Election day in California has come and gone, and it’s time to get back to the vital matter at hand, summer. You know, trips to the beach, the desert, camping, mountains, blockbuster movies, and don’t forget, predictions of doom for the midterms in November. Hell, I can make vacay and doomsay at the same time. In between house and summer break stuff, I’ve been sorting through a bunch of sh!t on my mind. For example, who won the Heard-Depp defamation trial? And why should I care?
The Economy
The good news: the unemployment rate is now 3.6% from a high of 14.7% two years ago. Do you remember when everyone was so happy to get those Pandemic checks and small business grants and rent moratoriums? Now, economists and critics swear that all this has helped lead us into the inflation crisis we’re facing. Putting too much money into people’s pockets and the economy spells trouble like gas and food prices: Doom and gloom. Yet, I have seen more people in stores and restaurants in a long time. I was just wondering what all of this means.
Crime
I read that Democrats all over the country because they favor social justice approaches to, well, justice. The prevailing narrative is that all this has led to an increase in crime. So, the pandemic and the crazy that followed have nothing to do with it. The solution is more police and locking people up (any people, it seems) and throwing away the key.
For example in New York City.
“For the month of April 2022, New York City saw a 38% decrease in homicides (31 v. 50) and a 29.1% drop in shooting incidents (105 v. 148) compared to April 2021. Overall index crime increased by 34.2% in April 2022, compared to the same period a year ago (9,463 v. 7,051) – a total driven by a 43.5% increase in grand larceny (3,867 v. 2,694) and a 41.5% increase in robbery (1,261 v. 891). Burglaries also increased by 39.4% (1,209 v. 867) in April 2022 compared to last year.”
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/news/p00044/nypd-citywide-crime-statistics-april-2022
But then, you come across stuff like the following. I guess one’s perception of crime depends on where one lives and not just what one feels.
“According to polls from Axios/SurveyMonkey and The Economist/YouGov, around 9 in 10 Americans feel very or somewhat safe in the communities where they live. At the same time, Gallup polling shows the gap in perception of growing crime in the U.S. versus crime in one’s own neighborhood has never been wider.”
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/safest-states-in-the-us.html
Here’s their list:
- New Jersey is the safest state, according to our scoring system. It separated itself from other leading states with a significantly higher score for law enforcement officers per capita.
- Eight of the 10 safest states are in the Northeastern region of the U.S. (as defined by the Census Bureau), including the top six states on our list. The list also includes one state from the Midwest and one from the South. No states from the West made the top 10.
- Maine had the best score of all 50 states for violent crime per capita. Massachusetts had the best score for property crime per capita. New Jersey had the best score for law enforcement officers per capita, and Ohio had the highest score for estimated public safety budget per law enforcement employee.
In the Meantime
“Mass shootings have been on the rise in recent years. In 2021, almost 700 such incidents occurred, a jump from the 611 in 2020 and 417 in 2019. Before that, incidents had not topped 400 annually since the Gun Violence Archive started tracking in 2014.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/06/02/mass-shootings-in-2022/
I guess I’m not doing enough prayers. Well, that’s probably because I don’t believe in prayers, only laws, and their enforcement. But, no laws are going to stop the madness of anger, violence worship, and “I just don’t give a sh!t” attitudes.
The Unhoused
Drive or walk down any major street or freeway in southern California, and their presence is ubiquitous, tents of the unhoused.
“In the United States, there are over half a million people experiencing homelessness. These individuals live in a temporary shelter or transitional housing or sleep in a place not meant for habitation (like an abandoned building). The top four causes of homelessness, in order, are lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty, and low wages.”
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/homeless-population-by-state
According to the World Population Review website, these some of the breakdown of their statistics:
- The average life expectancy of a homeless person is just 50 years.
- 39.8% of homeless persons are African-Americans
- 61% of homeless persons are men and boys
- 20% of homeless persons are kids
- 42% of street children identify as LGBT
- New York City has one-fifth of all US sheltered homeless
- The homeless problem is on a downward trend- Where is this happening?
- Permanent housing interventions have grown by 450% in 5 years.
Music
Did you know that the top artist and song right now is Harry Styles, “As It Was,” according to Billboard Magazine? Number two is Doja Cat, “Woman.” And number three is Lizzo, “About Damn Time.” I am so out of touch. Read more of the list HERE.
Fashion
You may not remember, but in another dimension, I was once Executive Producer of Fashion Police with Joan and Melissa Rivers on E! (No, really). According to Refinery29.com, these fashion trends are defining 2022
- Sweats 2.0
- The Pointelle Lounge Crop Pants
- Victor Glemaud Chain Link Wide-Leg Cropped Pants
- Donni Eco-Fleece Roll Pant
- Skims Cozy Knit Pant
Curious
What are we calling the generation after Gen Z? Well, apparently, Gen Alpha.
“Comparing Generation Alpha versus Generation Z statistics — much like the groups’ members themselves — are still developing. However, if current trends hold, Generation Alpha kids will be more racially and ethnically diverse than their Generation Z counterparts. Members of Generation Alpha will also be more likely to go to college, more likely to grow up in a single-parent household and more likely to be surrounded by college-educated adults.”
https://www.aecf.org/blog/what-is-generation-alpha
Still Curious
I’ve been told that the Republican Party is looking after us better than the Democratic Party because…….I’ll have to get back to you on that.
Conspiracy Theories
When did conspiracy theories go from “Who Killed JFK?” to the Democrats are a bunch of child-eating pedos?
English as my major
I’m so naive. I didn’t realize that when I decided to major in English to study Creative Writing that it meant that I would be studying mostly white men and some white women, with James Baldwin thrown in as the token. I must be in the wrong decade.
I only have four semesters left to graduate at seventy-five years old with a Bachelor of Arts in English- Creative Writing. Do you think I will be too old to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at that age?
On Second Thought 