Spokane crooks beat odds

“Crime rate takes a dive” says Page 1 of The Spokesman-Review on May 25. Meanwhile, CityRating.com rates Spokane at 0.98 times the national average for violent crime and 1.82 times the national average for property crime. NeighborhoodScout.com places Spokane much higher than the Washington state median for both property and violent crimes and associates downtown Spokane with the highest crime rate in this region.

While there is still some debate as to whether or not crime rates are related to low wages and high unemployment, the people of Spokane apparently have some important choices to make. For example, employers could pay workers enough that crime does not become a relatively attractive alternative, or the city fathers could redouble the police force in preparation for martial law, or the rest of us could reorganize the workplace cooperatively to eradicate both employers and wages altogether.

The latter was an extremely successful response to economic crisis in the Mondragon region of Spain more than 50 years ago. So, as 10 percent unemployment becomes the new “5” in the U.S. and real wages continue to fall, it could be very entertaining to see what kinds of choices the people of Spokane begin to pursue.

David Kendall

Spokane Valley