Is The Head Dead Yet?

I make my livin' off the evenin' news
Just give me somethin', somethin' I can use
People love it when you lose
They love dirty laundry
Dirty Laundry – Don Henley

I watch a lot of evening news and you can help wondering about their “Breaking News” stories are always about shootings first thing. Think about it, the news never carries good events at the beginning of the news… murders, robberies, earthquakes, disaters they are always on the top of the news, why? Because they sell ads.

Americans fear crime despite downward trends
With crime down, why do many Americans believe it's going up? Researchers say there are many reasons for the disconnect.
Scripps News Service
By: Clayton Sandell
May 13, 2024

Crime: It's one of those subjects that always seems to be a top priority for Americans and the candidates who want their votes.

"We've invested a record amount in public safety, violence interruption, and we've also done much work to make communities safer," said President Joe Biden earlier this month in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Crime stories often play big in the news, and a growing number of Americans — 58% — say reducing crime should be a top priority for the president and Congress, according to the Pew Research Center.

But what is actually happening in America when it comes to crime? According to a Pew analysis of FBI data, violent crimes, including robbery, assault and murder are down by 49% from 1993 to 2022.

There have been a rash of car thefts in town and guess who gets blamed for the rise in the car thefts? The Democrats.

Does it matter that there has been a big drop in crimes… Nope. Does it matter that major car manufacturers have cars that are easily hot wired… Nope. Does it matter that the majority of car thefts had their keys in them and were unlocked… Nope.

The Republican’s “Lock ‘em up and thhow away the key approach.” doesn’t work but it resonates with the voters.

With crime down, why do many Americans believe it's going up? Researchers say there are many reasons for the disconnect, from high-profile news stories, politicians who make crime a constant talking point on the campaign trail and even social media keeping track of what we read.

"Algorithms are such that if you've clicked on a few crime stories, you may see more crime stories in your feed," said Gramlich. "And so that could be some reason why people think there's more crime."

Yup! I clicked on one story about the Adirondack park and guess what my news feeds are packed with stories about the Adirondack park, the online news is an echo chamber.

The other thing about crime that it mainly happens where most people don’t go. A shootout at a private party, or a late night bar, or buying drugs, or most often with a family argument.

We got the bubble-headed bleached-blonde, comes on at five
She can tell you 'bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye
It's interesting when people die
Give us dirty laundry

Then there are the guns… most of the guns used in crimes here in Connecticut come from states with the fewest guns laws. Joslyn Law Firm writes,

Consider the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on homicides involving firearms. California, a state with notoriously strict gun control laws, has a firearm homicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people. On the other hand, gun-friendly Mississippi’s firearm homicide rate is nearly three times that, 10.2 per 100,000 people. While many factors may impact why one state has a higher homicide rate than another, it’s hard to deny that gun violence in America needs to be addressed.

But the Republicans and the gun manufacturers have brainwashed the voters into thinking the more guns the safer you are.

You don't really need to find out what's goin' on
You don't really wanna know just how far it's gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry