I was getting this sense that two huge forces were going to collide violently,
especially in the US.
You have:
1 cutting of public funding for stuff, including policing
2 increasingly desperate people
3 (for the US only) with lots of guns
This, I thought would lead to crime getting out of control.
We all know that the oligarchs always get away with crimes, but they still tie up the police,
in the back room, until they accept the bribe, that is.
Socrates- The Law is like a spider's web. The little people get stuck, but the big folks break right through.
While the non-rich don't care about Socrates, their public education has shown them:
1 If you're rich, you can break the law at will
2 Our leaders are horribly corrupt
3 Police officers are usually in an office pushing paper
4 Most of society has not realised that there's a class war going on,
and so they're vulnerable (especially businesses)
5 It's time to start stealing
Even without an education, 'monkey see- monkey do' will cause an explosion of crime.
If the media shows the police unable to keep up, then BOOM.
We will have a democratic (of the people) response to politics of the day.
A democratic redistribution of wealth, to the thief.
a democratic vox pop "watch out".
a democratic vox pop "watch out".
a democratic marketplace (including hooking & drug dealing)
Unknown to me, I had started writing this story on the same day as the others below.
talk about your zeitgeist.
"burglars, gamblers, murderers, scramblers, pick-pockets, peddlers, even pan-handlers"
-That's the Message
Economists, having recognised that their bullsh*t has led directly to this
financial mess, literally (through encouraging loose banking legislation, worldwide),
have turned to saying, essentially, is that
"employee shoplifting is proof of employees' feeling high job security when they take the risk to steal, and keeps the product flowing, without raising company tax and health remittances."
Sorry, pal, but the employees are stealing because they're being screwed. Millions for the boss, pennies for them. They can't afford to live and have no future. That's why they're stealing. Either they'll do it from the inside, or from the outside, with a gun.
more later
checkitout: 3 things
1 [HOOKIN']
NBC BAY Hookers Know Way to San Jose: Cops
Elimination of Vice unit apparently opens flood gate for ladies of the night.
By Kurt Wagner
San Jose budget cuts aren’t hurting all businesses, and in fact, one group in particular seems to be cashing in on the city’s economic woes: prostitutes.
Prostitution has made a rapid comeback to San Jose street corners in the past few weeks, according to NBC Bay Area sources.
After police budgets were slashed July 1, San Jose PD’s Vice Unit was disbanded, said San Jose Police Department spokesman Jose Garcia. This meant that part of their job responsibility – cracking down on prostitution and brothels – was reassigned to the police department’s Covert Response Unit.
The CRU was originally responsible for narcotics busts in the area and despite the newly added responsibilities, the unit’s size increased by one officer. It now totals 14. Sources say the result has been an increase in illegal prostitution.
"We're fairly confident that they will be able to address those issues, however, it may not be as fast as we traditionally were able to do that," said Garcia.
... South Second Street seems to be a hotspot for this type of illegal activity. Community members say that once the sun goes down, the neighborhood turns into a gathering place crawling with those involved in the prostitution business. One local store owner described Second Street as “a zoo,” particularly on Thursday nights after San Jose’s "Music in the Park" concerts.
One site in particular, the corner of Second and William Streets, is only two blocks from the city’s Federal Courthouse and just one block from Notre Dame High School.
Felix Fanti, a resident on Second Street, says the police are nowhere to be found.
Every night, any time after six o'clock you see women walking up and down the streets. After 12 o'clock you see pimps posted up on these corners," he said. "But that's nothing new to me, I see it all the time."
2 [STEALING]
the economic collapse blog
The following are 15 examples that show many Americans have become so desperate that they will do just about anything for money....
#1 In Utah, one unemployed 28 year old man is offering to be "human prey" for hunters for the bargain price of $10,000. For an additional $2,000, he will let people hunt him down while he is running around naked.
#2 The Huffington Post is reporting that there has been an epidemic of air conditioning thefts all over the United States....
Across the country, in states like Illinois, Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Florida, there have been reports of thieves stealing unsecured air conditioning units weighing as much as 125 pounds.
#3 In Corpus Christi, Texas thieves have actually been breaking into funeral homes in order to steal the embalming fluid.
#4 Even police officers are committing desperate acts these days. Just check out what one police officer in Chicago is charged with doing....
A Chicago Police officer stole $50,000 from his ailing elderly father to pay off his bills and gambling debts and unsuccessfully attempted to swipe his dad’s retirement savings by impersonating him
#5 Nothing is off limits to thieves these days. Criminals recently broke into a southwest Atlanta beauty supply store and took off with $30,000 in hair extensions.
#6 In another area of Atlanta, thieves have been breaking down walls and busting bathroom fixtures with sledgehammers in order to get their hands on copper, brass and steel....
