[continued from previous message]   
      
   2022 include usual suspects like New Mexico, Missouri, South Carolina,   
   Tennessee, and Georgia. In 2021, 6 out of the 10 states with the highest   
   murder rates voted for Donald Trump in 2020. In 2022, 8 out of 10 voted   
   for Donald Trump. Red states like Tennessee and South Carolina have   
   consistently been in the top 10 since 2000, with Arkansas joining the mix   
   in 2004 and Missouri in 2008. Blue states like New Mexico and Georgia have   
   consistently been in the top 10 since 2000. Maryland and Illinois were in   
   the top 10 in 2021 but dropped off in 2022 when their murder rates   
   decreased by 16% and 15%, respectively. They were replaced in the top 10   
   by Arkansas and Alaska. Alaska saw an unexpected 51% increase in homicides   
   from 2021 to 2022, bringing them from the 24th highest murder rate to the   
   10th highest.   
      
   The bottom line is that red states have dominated, and continue to   
   dominate, the top 10 states with the highest murder rates since 2000.   
      
   Even when large cities are removed from red states, murder rates are still   
   higher.   
      
   Red states have a ready excuse for their high murder rates: the blue   
   cities located within them. This is laughable. First of all, blue states   
   have more blue cities than red states. That’s what makes them blue.   
   Second, the numbers don’t lie even when giving red states some extra help.   
      
   We removed all of the murders in the county with the largest city for 22   
   of 25 red states. Three red states—North Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho—didn’t   
   have large enough cities to perform this exercise, so we used their   
   original rate. We did not give this advantage to blue states. Even with   
   this special help, the red state murder problem still persisted.   
   (Information on which counties were removed is in the methods section   
   below.)   
      
   In 2021, after removing the largest cities, red states still had a murder   
   rate 20% higher than blue states. Even after removing Jackson and New   
   Orleans, Mississippi and Louisiana still had the two highest murder rates   
   in the country. Alabama still held the number three spot, and South   
   Carolina the number five spot. Removing big blue cities from red states   
   didn’t make much of a difference in state rankings.   
      
   In 2022, red states still had a murder rate 16% higher than blue states   
   after removing their largest cities. Alabama actually jumped from the   
   number three spot to the number one spot. Mississippi held the second   
   spot, New Mexico (a blue state that did not get added help) the third, and   
   Louisiana the fourth. So, while there was some small movement of states in   
   this exercise, the theme stayed the same: red states continued to dominate   
   the states with the highest murder rates, even after we gave them the   
   advantage of removing their largest city.   
      
   But we shouldn’t have to remove these cities from our analysis because   
   blue cities in red states are still beholden to red state laws. Laws that   
   make it easy for criminals to traffic and buy guns (86% of homicides are   
   committed with a gun). Laws that underinvest in cities, law enforcement,   
   and social programs. Laws that are responsible for the highest poverty   
   rates and the highest gun violence rates in the country. The fact that   
   murder rates are high all across red states, not just in cities, tells us   
   that state laws play a part in their crime problem. Blue states spend 33%   
   more money per capita on policing than red states.   
      
   For years, Republicans have struck political gold by accusing Democrats of   
   “defunding the police.” And for many voters, those accusations have stuck.   
   In 2022, 48% of voters believed that the Democratic party supports   
   defunding the police. But the data tells a different story.   
      
   Using the 2021 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances from   
   the US Census Bureau, we analyzed police spending in all 50 states. We   
   found that blue states spent 33% more money per capita on policing than   
   red states. In 2021, blue states on average spent $453.67 per resident on   
   policing while red states only spent $341.37 per resident.   
      
   Many of the states accused of “defunding the police,” like California, New   
   York, and Illinois, actually spent the most on policing. California spent   
   the most on policing at $634.53 per resident. New York spent the third   
   most at $539.92. And Illinois came in sixth place at $471.26. Eight out of   
   10 states spending the most on policing are blue states, joined by red   
   states Alaska and Florida. And those blue states aren’t just blue, they’re   
   the bluest of states—California, New York, Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey,   
   Rhode Island, and Minnesota.   
      
   In 2021, states on average spent $406.68 per resident on policing. Out of   
   the 25 red states, 23 spent less than the national average. About half of   
   blue states spent more or the same and half spent less than the national   
   average. High crime states like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama aren’t   
   investing in policing at the same level as blue states. Mississippi came   
   in the 44th spot out of 50, spending 34% less than the national average.   
   Louisiana did a bit better, coming in 27th place spending 15% less than   
   the national average. Alabama took the 39th spot, spending 29% less than   
   the average. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home state of   
   Kentucky came in dead last, spending 43% less than the national average.   
   For perspective, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s home state of New   
   York came in third place, spending 33% more on policing than the average   
   state and 173% more than Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home state. And   
   it’s not because there’s more crime in New York—quite the opposite.   
   Kentucky’s 2021 homicide rate was double New York’s, 9.0 compared to 4.5.   
   It’s ironic that Republicans accuse Democrats of defunding the police when   
   their states are the ones spending the least on policing. Conclusion   
      
   Violent crime and homicide rates both fell in 2022. Preliminary data for   
   2023 shows that hopeful trend accelerating. But if you listened to   
   Republicans, you would think crime is skyrocketing, specifically in blue   
   states and cities. While murder rates have fallen, they’re still   
   significantly higher in red states than blue states. There are several   
   reasons for high crime rates—poverty, lax gun laws, a lack of social   
   services—but voting for Democrats is not one of them.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)