Economy in the tank

Creature

Moderator
I have elucidated my points thoroughly

Still waiting for you to do so. Perhaps you should have picked a better word...because you have yet to 'elucidate' your statements with verifiable facts which prove your point in this analysis.
 

Yankee Doodle

New member
Who cares

Creature and Thawntex
Although I have enjoyed keeping up with your mutual "hissy fits", they do not, in any way answer the simple question I asked. So, for your edification, I will repeat: What, if any changes have you made?
If you have not made any, simply say so. If you have, say so. Any other response is off topic, and simply a waste of all our time.
My opinion only. Others may differ.
 

Yankee Traveler

New member
Quote:
good people continue to be good people despite adversity.

Most yeah, but some only until they get hungry.


Good people will stay good and bad people will stay bad? I'm confused, because I always thought people could cahnge. Or good will stay good and only the bad can change?
What about the guy (or girl) that hung around the fringes of crime, when they were young, you know, smoked a little dope, KNEW some people that did a B&E now and then, maybe was an innocent bystander that got sucker punched into a bar fight...The whole running with the wrong crowd scenarioB but decided to turn their lives around. Married, 2.5 kids and all of a sudden, no job and still all the bills...Too much time on their hands and no money, maybe the wrong crowd is looking right again.

The old "buddy" may be looking to steal a flat screen to buy crack, but the "changed" guy may do it to put food on the table. And the "changed" guy is the old "buddy's" ticket into new nieghborhoods because his Malibu/Camary/Tuarus wont stand out as criminal. "Changed" guy has ethics and doesn't carry a gun, "buddy" is not so conscientious and all of a sudden...

Bad economy, your nieghborhood, my nieghborhood, stranger in the house with a gun...

Really not that far fetched
 
Not going to get into the "let's see who cqan find the most obscure article with the most maybe, if, could, and might statements about crime" contest, but I will suggest that it is pretty easy to check this. Simply look at the UCR data and compare it to the economic data for previous time periods. What I notice is that we have had some of the highest crime rates during some of the best economic times and we have had some of the lowest crime rates during the worst economic times. If there is a causal link between crime and the economy, AFAIK no criminologist has ever found it. To stay on the topic, I personally don't see any reason to change my personal defense plan at home, work, or otherwise based on the economy.
 

Creature

Moderator
I'm confused, because I always thought people could cahnge.

You're not confused. Individuals can change. And its usually not for the better when faced with financial ruin, desperation and hard times. Yet some here insist on keeping their head in the sand.

Crime rate increases have a tendency to precede economic downturns by a year or two simply because of the slow recognition of a full-blown recession by the reporting outlets. The current financial meltdown, which started back in 2006, saw murders in the United States jump 4.8 percent that year, and overall violent crime was up 2.5 percent for the year, marking the largest annual increase in crime in the United States since 1991, according to figures released by the FBI in June of 2006. There was a economic recession in 1993...which by the way began in 1991. So, its not just about petty theft and fraud when it comes to economic recessions and crime increases.
 

Creature

Moderator
David Armstrong wrote:
and might statements about crime" contest, but I will suggest that it is pretty easy to check this. Simply look at the UCR data and compare it to the economic data for previous time periods.

Perhaps you missed this in my post #33:

based on FBI reports going back to 1972 and the business cycle chart compiled by the National Bureau of Economic Research, it looks as if violent crime trends upward at the beginning of a contraction and generally stays up through the initial phases of a recovery. The same pattern emerges when you overlay historical statistics for robbery alone from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Holdups increased noticeably in 1973, 1980, 1981, 1990, and 2001, years in which recessions began.
 
Perhaps you missed this in my post #33:
Didn't miss a thing. "Looks as if", "generally", and so on don't do much for me in articles like that, particularly given all the other ifs and mights and maybes in the article. One could have picked other data points and gotten other results. I tend to look at the overall numbers for the period and overall economic issues, not just recession, not specific start or end points, etc .And if you give credence to that article, perhaps you missed in your post that we should have already peaked in robberies, according to many. My last comment on this, as again this is very much off-topic.
 
