Remember how good we felt after 11/08? Lets all take a breath.

[elleng]

'The rate of violent crime fell by 4.4 percent and the rate of property crime dropped by 6.1 percent.'

The homicide rate dropped 10 percent in the first half of this year as crime rates reached their lowest point nationally since the 1960s, the FBI reported Monday.

Preliminary figures collected by the FBI also show that car thefts dropped significantly in the first half of 2009, falling nearly 19 percent and continuing a sharp downward trend.

Overall, the rate of violent crime fell by 4.4 percent and the rate of property crime dropped by 6.1 percent, the FBI reported.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/21/AR2009122103223.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[gleaner]

1. Very good ...

Now your point is? I can't tie this to anything other crime statistics. Did you mean to connect the drop to anything in particular or are you just celebrating the facts?

[elleng]

2. Both, I think.

Happy citizens crime less, right?

:shrug:

:rofl:

[gleaner]

3. I don't think it is a ...

Quid Pro Quo. There are all kinds of things which influence crime and human behavior. For instance in war time the murder rate goes down, but the suicide rate goes up. No one knows why. More people who drive red cars are involved in serious accidents than people who drive cars of other colors. That's an odd one but I worked for a car insurance company once and I can't wipe those pesky actuarial tables out of my mind.

Family abuse seems to generate a lot of crime and criminal behavior. That one is a given, I guess. Capital punishment is not a deterrent to murder. It doesn't seem to affect the murder rate one way or the other.

Statistics are fascinating. You can gather all kinds of information as to how much but not always as to the why of things. People right now are not very happy. We are trying to survive a recession, people are losing their homes and jobs at a very high rate. I just read a headline that the states' jobless funds are running dry fast. Many people are very angry right now with the government and the people who run it and they span the whole political spectrum.

Other than poverty, child abuse, personality disorders or an inability to manage anger constructively there are not too many explanations for some of the statistical fluctuations that are measured. Sometime when you have some downtime search for statistics on things that interest you and see what affects them, how they are compiled and if anyone can give a reading on what they mean. It's something to tickle your brain with and think about.

[jonnyblitz]

4. the criminals were so joyous that Obama won the election

they decided to be criminals no more! :crazy: