tehag
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MX safety post lifted from Facebook
This article was written by Tim Leffel and has been re-posted from his blog Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations
There’s been a lot of news coverage about violence in Mexico, very little of it bothering to note that Mexico is a huge country with thirty-some
states and that a) almost all of that violence is narco-related and b) you can count the number of tourists affected on one hand.
Meanwhile, according to the FBI, "An estimated 15,241 persons were murdered nationwide in 2009" in the United States of America.
Officially, 111 U.S. citizens were killed in Mexico last year, a third in just two cities. Almost all of them were involved in illicit vocations,
usually the trafficking of guns, drugs, or people across the border. This is 111 out of close to 8 million visitors, with nearly 1 million of those
being part- or full-time residents choosing Mexico over the U.S. or Canada.
You know who else had 111 murders in one year recently? Boston. And Las Vegas. And Orlando. Are any tourists scared of going to those places?
Meanwhile, almost 1,000 U.S. citizens died in Puerto Rico. Nobody running the news desks cares about Puerto Rico or has an incentive to make people
scared of Puerto Ricans (by nature, they can’t be “illegal immigrants”), so this isn’t widely reported.
Then there’s the U.S. proper, which can’t get a State Department travel alert because it’s, well, not a foreign country. How’s your city doing in
comparison to Mexico when it comes to the annual numbers?
Atlanta - city, 80 murders. Atlanta MSA (metropolitan statistical area), 325 murders
Baltimore – 238 city, 298 MSA
Boston – 50 city, 111 MSA
Dallas/Ft. Worth – 210 city, 310 MSA
Detroit – 365 city, 447 MSA
Houston – 287 city, 462 MSA
Indianapolis – 100 city, 111 MSA
Jacksonville, FL – 99 city, 120 MSA
Kansas City – 100 city, 163 MSA
Las Vegas – 111 city, 133 MSA
Los Angeles – 312 city, 768 MSA
Miami - 59 city, 377 Miami to Boca Raton corridor
New Orleans – 174 city, 252 MSA
New York City – 471 city, 778 MSA
Orlando – 28 city, 111 MSA
Philadelphia – 302 city, 436 MSA
Phoenix – 122 city, 302 MSA
San Francisco – 45 city, 292 MSA
St. Louis – 143 city, 210 MSA
Washington, DC – 143 city, 325 MSA
To put things in perspective, the murder rate in the Yucatan state of Mexico is 2 per 100,000. That’s about the same as Fond du Lac, Wisconsin or
Evansville, Indiana. Mexico City’s is 8 per 100,000. Despite being one of the most populated cities on the planet, that’s on par with Albuquerque, NM.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never felt scared in Albuquerque…
Certainty is the child of ignorance, knowledge is the mother of doubt. Question everything!
http://bcsbirds.com |
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BigOly
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It's the media. Manipulate the news media and you manipulate the world.
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Woooosh
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BigOly
It's the media. Manipulate the news media and you manipulate the world. |
It's the statistics. Manipulate and under-report the crime statistics and you manipulate the media (and the truth).
[Edited on 6-8-2011 by Woooosh]
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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jenny.navarrette
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tehag
Meanwhile, almost 1,000 U.S. citizens died in Puerto Rico. |
That takes the cake! Puerto Ricans are all US citizens. Who writes this crap...and who believes it? That tired safety piece has been making the rounds
for over a year. It is totally incorrect.
According to this report issued by the Executive Secretary of the National System of Public Security, the Mexican State of Yucatan had 49 homicides in
the first 4 months of 2011.
http://www.secretariadoejecutivosnsp.gob.mx/work/models/Secr...
Now Yucatan has a population of 1,955,577. So that works out to an annual homicide rate of 7.5 per 100,000. If Yucatan were a US state, it would have
the 3rd highest state murder rate.
Imagine that. The safest state in Mexico would be in the top three most dangerous in the US.
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Bajahowodd
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The whole cause and effect thing about crime and murder in specific is very complex. Conventional wisdom would suggest that given the state of the
economy in the US, crime, including murder ought to be soaring.
However, Americans developed a system that skews the natural stats. Over the past couple of decades, we have managed to become the nation with the
second highest incarceration rate in the world, and with the longest sentences, as well. So, these so-called bad guys aren't out on the streets
committing mayhem.
It does, however come with a steep price to taxpayers who have to foot the bill for all those imprisoned; many who who are there as the result of
victimless crimes.
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MrBillM
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Stay out of Dodge
Or L.A., Detroit, NY, Boston, etc, etc, etc.
Locally, in 2010, we had a Murder rate INCREASE that was DRAMATIC over 2009.
Two versus Zero. Same Guy. Same Time.
On the other hand, our Manslaughter rate went DOWN 200 Percent.
Two down to Zero.
IF that one guy had Plea-bargained .................... ?
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JoeJustJoe
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Officially, 111 U.S. citizens were killed in Mexico last year, a third in just two cities. Almost all of them were involved in illicit
vocations, usually the trafficking of guns, drugs, or people across the border. This is 111 out of close to 8 million visitors, with nearly 1 million
of those being part- or full-time residents choosing Mexico over the U.S. or Canada.
Wow only 111 US citizens were killed in Mexico and almost all of them were involved in a illicit vocation! I also read in other places that many of
these American deaths are caused by car accidents or getting ran over.
111 US citizens deaths if accurate is actually a very small number when you consider how many Americans visit Mexico, and how large and heavily
populated Mexico is.
That means any gringo visiting Mexico on a vacation or even living in Mexico on a full time of part time basis should be very safe as long as they
don't involve themselves with illegal activities, and they are even safer if they stay away from the two states listed where half of the 111 American
deaths occurred.
Puerto Ricans US citizens? I guess so, but someone should tell it to Arizona because I remember when they arrested a Puerto Rican who they thought was
an undocumented Mexican alien.
However, Purto Rico is not a US state yet but it's a unincorporated territory of the US.
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JoeJustJoe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Woooosh
| Quote: | Originally posted by BigOly
It's the media. Manipulate the news media and you manipulate the world. |
It's the statistics. Manipulate and under-report the crime statistics and you manipulate the media (and the truth).
[Edited on 6-8-2011 by Woooosh] |
It works both ways buddy. Something the media and bloggers misuse the statistics and over-report the crime statistics and manipulate the media, or the
media sensationalizes the danger for ratings and other reasons. ( Betty and Barney watching the new," look honey at how them Mexicans are savages
cutting off heads! Oh dear, we better cancel our vacation to Cancun.")
Fox news for example After watch Fox News do a segment on the danger of Mexico. You come away thinking visiting Mexico is the same thing as visiting a
war zone, and that's just not the case when you are actually in Mexico.
Besides is anybody really scared when they see something like the annual homicide rate 7.5 out of 100,000 compared to something like 2.5 out of
100,000?
I like my chances under both of these statistics, besides if you ask me those statistics are pretty meaningless if they were comparing a state or even
a city like Los Angeles. For example if they were looking at Los Angeles county the statistics would include both Beverly Hills and Compton. Anybody
that ever lived in LA could tell you there is a night and day difference between LA and Compton.
Here is Betty and Barney planing a vacation: "Honey look at the annual homicide rate in that country, it's 7 out of 100,000. We better look for
somewhere to vacation that's only 4 out of 100,000 or less."
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Brian L
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What about other crime rates?
-Robbery
-Police mordida
-over-charging for "Cuban" cigars
These are also things that Betty and Barney talk about when Barney proposes a trip for the family to Mexico.
Brian
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luv2fish
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The hourly rate of the Señoritas at the local cantinas should be of more concern to Betty and Barney than the homicide rate.
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