Crime on the increase as the effects of the free market hits workers hard

If you probe just a little bit over a wine or coffee, you’ll find that the number of people hit hard by this crisis is extensive and far beyond the normal early victims of market forces; the poor, the disabled, women, children and people of color.This is particularly true of the construction trades. California lost more than half a million jobs in 2009 and over the last two years has lost more than 1 million jobs. In December, the state lost 38,000 jobs which didn’t effect the unemployment rate significantly because 100,000 workers left the Labor force and aren’t included in the figures any more.They just stopped looking or moved out of the state.

This situation has changed attitudes significantly.I talked to two workers last night both construction workers, one public sector, the other private. The guy in the construction trades almost lost his house and the other guy is going to walk away from his owing more than the property is worth. The Wall Street Journal commented some time ago after the subprime housing market crashed that the US borrower who historically has been a loyal customer, doing whatever it took to pay the moneylender, has become increasingly hostile.“I’m going to walk away from mine, fuck ‘em,” said one guy last night.“There’s something wrong with this country, I’m only paying them interest and I’ve paid them plenty of it so far, they can have the house.” He added.

The guy from the construction trades had been out of work for months and on the verge of homelessness but had survived through applying a little initiative of his own.It got him through and he’s working at the moment, 7 day weeks and 10-hour days. He’s changed his habits, less drinking, less consumerism, sold the Harley and “taking care of my family,” he tells me.

The national crisis has had its effect on certain types of crime.The Wall Street Journal reports that truck heists are skyrocketing.“Truckloads containing $487 million of goods were stolen in the U.S. in 2009, a 67% increase over the $290 million worth of products swiped a year earlier.” Reports the Journal.In 2009 859 truckloads of goods were stolen up from 767 in 2008 and 672 in 2007.For some, an economic crisis must no go to waste.People get desperate.

There’s strong evidence that this is related to job losses, foreclosures and other economic effects of a failed market system as the robberies appear to differ from the historical trend. The last boom in tractor-trailer hijackings occurred in the 1960’s, was somewhat violent and was known to be organized crime driven.But the present increase seems to be regular thieves who are sneaking up on trailers in rest stops, hooking up to them and whisking them off while the driver is away either “eating or showering” the report says. "We are seeing a lot more amateurs get into this,"says one law enforcement official, another claims that the thefts are so extensive they are,"Wreaking havoc."

The employers wreak a fair amount of havoc themselves but this is not the havoc they appreciate.It drives their costs up and eats in to profits. They pay more for theft insurance and security. The absence of any significant social movement against the perpetrators of the crisis and the effects of the system itself increase such innovative criminal activity.

The example set by the students in California, fighting back to defend education and calling for a strike to drive the point home on March 4th, is the type of activity that politicizes the anger and resistance that exists in society which helps direct it away from criminal activity. The heads of organized Labor are supporting the students by calling on their members to go to a rally that day instead of using their far greater resources and power to join the students by calling a strike also and building and preparing for it. They are an obstacle to a fightback and the reason the employers have driven us back so far.

When workers fight back in a political way, crime declines.This happened during the Oakland General Strike in 1946 when the chief of police reported that despite 200,000 people being out of their homes, crime did not increase, workers were busy fighting the real crooks.

Perhaps many of the hijackers are good church going folks. Doesn’t the bible say that the lord helps them that help themselves?