41–50 of 166 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
No people are not stealing food to survive. US have food banks and food stamps. People steal because they can. I don’t say people are wealthy or eat enough. I’m saying your statement about survival is untrue, and as any false statement does not help to resolve the issue.
People steal food because they have to survive* Fixed that for you.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT
and household debt service costs are lowest in recent history:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TDSP
People have received thousands of dollars in stimulus checks. Thanks to extra $600/$300 that the feds have added to federal unemployment, those that lost their jobs received in many cases significantly more that they were originally making, especially those making around minimum wage. At the same time, there are fewer avenues to actually spend that money, and the result of all of this is increased personal savings.
No, shoplifting is not increasing because people lack cash. Rather, people do it because they can, as the justice system declines to prosecute and punish people for it. Crime rate is significantly up, and for property crime it's even worse than stats imply, because people don't bother reporting, as there's no point -- you can see that by comparing car theft rate to other property crime. Car theft is much higher, because people report most of them, as they need police report for insurance claim.
All of this is, of course, entirely unsurprising.
When we have politicians endorsing to defund the police, riot, and use violence and terror to get their way what do we expect? Stealing is now perfectly acceptable as it's just distribution of wealth.
You're misdiagnosing the problem. The problem isn't that the police are less able to do their job and thus more people are able to get away with stealing food. The problem is that people are not able to afford food.
Those blatantly stealing are the ones who don't see it as doing anything wrongful as society owes it to them. These are the same folks who riot and clean out the Targets -- it was not food being taken if you noticed. To them laws apply to others.
>“People will say, ‘I was just hungry.’ And then what do you do?” People stealing food to survive while the super wealthy and rich becoming richer and richer[1]. What a great time to be alive. [1]( https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/11/18/elon... ) EDIT: I don't particularly dislike Elon (the man has done alot of good), but he was the easiest example I could think of. Stock market is a better indicator…
At the same time, personal savings rate is through the roof: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT and household debt service costs are lowest in recent history: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TDSP People have received thousands of dollars in stimulus checks. Thanks to extra $600/$300 that the feds have added to federal unemployment, those that lost their jobs received in many cases significantly more that t…
This is both heartbreaking and terrifying. Mass food insecurity can be a precursor to increased violence. Where is the leadership?? I have an idea: everyone with over $20 million liquid splits the cost between them of expanding food banks and keeping them stocked. Call it a temporary COVID-19 tax and let them deduct it from their next IRS bill. [I know, I'm dreaming.]
At the same time, personal savings rate is through the roof: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT and household debt service costs are lowest in recent history: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TDSP People have received thousands of dollars in stimulus checks. Thanks to extra $600/$300 that the feds have added to federal unemployment, those that lost their jobs received in many cases significantly more that t…
The US is probably inches away from a serious catastrophy caused be the extreme inequality that's only gotten worse this year. Inequality is one thing, but when you're forced out on to the street to starve to death and there's nothing you can do to improve your situation that's totally different.
It’s the pandemic that is tripping the scale and Congress refusing to do anything.
Why should the federal government bail out state governments when the federal government had nothing to do with the state's actions? The state governors could choose to end lifestyle restrictions at any moment but choose not to.
Why should the federal government pay for the choices of states and counties?