What I would like to talk about is "Crime". A crime is a deliberate act that causes physical or psychological harm, damage to or loss of property and is against the law. in November 2014, California voters approved Proposition 47 which raised the threshold for property crimes from misdemeanors to felonies provided that the value of goods stolen was at least $950.00. Proponents of the law stated that it would help with prison overcrowding and it would save approximately $100,000,000 in prison housing costs.
Proposition 47 was voted on by 7,011,099 voters which was 22% of the State's eligible voters. Proposition 47 won by 4,238,156 votes (59.61%) to 2,871,943 votes (40.39%). There have been some savings in the Department of Corrections in not having to house more felons because the bar to become a felon has risen. For a criminal to seek Felon to seek that exalted status, he/she must apply a little more energy and work harder to steal or misappropriate more than $950.00 of property which is against the law.
The upshot of this Proposition is that criminals are now feeling emboldened to steal more and to create a network of associates (let's not say gangs because the softhearted liberal mindset would consider it pejorative and accusatory with racist and condescending overtones. Stolen trucks are driven crash derby style into stores that house high-value inventory so that they can steal. And if one is caught, the fruits of their labors are distributed individually to a member of the network so that not one criminal associate can have a stolen object worth more than $950.00 triggering a felony. All while the overworked District Attorey Offices contend with serious crimes like murder and high mopery.
Now walk into a Walgreens, CVS, or Target store in the inner city and you will find the inventory locked behind padlocks to prevent theft. And that is for those stores still in business. May branches have closed down due to diminished sales. Why? maybe a perception of the store being unsafe., Maybe, the customer doesn't want to be there when a mob of youts bum rush the staff and start grabbing merchandise off the shelf and dart into the subway.
What is the cost to the economy for the business exodus? What is the cost to the local economy when shoppers refuse to shop in unsafe neighborhoods? I bet you it's more than we are saving by not locking up criminals in jail. What about the conventions that choose other "safe" cities to hold their annual conventions? What is the economic cost of losing the large conventions and its trickle-down effects to the local businesses that depend on food sales and merchandise sales?
Be careful about what you wish for because you might get it and then find out that it wasn't what you wanted.
