The Crime Issue

By Karl Spence

"Crime is a dangerous, cancerous condition which, if not curbed and beaten down, will soon eat at the very vitals of the country." -J. Edgar Hoover, to the University of Maryland's class of 1936 [1] "He was carrying a twenty-one-foot tapeworm along with his business responsibilities, and that aged him." -Rooster Cogburn, reminiscing about a deceased former employer [2] Call it a cancer or call it a tapeworm, but one thing crime can't be called is a factor, so far, in this year's election. Nor was it a factor in the election of 2008, nor in the one before that, nor in any presidential election since 1988 -- which happens to be the last one in which Republicans thoroughly whipped the Democrats. The GOP strategy this year is set: play it safe. Concentrate on jobs, ObamaCare, and the deficit; avoid distracting the voters with any social issues that might put our side at a disadvantage; and eke out a narrow victory by winning a few key battleground states. But.... (Read Full Article)