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WWDubz t1_j8i90pi wrote

Reply to comment by FineAd7610 in Reward for a stolen necklace in Plymouth by rabblebowser

The best solution to help solve this is paying people a living wage. If we do that, allllll the bullshit starts going down.

If we stagnate wages for another 5 decades, well…we’ll see

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slayermcb t1_j8ib14f wrote

Rich people steal too.

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largeb789 t1_j8idf4g wrote

But rarely loose change from cars.

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slayermcb t1_j8ie7bb wrote

It's not a monetary thing, but a thrill. I've known guys who were pretty set, getting shoplifting charges for bs low value items.

In a general sense I get your point. I just don't believe that most crime is committed by people trying to get by honestly.

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FineAd7610 t1_j8ibjvx wrote

Exactly

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jwiggler t1_j8ideeu wrote

I feel like rich people do a different kind of stealing though...typically they don't break into cars to steal some cash and jewelry.

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WWDubz t1_j8iejv7 wrote

By bad, let’s just go back to slavery so we don’t have to pay any employees

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bp67293 t1_j8ie6t5 wrote

Or just don’t be piece of shit thief? I’ve been broke before and never thought about stealing ANYTHING.

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BobbySwiggey t1_j8j1h07 wrote

These days folks breaking into cars are most likely addicts with scrambled brains - it's not something most would be doing if they were clean. Trying to solve it with just a living wage would be futile since they would have to be "functional" addicts to hold down a job AND properly budget for their habit... and that's not what happens in most cases lol.

Not sure if anyone is familiar with the ward at the Portsmouth Hospital, but it's just a constant stream of addicts detoxing and then being sent to longer rehab programs. I spoke with a girl there who was given 22 grand in cash from Social Security back payments, and she vented to me now that she was clean and thinking clearly, "holy shit, how can they just give $22k to an addict? What do you think I did with it?"

Drug use like this is a sign that a lot of folks are being overlooked in our communities, and we've all been paying for it in one form or another. Given what I've seen of the culture and lifestyle, it almost always starts in childhood too. 40% of children in Belknap county grow up being exposed to some form of abuse, and those stats are probably very similar in other areas. This is the real issue we should be focusing on - how to prevent this behavior from happening in the first place. Money alone doesn't address cultural problems.

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WWDubz t1_j8if8wn wrote

Oh shit, we should start a new Hope program called “Just don’t steal bro”. That should usher our civilization into the next era

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bp67293 t1_j8ifgea wrote

Oh shit, we should start a new hope program called “print more money and petty theft will stop”. That should usher our civilization into the next era

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WWDubz t1_j8k72mk wrote

Or, hear me out, pay employees a living wage

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kells938 t1_j8id815 wrote

How does this have anything to do with wages. I would bet that the thief doesn't have a job. Not saying that wages don't have to increase but your grasping at straws that aren't even there.

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jwiggler t1_j8ie5wx wrote

I think it has more to do with drugs and street living than with wages. But I think the general sentiment is the same -- if the government provided a reliable and easy way out of that life through programs, this would be less of a problem.

Obviously that's a contentious issue though, especially in this state and in this subreddit. It's difficult to define what that reliable and easy way out is, and how much it costs, and whether it actually works, etc.

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kells938 t1_j8ikxp2 wrote

There are so many programs as is. WIC, housing assistance, free rehabs, etc. more programs unfortunately doesnt necessarily mean the problems will be fixed. I would 100% agree that more than likely drugs and mental health are a factor, but unfortunately forcing people to get help doesn't work.

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jwiggler t1_j8j9s68 wrote

Yeah, I'm not necessarily trying to argue for more programs. I'm just trying to illustrate OPs general sentiment

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WWDubz t1_j8if13e wrote

There are entire shelves of books written on the subject: here’s the first google result:

Among other conclusions, it found that “the average minimum wage increase of 8% reduces the probability that men and women return to prison within 1 year by 2%.” It also found that “results suggest that the wages of crime are on average higher than comparable opportunities for low-skilled labor in the legal labor ...Mar 3, 2021 https://interrogatingjustice.org › mi... Could Raising the Minimum Wage Impact the Criminal Justice System?

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Jam5quares t1_j8id8y2 wrote

People would be making a living wage if we lowered taxes and stopped printing money.

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Kyle_Smiles t1_j8n58l4 wrote

Stop devaluing our currency? That's truly outlandish. It's almost like we were better under the gold standard.

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