Economy and crime - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Tully Mars · 12-03-2008, 07:53 AM

Found this article this morning. Wasn't really surprised. I wondered how long it was going to take for desperate people to start taking desperate measures. This type of thing happened in the 30's and I think it's going to increase as the economy leaves more people with hard choices. Bank robberies and other crimes also increased. Wonder if this will repeat it's self. Back in the first depression some bank robbers reached a folk hero status to many. Wonder if that will happen again too?

Quote:

Investigators Accuse Suspects Of Burning Homes And Cars For Money
Investigators Say They've Seen Surge In Insurance Fraud
Arson investigators in the city of Pittsburgh say the economy is increasingly to blame for blazes.

Detective Mike Burns said a lot of people are having trouble selling their homes due to the slumping housing market and they get frustrated.

"They can't sell it so what they try to do then is have a fire in the house and cause enough damage that the insurance company will buy the house back," said Burns.

One of those fires was set in Beechview. Burns said it started on the second floor after the owners had moved to another home and were trying to sell.

Investigators charged Michelle Yingst in that case. Her attorney, Jimmy Sheets, said she will be proven not guilty.

"I'm confident that Miss Yingst is a victim in this case more than she is a perpetrator and once everything eventually comes to light ...when all is said and done, she's more of a victim than a perpetrator in this," said Sheets.

Yingst's fiancé, Philip Catalano, has also been charged with arson.

In Beaver County, Robert Halstead is accused of torching his mobile home after falling behind on payments. He claims he didn't do it.

"I owed them money, but like I said, I didn't do it," said Halstead.

And it's not just homes going up in flames. From 2006 to 2007, the number of recovered burned vehicles jumped by more than 600.

James Quiggle from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud says people can't take the financial pressure.

"They've bought vehicles that they can't afford because of easy credit now, the economy is in trouble, gas prices are increasing. And they see no way out," said Quiggle.

Insurance experts said this could lead to an increase in premiums because the cost of insurance is getting too high in the Pittsburgh area.

Investigators Accuse Suspects Of Burning Homes And Cars For Money - Target 11 News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh

Cynthetiq · 12-03-2008, 08:10 AM

When I first moved to NYC it was a dangerous place. Walking down 42nd street from Bryant Park (6th Avenue) to Port Authority (8th Avenue) was like nothing it is today. Drug addicts, prostitutes, homeless, and miscellaneous ruffians were out and about. Today it's name and portrait artists, pictures and lights of Disneyland.

What was interesting to watch was the change from angry NY to the Disney NY. I always said that I believed it was a nicer place because people were all getting paid. Everyone was getting a piece of the pie from the ground up to the top of the skyscrapers.

Now, I'm seeing people pissed off again. The other day I watched someone bump into someone crossing the street and small yelling match started with the lady pulling out a pair of scissors in preparation to attack the man. A traffic officer broke up the fight by approaching the man and telling him to walk away.

I remember in the tumult of 80s in LA. I knew people who would make your car disappear across the border for a few benjamins.

No doubt that we should see an increase in these types of crimes and crime as a whole.

fresnelly · 12-03-2008, 08:11 AM

I suspect a lot of people will turn to organized crime and the black market for loans too. That sounds familiar too.

Amaras · 12-03-2008, 02:56 PM

I wonder if more folks will turn to alcohol and drug abuse, as well?
Despair leads to poor choices...
Of course the media WILL focus on these items more, during these times.

dc_dux · 12-03-2008, 03:14 PM

I remember from an econ class.....industries that are recession-proof:

booze, bets, butts and bombs

Bars and casinos dont suffer.

Cigarette sales and hookers (both butts) dont suffer.

Defense contractors dont suffer.

hunnychile · 12-03-2008, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_dux

I remember from an econ class.....industries that are recession-proof:

booze, bets, butts and bombs

Bars and casinos dont suffer.

Cigarette sales and hookers (both butts) dont suffer.

Defense contractors dont suffer.

...oh how true these words are. In NE Ohio, the crime rate is going wild and the number of unsolved murders just keeps growing. Lots of people owe other people money and the loan rates are "unbearable" or not to be discussed. It's getting ugly fast.
-----Added 3/12/2008 at 07 : 25 : 13-----

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_dux

I remember from an econ class.....industries that are recession-proof:

booze, bets, butts and bombs

Bars and casinos dont suffer.

Cigarette sales and hookers (both butts) dont suffer.

Defense contractors dont suffer.

...oh how true these words are. In NE Ohio, the crime rate is going wild and the number of unsolved murders just keeps growing. Lots of people owe other people money and the loan rates are "unbearable" or not to be discussed. It's getting ugly fast.

Cynthetiq · 12-03-2008, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_dux

I remember from an econ class.....industries that are recession-proof:

booze, bets, butts and bombs

Bars and casinos dont suffer.

Cigarette sales and hookers (both butts) dont suffer.

Defense contractors dont suffer.

