Burnsville

[Minnehahapolitan]

Thing is.."Binky" even when I couldn't live in the city proper, I understood the problems that crime presents well enough to realize what is and is not a utopia. When this city was twice as dangerous, I was right here in it too. I realize that there are things that I can do to almost ensure that I am not a victim of it. If I leave my GPS on the front seat of the car, experience shows that it will oprbably be gone. That doesn't make it right, but I don't leave it there anyways so that I can get all mad and defensive when somebody steals it. It is easy to get murdered in this city, but experience and statistics show that unless I had an abusive relationship or was a drug dealer that I am far more likely to be killed in a car crash.
That is your problem, though. Its like you think there is nothing you can do to stop any of it. Leaving $5,000 worth of your unlocked in your driveway is a bad idea (have fun explaining that to insurance), no matter where you live. When you leave yourself open to crime, don't be the least bit surprised when it becomes a problem for you. Crime is a problem, only an idiot would ignore it. That same person leaves his car unlocked on his driveway. Locking a door is not a lifestyle, walking your dog at three in the monring is not a lifestyle. It is stupid. See, that is the crux of the matter. The five minutes a day I spend ensuring that I am not a victim of crime has worked. I have not been a victim of it.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by Binky .357

As well they should, for two reasons:

#1: Insurance isn't cheap. And every claim for every theft drives everyones premiums up. It's an inconvienience, yeah, but not a huge deal. Not to mention the deductible.

#2: More importantly, I work for my stuff. I work hard for it. I go out to my job for forty hours a week so that I can get paid money to buy stuff. That stuff is mine. Part of me. Paid for with my time, time taken from my life.

When somebody steals a fifty dollar item from my garage, they've taken time from my life that I will never get back. Not only X number of hours I had to work to earn the money, but the time to call the police to file the report, the time to file a claim with the insurance company, the time waiting for my reimbursment, the time spent shopping to replace the stolen item... it all adds up to time. Time I will never get back. Time stolen from my life... like being stabbed to death with a tiny. little. knife.

That's really what it ammounts to... being murdered for only one day. Or one week. However long you had to work to accquire that posession and then replace it.

Very big deal, as far as I'm concerned. Very goddam big deal indeed; there's nothing "minor" about having property broken into (Whether it's a home or a garage). Out where I live, if a person breaks in to the house, they're just as likely to be shot whether they're planning on taking a $10 DVD or a 32" Television. We don't take surveys about the hypothetical criminals intent, we just take aim.

So...you will take the time to aim a gun and shoot a man before you lock your front door? Have fun living with yourself when you shoot someone for a $10 DVD. Remind me again how that makes you better than the thief. Apparently, some of us haven't moved on from the Laws of Hammurabi.