Guns are now killing as many people as cars in the U.S.

[happyslug]

23. Firearm crime increased from the mid 1960s till about 2000.

Last edited Fri Dec 18, 2015, 04:01 PM - Edit history (1)

And what happened as we near 2000? The US had the lowest unemployment rate since the 1960s AND the most people employed since the 1960s. People were secure in their jobs and economists were fearing an outbreak of strikes as pressure for increase in pay was building. Then we elected Bush who proceeded to decrease employment.

Notice the increase in the 1970s, that is when wages stagnated for non unionized people, which was followed by decrease in unions and wages for unionized people in the 1980s. That lead to high unemployment rates starting in the 1970s that lasted till.the late 1990s.

All this shows the best way to decrease crime is to increase employment, including employment of "discouraged" workers who are NOT counted in the U3 unemployment rate that everyone cites. In the late 1990s you not only saw a decline in the U3 unemployment rate, but also the U6 rate which includes discouraged workers. Thus employment is the key to reduce not only crime but suicides.