Las Vegas is showing strains, so are the other casinos the explosive growth and saturation of the casinos across America. Even Macau is showing signs of retraction of business.

genuinegirly · 12-03-2008, 06:18 PM

Wow. Just wow. It's one thing to work a system, it's another thing entirely to endanger an entire neighborhood by starting fire to your own house.

Though I do recall a few years ago a restaurant near my old high school burnt to the ground. The business had been going downhill for years and the building was nearly condemned numerous times due to earthquake damage. Arson by the owners for insurance money was on nearly everyone's minds but it turned out to be an electrical fire.

Tully Mars · 12-03-2008, 06:40 PM

My father once told me back in the 30's he and his brother came home from school one day and the barn was smoking. They ran to get my grandfather who was filling a couple buckets. They grabbed the buckets and threw what turned out to be gas on a now rather large fire. Guess grand pa got an earful from grand ma for putting the kids in danger later that night but the insurance man saved the family farm that winter.

Fast forward a few years and as a parole officer I was driving north on the Oregon coast hwy one day and stopped into a very small store just north of Rockaway Beach Or. As I grabbed a roll of Tums and a cup of coffee I noticed the store was nearly empty. No beard, empty coolers etc... I think I bought the last pack of Tums. I went on my way to a court hearing in Astoria. Fours hours later I returned to a smoldering pile of ash. I asked around a little and it's turns out the deep fryer had been left on too high. I'm sure it was a total accident.

QuasiMondo · 12-03-2008, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_dux

I remember from an econ class.....industries that are recession-proof:

booze, bets, butts and bombs

Bars and casinos dont suffer.

Cigarette sales and hookers (both butts) dont suffer.

Defense contractors dont suffer.

General Dynamics, here I come!

12-03-2008, 08:10 AM	#2 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	When I first moved to NYC it was a dangerous place. Walking down 42nd street from Bryant Park (6th Avenue) to Port Authority (8th Avenue) was like nothing it is today. Drug addicts, prostitutes, homeless, and miscellaneous ruffians were out and about. Today it's name and portrait artists, pictures and lights of Disneyland. What was interesting to watch was the change from angry NY to the Disney NY. I always said that I believed it was a nicer place because people were all getting paid. Everyone was getting a piece of the pie from the ground up to the top of the skyscrapers. Now, I'm seeing people pissed off again. The other day I watched someone bump into someone crossing the street and small yelling match started with the lady pulling out a pair of scissors in preparation to attack the man. A traffic officer broke up the fight by approaching the man and telling him to walk away. I remember in the tumult of 80s in LA. I knew people who would make your car disappear across the border for a few benjamins. No doubt that we should see an increase in these types of crimes and crime as a whole. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

12-03-2008, 08:11 AM	#3 (permalink)
fresnelly Functionally Appropriate Location: Toronto	I suspect a lot of people will turn to organized crime and the black market for loans too. That sounds familiar too. __________________ Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life

12-03-2008, 02:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
Amaras Junkie Location: At my daughter's beck and call.	I wonder if more folks will turn to alcohol and drug abuse, as well? Despair leads to poor choices... Of course the media WILL focus on these items more, during these times. __________________ Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state. -Noam Chomsky Love is a verb, not a noun. -My Mom The function of genius is to furnish cretins with ideas twenty years later. -Louis Aragon, "La Porte-plume," Traite du style, 1928

12-03-2008, 03:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
dc_dux Location: Washington DC	I remember from an econ class.....industries that are recession-proof: booze, bets, butts and bombs Bars and casinos dont suffer. Cigarette sales and hookers (both butts) dont suffer. Defense contractors dont suffer. __________________ "The perfect is the enemy of the good." ~ Voltaire

12-03-2008, 06:18 PM	#8 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	Wow. Just wow. It's one thing to work a system, it's another thing entirely to endanger an entire neighborhood by starting fire to your own house. Though I do recall a few years ago a restaurant near my old high school burnt to the ground. The business had been going downhill for years and the building was nearly condemned numerous times due to earthquake damage. Arson by the owners for insurance money was on nearly everyone's minds but it turned out to be an electrical fire. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

12-03-2008, 06:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
Tully Mars Living in a Warmer Insanity Super Moderator Location: Yucatan, Mexico	My father once told me back in the 30's he and his brother came home from school one day and the barn was smoking. They ran to get my grandfather who was filling a couple buckets. They grabbed the buckets and threw what turned out to be gas on a now rather large fire. Guess grand pa got an earful from grand ma for putting the kids in danger later that night but the insurance man saved the family farm that winter. Fast forward a few years and as a parole officer I was driving north on the Oregon coast hwy one day and stopped into a very small store just north of Rockaway Beach Or. As I grabbed a roll of Tums and a cup of coffee I noticed the store was nearly empty. No beard, empty coolers etc... I think I bought the last pack of Tums. I went on my way to a court hearing in Astoria. Fours hours later I returned to a smoldering pile of ash. I asked around a little and it's turns out the deep fryer had been left on too high. I'm sure it was a total accident. __________________ I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club