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Creature

Moderator
Since the phraseology of patterns and trends isnt precise enough for you, maybe you should actually look up the other data points that you bring up yourself, since neither the FBI crime data or the National Bureau of Economic Research data are sufficient in your eyes.

My last comment on this, as again this is very much off-topic.

I very much doubt that...
 

FyredUp

Moderator
Preparedness is a personal thing. Some feel prepared with a gun or two and a couple of loaded magazines and 6 cans of soup. Some feel prepared with
100,000 rounds and a gun for every imaginable scenario with sealed canned goods to last for 5 years. Most are like me and somewhere in between. It's all about comfort level more than anything.

I believe my signature line says it all. Also, I would like to dispell the feeling that being prepared makes you some sort of survivalist wacko. Preparation can be for all sorts of things, natural disasters, personal economic downturns(with my food supply on hand, other than a few perishables, I would not have to grocery shop for about 2 months, freeing my limited cash if I lost my job), AND if for some reason the SHTF. To me the last is the least of my reasons for preparedness, but still one I must at least minimally consider.

No ones method of preparing is really any more right or wrong han anyone elses. Unless you fail to prepare at all.
 
Also, I would like to dispell the feeling that being prepared makes you some sort of survivalist wacko. Preparation can be for all sorts of things, natural disasters, personal economic downturns(with my food supply on hand, other than a few perishables, I would not have to grocery shop for about 2 months, freeing my limited cash if I lost my job), AND if for some reason the SHTF.
Good point, and why I said way back that we made no changes and didn't need to make any changes. IF one is properly prepared, you don't really need to change much as the situation changes. A tanking economy really doesn't change your safety and security needs much, if any.
 

thawntex

New member
Creature and Thawntex
Although I have enjoyed keeping up with your mutual "hissy fits", they do not, in any way answer the simple question I asked. So, for your edification, I will repeat: What, if any changes have you made?
If you have not made any, simply say so. If you have, say so. Any other response is off topic, and simply a waste of all our time.
My opinion only. Others may differ.

Mr. Doodle,

Please refer to the first sentence of my first post (#25). I'd be happy to repeat it.

"We have not made any major changes in our home defense strategy."

Thank you for your time.

-T
 

pax

New member
Moderator Note

thawntex ~

Since you are -- as you said -- done posting any on-topic contributions to the thread, you're done posting in this thread at all.

thanks,

pax
 

Rourke

New member
This thread started off well - something to really think about. I firmly believe the economy will continue to spiral downward - no matter what the government does - for at least the rest of 2009.

I definitely need to put more thought into changes needed on my property. Extra locks, motion lights, possibly inexpensive video surveillance in a few places. Desperate times will effect desperate people.

Take care all -

Rourke
 

73flyby

New member
Since the subject is Economy In the Tank, as it pertains to firearms, I hope I would not be off base to suggest that a possible solution to jumpstarting the economy might be to offer a (big) tax break for buying American firearms. That's one thing Americans do well and the industry has not entirely gone overseas. Fat chance of it happening, but it would work as well as any of the other solutions I've heard. Any I don' think it would start any international trade wars in itself.
 

NickySantoro

Moderator
In the face of our fallen economy....

I run a small home decorating business. I've never been busier this time of year, which is usually a bit slow. My customers all seem to have plenty of money to spend. My competitors, at least the ones who do quality work, are all busy too. Fallen economy? If you and the MSM say so it must be so. Me? I'm back to working weekends to keep up.
 

ZeSpectre

New member
I've got the best security system available!
Older, retired, bored, neighbors on three sides of my property :D

On the fourth side, the cart path for a popular golf course with a steady stream of "witnesses".

It's hell on privacy but NOBODY gets on my property without scrutiny and Grandma Carpenter has 911 on speed-dial :eek:

Oh and we did replace a couple of windows with harder to break lexan/plastic ones.
 
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