Re: Crime is up in this town.

[Guest guest]

I shop like you do. Some of the shops are separated, but it is possible to make a circuit route that is most efficient. I also don't go to just one place on a trip, but only make trips if there is more than one place to go. Granted there are exceptions for emergencies and such.

The economy is just an excuse as much as a cause. People could still find honest work if they were willing to do it, but they aren't. Criminal behavior has always been with humanity and in the US, we have been coddling it for some time, for several decades and now it is biting us. It really isn't surprising around here since the high school drop out rate is close to 50% maybe higher, and there is a high percentage of people on welfare.

It would probably be better around my place in Alabama simply because people seem to be more squared away, the country people anyway. It would be nice if my place was a bit further off of the main road, but even though it isn't, it wouldn't be hard to put a good fence around it and a heavy duty gate. This is helped because from the main road, there is a big ditch and along the side road there is marshy ground which could be made impassable to vehicles by putting in a ditch. The other two sides can really only be approached by foot and solid fencing would help there. A masonry house would be better than the old wooden place, but not much I can do about that right now.

What would be nice and it is something I have thought about since high school, would be to have a group of about 6 or so friends and families, each with their own house and property right close by. That way they could look out for each other, help with gardens, etc. Helping with security would also be a point. As much as I like being away from others, if the others were also quiet people, it wouldn't be too bad to be fairly close together if things got really bad. By mainly the relative isolation would be a defense.

I agree that if the government got out of the way, then this whole mess would probably be over with. They should stick to investigating people like Madoff, putting back the old legislation and cutting a lot of the useless new stuff that accomplished nothing, and booting politicians who also had a large hand in making this mess.

In a message dated 4/4/2009 5:16:49 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

I wish I could write a really extensive post to address this issue, but instead I am going to write an abbreviated post (which most members here will be thankful for.) Although crime has always been a factor, the economy is playing a BIG role in what is going on. Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less.

[Guest guest]

I should also add that my frustration on this is that the other day they had three policemen at an intersection on the main street within view of several of these places that were robbed, but they were checking inspection stickers on cars. I've seen them patrolling around on the streets, but mostly looking for traffic citations.

On the other hand, in the last year, three people have been killed within 200 yards of my house. Gunshots from that same area happen several times per month. On one occasion I think a bullet might have struck my house and another time I am sure that I heard a bullet go whizzing past a window I was standing near. I don't think I was the target because the bullet went along the wall rather than at it.

Many times I have seen bad looking people walking around the streets here and around those businesses, but no police around. Granted I can't call them to come get these people, but it is annoying nonetheless.

In a message dated 4/4/2009 5:16:49 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Although crime has always been a factor, the economy is playing a BIG role in what is going on. Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less.

[Guest guest]

" The pigs just said it was the economy. The manager told the pig that that might

be so, but that he had a business to run and employees he was afraid for.

" If this keeps up, businesses are going to start closing. All the banks have

armed guards, but other places can't afford that. I'm pretty much making myself

ready just to put this house on the market as is and walk away. "

I wish I could write a really extensive post to address this issue, but instead

I am going to write an abbreviated post (which most members here will be

thankful for.)

Although crime has always been a factor, the economy is playing a BIG role in

what is going on.

Raven and I do our shopping in a very special way. There are six major food

stores up here where we commonly do our shopping, and because they are in close

proximity to one another, we can do a loop within the area and buy what we need

for the lowest prices and still not use much gas.

Keep in mind the following pricing is in Canadian currency. You'd want to knock

off .20 per dollar to figure out what it would sell for in the US. Ergo, if

something costs $1.00 Canadian, it would cost .80 cents US.

-Loblaws (Owned by Westin Foods) Top of the line store. They've got everything

any super market has, and all of it is high quality, but because it is ahigh

quality, you pay good money for what they have.

Coke: $2.29 a two liter. Lean ground beef: $2.39 a pound.

-IGA/Foodland (Owned by Westin Foods) Has everything Loblaws does, but in fewer

quantities. This is sort of like your local neighborhood grocery store. The

stuff here is just as expensive as Loblaws, with fewer sales, but you can find a

good deal now and then.

Coke: $1.79 a two liter. Lean ground beef: $1.99 a pound.

-Price Choppers (Owned by Westin foods) is set up like a warehouse. You can take

your food out in boxes or recyclable bags, and pay for bags if you do not have

them. There are good deals to be had, and even though the stock is the same as

Loblaws, it tends to be much more limited in terms of stock, and the cuts of

meat are not as good.