Kids in two Atlanta communities won’t have their neighborhood pools to help beat the summer heat, at least for now. Thieves used what is believed to be sledge hammers to bust walls and break fixtures in bathrooms at Adams and South Bend parks to steal copper, brass and steel.
#7 One grandmother in Florida has been accused of trying to sell her newborn grandson for $75,000.
#8 In Antioch, California a total of approximately 300 power poles were recently knocked down by thieves and stripped of their copper wiring.
#9 In Minnesota recently, a mob of teen girls brutally pummeled a mother and her two daughters until they were black and blue. Apparently the mob of teen girls was enraged over a pair of missing sunglasses.
#10 In Asheville, North Carolina thieves recently took off with 4 metal tables and 16 metal chairs that were sitting outside a pizzeria.
#11 In Florida, thieves have actually been stealing storm drain covers.
#12 In Oregon, thieves recently broke into a Salvation Army community center and stole 3 large air conditioning units. Now all the people that come to that facility for help and for community programs this summer will be absolutely sweltering.
#13 In the Cleveland area, two young boys that had set up a lemonade stand were robbed in broad daylight. The crooks got away with approximately 12 dollars.
#14 In Oklahoma, thieves recently broke into a church and stole "arts and crafts supplies meant to help teach bible stories to children".
#15 A 59 year old man from North Carolina named Richard James Verone was so desperate for money that he actually robbed a bank and got caught on purpose so that he could be put in prison and be given free health care.
3 [COVERIN' UP FOR YOUR GUILT]
[Economists will try to shine up this bag of sh*t, to save face- Costick67]
Shoplifting: Is It Good for the Economy?
Published: Tuesday, 12 Jul 2011 | 1:41 PM ET
By: Cindy Perman
CNBC.com Staff Writer
An increase in shoplifting is typically a bad sign for the economy; it means that things are so bad, people are forced to steal to make ends meet.
Because I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggone it, I deserve this pocket packet of kleenex!
But the latest report from National Retail Federation showed that, while inventory loss due things like shoplifting increased by $3.6 billion, or nearly 11 percent, to $37 billion last year, much of that loss was due to employee theft.
Some economy watchers say that’s actually a good sign for the economy—that employees are feeling more secure in their jobs, and therefore more comfortable taking a few risks.
You know, when you start to feel safe and relaxed it’s natural to slip a minifridge in your lapel pocket, right?!
It’s true that employees are feeling more secure in their jobs right now. But many pros say what's causing the uptick in theft is that there have been so many layoffs that remaining employees feel overworked and underpaid feel like they’re justified in taking from the company.
“People are starting to get resentful about increasing workload,” said Marie McIntyre, a career coach and author of “Secrets to Winning at Office Politics.”
“You can only keep piling the work on the same staff for so long before the quality of work begins to suffer,” she said.
Or, before they say, while they’re working late one night, “Screw it. I’m taking the copier home. I’ve earned it!”
In fact, most retail theft is committed by employees—it’s just worse now because more people are reaching a point of desperation, said retail analyst Howard Davidowitz.
“We are in an economy of desperation. People are desperate,” Davidowitz said. “Some people haven’t gotten raises or bonuses in years. They feel cheated. They think, ‘This is a way I can get a little bit back.’ A lot of employee theft comes from that attitude: ‘I’m underpaid, I’m overworked, I’m supposed to get more.’”
It’s like the old “buy one, get one free” has turned into “”pay for one, steal one,” Rachel Shteir, author of "The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting," told MyDaily.com. It gives you a sense of power, she said.
A couple of Splenda packets in grandma’s handbag may seem like a small deal but Davidowitz said this is bigger. Much bigger: It stems back to the deficit. Until Washington wrangles the debt, there won’t be confidence, companies won’t hire and the rest of us will be do disillusioned, we’ll be jamming packs of copier paper in our back pockets.
“The worst is yet to come,” Davidowitz said.
Employers should take this as a wake-up call: $3.6 billion is a lot of post-it notes and copier paper. You have to ask yourself, if we keep piling on to employees, and they keep getting more disgruntled, where will this end?
“If employees think shoplifting is OK in this economy, does it also mean that murder is OK in this economy because there are less people to compete against for jobs?” asked comedian Harrison Greenbaum.
I say let’s make a pact right here and now to end it at post-it notes and Splenda before we all do something we'll regret. Deal?
Pony Treats:
Most Commonly Stolen Items. Shoplifting may seem like an impulse but in fact, it can be pretty predictable. Here are the top 10 most stolen items.
It’s Got a Nice Beat. You Can Dance to It. Heartbreak is always a toe-tapper, but shoplifting, as it turns out, has also snuck it’s way into more than a few lyrics. Ah, the classics: “Let’s Loot the Supermarket Again” and “Do a Runner!”
