Theft is on the rise in a worsening economy

It is not strange to hear about cars, jewelry or money being stolen. These days, desperate thieves are choosing bizarre targets: copper wires, air conditioning units, storm drain covers, grapes, ambulances, pain killers and even bees. This petty thievery of agricultural goods and odd supplies is the new norm in a rapidly worsening economy where unemployment is rampant.

A sagging economy and high beef prices have stock thefts on the rise. Thefts are on the rise from the Beef Belt in Texas and Oklahoma to other beef producing states in the Midwest and South. These modern rustlers won’t fit the typical Hollywood image of mounted desperados wearing 10-gallon hats with bandannas covering their faces, said Billy Powell, executive vice president of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association.

It seems that more and more Americans are becoming desperate enough to steal scrap metal in order to survive this economy. With staggering unemployment figures at an all-time high; home foreclosures in the millions, and with little hope of ever achieving that “American Dream”, stealing scrap metal here and there to put food on their tables may be the only option left for some Americans. The downturn in the economy and record unemployment numbers have created a heightened sense of desperation, which subsequently is leading to a rapid increase in crime levels all over the country.

“Most of them use stock trailers pulled by pickups, or even 18-wheelers, to haul the animals away,” he said, noting that there is no national group that collects stock theft data. “They use four-wheelers or motorcycles to round them up, and then haul them to stock yards to sell. Thescrap metal thieves who hit Gilda’s Club probably didn’t realize that they were stealing from kids, some of whom are battling cancer. “We work so hard in our community. We’ve touched thousands and thousands of lives of people touched by cancer, and now we have to find $10,000 to fix this,” said Anna Gottlieb, the club’s executive director. “It’s going to be a real struggle to get everything fixed and up and running again.”

The food theft was no ordinary theft, either. According to reports, the mystery thieves carefully planned the hijacking to coincide with high-priced tomatoes and other produce items that have seen heavy inflation in recent months. And instead of merely stealing the truckloads, the masterminds actually sent their own imposter trucks to pick up the loads, and pretended to deliver them to various intended destinations.

One example would be the Obamacare overhaul, which is meant to provide our country with security but instead is resulting in skyrocketing insurance costs and physicians leaving the field, making it harder to afford and find proper medical care.

View all Abby Smith's articles

About the Author:
For more free details Visit :- The Coming Depression
Source: http://www.thecomingdepressionblog.com/theft-is-on-the-rise-in-a-worsening-economy/