by Kurt Mckelvey

Created on: May 16, 2008

Poverty is the main factor in US crime, but only if you are looking no further than the surface of this issue.

The poverty level of the US rises and falls with the efficiency of our economy... As businesses do better the people do better, because businesses are able to afford to hire more employees, and those employees spend money which stimulates the economy further.

It is my opinion that certain people of power and status do not want the masses to rise from poverty, and they wish to suppress them with laws and financial slavery, while being totally liberated from those things themselves...

They create institutions and agencies that are made explicitly to control the people at large, through creating the concept of a superior force which is sanctioned by government to keep the people from harming themselves...And so the jails and prisons fill up.

I'm not saying that people who do serious crimes are alright. What I am saying is that most people who commit crimes do so because of their circumstances, which are usually seemingly out of their control. A person in poverty cannot just change their financial situation by wishing it away, and so a person in poverty is more likely to steal a candy bar and commit "petty theft" than say, a rich person.

and it goes the same with other crimes... drug dealers deal their drugs because they need money. which is a result of a LACK of money. which is an economic circumstance. certain people do not want most people to be financially stable and comfortable. because if every citizen in America was financially stable and comfortable, then the government would not be able to keep us sidetracked efficiently...

they NEED the poor to be worried about their jobs and their money, because that keeps people distracted and busy. And so the upper class have created a situation where the commonly enforced laws only apply to the common people, i.e. the lower and middle class.

Since most laws are only enforced on the lower classes, statistically this would create the notion of there being more crime committed by those in poverty, but i think one should also consider the massive financial robberies that have happened historically.
(the Great Depression, Enron scandal, oil prices, etc.)

These huge crimes often go unpunished and unchecked and are much more
serious than anything that the common citizens are doing.

Come to think of it, The Depression is a perfect example of the wealthy and powerful minority, making the masses completely poverty stricken by robbing them under their noses, and massive crimes arising out of the circumstances.(organized crime, gangsters, etc)
there was quite a bit of organized crime going on during the depression.
Poverty may have been a huge factor in terms of crime. However, the factor which influences poverty the most is the GREED of those wealthy enough and careless enough to create and sustain the conditions of poverty for the common people.

Greed and wealth lead to disparity, and that disparity can lead to crime.

So my argument is that poverty is not the main factor in US crime,

But rather WEALTH is the main factor in US crime. Somewhere down the line.

Hey, the buck stops here, right?

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