The last economic expansion ended in 2007. At the time, murder rate in Philadelphia exceeded one per day.  As anyone can tell you, things have turned economically sour since then. I find it interesting that the murder rate has declined 30% since that time (LINK).

I’m not jumping to the conclusion that there is or is not a connection here, but this statistic highlights the fallacy of the left that claims poverty causes crime. It doesn’t. If it did, the Philadelphia murder rate would be going up instead of down.

History backs me up. There was economic prosperity and rising crime rates in the 20s, 50s and 60s. The Great Depression saw a significant drop in crime (LINK). The people who claim that poverty is the root cause of crime need to do some homework. Poverty does not cause crime.

Maybe crime is caused by envy instead of need. If society as a whole is struggling, then an individual can take comfort in the fact that we are all struggling together. However, envy, jealousy and anger can occur when some are getting ahead while others are left behind. These emotions can be stoked by politicians who use class envy for political purposes.

Do I have any proof for this theory? Not at all. It’s just something to ponder.

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