Statistically, the United States is Safer than Ever
I'm tired of constantly hearing how the state of the country is getting worse because truth is, from almost every metric, things have been improving for decades. Both sides of the political spectrum are trying to solve problems that just don't exist. I finally took the time to organize the facts so I have something to reference the next time one of these topics is covered. And I cover a lot of topics.
Homicide rates peaked in 1980 and have decreased 50% since. And this is despite the market being flooded with guns.
Police officer deaths are way down. Like the homicide rate, twice as many police officers were killed during the Reagan Administration.
Missing children are down over 40% in the past two decades.
High school drop out rates are at an all time low and have been trending downward for 50 years.
Teen pregnancy is also at an all time low.
Even the abortion rate has been cut in half since the 1970s.
Non fatal gun crime is down a staggering 300%
Basically, all crime has been trending down for decades.
There's a fear in the United States that is simply not based on fact or statistics. Watching the news, you'd think we are living in pretty dark times. I honestly don't see it. But fear is a great motivator and if this fear didn't exist, there would be no need to elect someone to solve these (nonexistent) problems. Please keep this in mind the next time you hear someone talk about the good old days.
I've seen some of these stats posted in facebook in different formats, but, must admit, that taken together they are more impressive. I agree with you that the MSM and political class are selling a dystopian view of reality. Giving them their due, though, we are wired to pay attention to the things that we fear. It is one of the reasons I enjoyed Peter Diamandis' book "Abundance" so much. A vision of the future that is abundant is a welcome breath of fresh air. I also highly recommend "The Rational Optimist" by Matt Ridley. Referring back to these books helps me balance my daily intake of the negative.
Cheers.
The problem is that you hear about a brutal murder, a cop shooting a black male, a terrorist attack, and plug that into your brain in the wrong way so that you think you have to fear those things more than a housefire that starts in your sleep.
Trump is trying to scare the shit out of old people. Sad!
I see that strange logic all the time. I've heard people say they would not ride in a driverless car even if they are significantly safer than a driver.