Seems like you come close to answering your own question.

Until we as a society tackle poverty, and its attendant social problems (like meth), we'll never make a dent in the property crime problem.

Sociology 101, Jack.

(By the way, I get the joke. Sarcasm never comes out right in print.)

Guns, buy more guns and learn how to use them.

Guns, buy more guns and learn how to use them.

Works for the majority of America ;)

Steve,

The majority of poor and lower middle class Americans don't turning to drugs or crime to cope. Similarly, there are many examples of well educated and well heeled Americans (and their kids) who are addicted to meth, cocaine, pot, ecstasy, or alcohol.

I don't think you can solve substance abuse problems with anti-poverty programs.

Yes, I clicked on the link to the onion, but it's not as interesting as Steve's "blame society" Soc. 101 comment.

"don't turn" or "aren't turning"...

Need to proofread.

Because we're too busy using police resources to chase medical problems (drug use), which shoots up the value of the products and ensures that the problem will never go away.

prorev.com

Sam Smith, Progressive Review - Since there is so much bad financial news these days, we thought this might cheer you up. The drug business is doing extremely well, thanks in large part to years of de facto subsidy by the perversely misnamed "war on drugs."

A recent CNN report said the Coast Guard had seized $4.7 billion worth of cocaine last year. That's only the amount the Coast Guard seized and it's only the value of cocaine, not all the other drugs.

The value is just shy of the $4.83 billion Google earned in the last quarter of last year. At the time Google had about 16,000 employees.

When you are able to lose $4.7 billion a year in just one product line and still keep growing, you've got an impressive business.

Back in 1997, I interviewed Billy Bear Bottoms, the pilot for one of the biggest drug importers of the time, Barry Seal. Bottoms told me that Seal had made about 50 trips of 300 kilos each, or approximately 16 tons total.

The Coast Guard recently seized one vessel - a self propelled semi-submersible that costs up to a million bucks to build - and found seven tons on the craft or 21 times as much as the notorious Seal was able to transport on one trip. Another of this year's seizures amount to more than Seal was able to import on 50 flights.

One day, and sadly far too late, we will finally learn that the biggest driver of the drug trade is US law enforcement.

Damn, sarcasm doesn't come out right in print, even if it is explicitly flagged as such.

Sorry Jack. Didn't mean to stir up the troglodytes. <--- SARCASM!!!

I go back to lurk mode now.

Until we as a society tackle poverty, and its attendant social problems

Haven't we been doing that for the past 60 years? Short of forcing people to work ala USSR, what can we do?

Sweet Mother of jeebuz that's funny ... not this thread, the link.

George Seldes: "medical problems (drug use)" and "biggest driver of the drug trade is US law enforcement"

Word!

Steve, what about your 1st comment suggests explicit sarcasm?

I hope some of you will get of your soapboxes to help this Tutankh guy (is he related to Tensk?) get some of his stuff back. I think I know where a lot of it is.

Oh, I think the T-man is going to come out of this just fine. The lawsuit against the British Museum alone should net him $100 mil.

see:
leap.cc/cms/index.php

I agree substance abuse could have been a factor here. I heard a rumor that they found traces of embalming fluid in the author of that article!

"Why can't we make a dent in the property crime problem?"

That would take time and money from running streetcars on every block. That's sarcasm.

Thanks for the LEAP link.
Seems like we've been continuously cycling between prohibition and regulation since the time of King Tut....