who wishes to rein in the abuse of law-enforcement power. He has repeatedly advocated increasing federal immigration power — a power not granted to the federal government in the Constitution — to address what Trump sees as some sort of immigrant-fueled crime "crisis." The national mainstream media, of course, has now suddenly decided to report on just how low homicide totals have been in recent years. The media was AWOL on this matter all those times national pundits and President Obama declared there was a homicide crisis thanks to private gun ownership. It's too bad that Donald Trump has apparently adopted the mainstream media narrative on crime over the past decade. Poster Comment: The old Obama trick, lying. But Trumpkins call it "alternative facts" See the difference?
Leftwing and Rightwing Attempts to Exploit Crime Stats
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#1. To: hondo68 (#0)
(Edited)
Exactly. That 11% murder rate increase is the highest murder rate increase in 47 years. That's what Trump was referring to. And I found that in a one minute Google search. Yet "professional journalists" are positively stumped as to what Trump meant.
Crime is getting worse year by year. Its the reporting of crime that is lacking. Everyday I watch news more people are being murdered but for some reason its not being place in the statistics. I guess when crime reports are control by demoncraps they can be manipulated as needed.
People say the death penalty isn't a deterrent. Let's look at the numbers. We average about 15,000 murders per year. We average about 30 executions for murder each year. So the odds of being executed for murder is 1:500. Who's deterred by that? Now, let's say we executed all 15,000 for murder ... every year. Wouldn't that have a deterrent effect? So the problem, we see, is not the death penalty. It's the lack of application of the death penalty.
Well I would not go that far but maybe 14,999. ;)
So the problem, we see, is not the death penalty. It's the lack of application of the death penalty. " Could not agree more! Moreover, it would definitely put a hell of a dent in " repeat offenders " !! When I was a kid, my uncle had a grocery store. Some punk walked in, went into his office and pulled a gun. My uncle gave him all the cash. It was right after the shift change. There was a brown paper sack full of loose change. The punk asked my uncle what it was, and he told him, the punk said he wanted that too. My uncle set it on the desk. When the punk picked it up, the bottom gave way, and the change went all over the floor. The punk, said " well shit " and shot my uncle point blank. He died on the spot. The punk got caught a few miles away. Some slick talking lawyer got him a long term sentence, instead of the death penalty that the family wanted. I still think that right after the trial, the punk should have been turned over to the family for justice !!! Si vis pacem, para bellum Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."Theodore Roosevelt-1907. I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." -- General Douglas MacArthur
I agree. "But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
Wise words !!! Si vis pacem, para bellum Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."Theodore Roosevelt-1907. I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." -- General Douglas MacArthur
"However, even with the increase from 2014 to 2015 — a sizable increase of 11 percent ..."
#2. To: hondo68 (#0)
#3. To: Justified (#2)
"Everyday I watch news more people are being murdered but for some reason its not being place in the statistics."
#4. To: misterwhite (#3)
Now, let's say we executed all 15,000 for murder ... every year. Wouldn't that have a deterrent effect?
#5. To: misterwhite (#3)
" let's say we executed all 15,000 for murder ... every year. Wouldn't that have a deterrent effect?
#6. To: Stoner (#5)
"I still think that right after the trial, the punk should have been turned over to the family for justice !!!"
#7. To: misterwhite (#6)
" "But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
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