Coke: $1.25 a two liter (on sale) Ground beef: $1.89 a pound.

-No Frills (Owned by Westin Foods)is set up like a warehouse. You can take your

food out in boxes or recyclable bags, and pay for bags if you do not have them.

You bag your own groceries. The stock is even more limited in terms of

selection, but the prices are good across the board and good deals can be found

everywhere. Meat selection is poor.

Coke: $1.25 a two liter (on sale). Lean ground beef: $1.79 a pound.

-A & P/Metro Foods (Owned by Safeway) Comparable to halfway between Loblaws/Price

Choppers.

Coke: $1.79 a two liter. Lean ground beef: $1.99 a pound.

-Farm Boy. Sells meat and basic staples when they have them. (Light produce,

potatoes, cerial, cake mixes, flour, sugar, etc.) The meat ia all good and

priced for less than in any of the food stores, and everything that is not meat

(except potatos, usually costs more.

Coke: $1.69 a two liter. Lean ground beef: $1.69 a pound.

Two years ago, you could go to any store and the produce would be fresh. Now the

older/wilted, crummy looking produce winds up at Price Choppers and No Frills,

and the Farm Boy has less produce than ever because it is hard to find and sell

competitively.

Three years ago, generic soda was .49 cents a two liter on sale, and .89 or .99

cents regular price. Now it is $1.17 regular price.

What's happening is that people cannot afford to buy as much as before, but

stores have already contracted to buy a fixed amount of items well in advance.

They are selling less and so keeping stuff on the shelves longer. Thus their

product selection is poorer. Alternatively, they are raising prices to maintain

their profit margins.

Because the Canadian economy is dependent on the US consumers buying so much of

their products, the Canadian economy has been hit hard. Something like 75% of

Canadian exports go to the US. Last year was the first time in decades Canada

had a trade deficit.

The bottom line is, people are sufferring all over.

Now , you and I have been saying for years that this crash was about to

happen. Because I have done some investing, I could see the implications of this

long ago. But no one else did.

What everyone else did instead was elect leaders who would worsen the situation

rather than solve it.

Chances are, , that no matter where you go, it will be the same or maybe

even worse than you are currently experiencing. If I were you, I would hunker

down and prepare for the long haul.

How long you have to wait is dependent on what the government does. If they

continue to bail out banks, insurance companies, investment firms, and auto

makers, you can expect the economy will get worse. If they do nothing, it will

get worse, bottom out, and recover much faster...until people and businesses

start getting hit with all these new taxes Obama wants to put in place. Then

things will get worse than you can possibly imagine, and crime will run rampant

everywhere.

Americans voted for this. Now they have to face the consequences of their

ignorance.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

" What would be nice and it is something I have thought about since high school,

would be to have a group of about 6 or so friends and families, each with their

own house and property right close by. That way they could look out for each

other, help with gardens, etc. Helping with security would also be a point. As

much as I like being away from others, if the others were also quiet people, it

wouldn't be too bad to be fairly close together if things got really bad. By

mainly the relative isolation would be a defense. "

There was an immigrant family that moved into the area where I lived about forty

years ago. They pooled their money and bought four lots. They pooled their money

some more and had a house built on the first lot. They kept earning and pooling

their money until all four houses were built. One for each family.

The way they saved money was by buying everything on sale, in bulk, sharing

trasportation, etc.

It all adds up.

They were and are to this day a tight knit family.

Administrator

[Guest guest]

" Many times I have seen bad looking people walking around the streets here and

around those businesses, but no police around. Granted I can't call them to come

get these people, but it is annoying nonetheless. "

The worst of the lot will kill each other off. You will find that your

unscrupulous average everyday Joe will start selling drugs and guns to try to

earn a little money on the side to support his or her family. These people will

get themselves killed or in hospitals when gangs hear they are cutting in on

their business. The population may get a little thinner in the future.

Then of course there is Planned Parenthood. They are pleased as punch to be

reporting an upswing in abortions due to people suddenly realizing they cannot

afford to have children. Unfortunately, the people electing to have the

abortions are primarily middle class people. The poor continue to churn kids out

like lumber from a mill, believing the $500.00 abortion is somehow less

expensive than the $5.00 box of condoms. Thus the number of poor increase, while

the number of people most heavily taxed to support the poor decrease.

Ideally, people would think with their brains instead of their genitals and we

could do away with abortions once and for all.

Administrator