Survival And Prosperity

CEO Survey: Illinois 3rd Worst State In Which To Do Business

Last week, Chief Executive magazine announced the results of its 9th annual survey regarding the best and worst states in which to do business. From their website:

In its ninth annual survey of CEO opinion about the best and worst states in which to do business, 736 CEOs—the highest response on record—rendered their verdict. Business leaders were asked to grade states with which they are familiar on a variety of competitive metrics that CEOs themselves regard as critical. These include: 1) taxation and regulation; 2) quality of workforce; and 3) living environment. The tax and regulatory grade includes a measure of how CEOs grade a state’s attitude toward business, a key indicator.

The best states in which to do business?

1. Texas (9 consecutive years now)
2. Florida
3. North Carolina
4. Tennessee
5. Indiana

Nice job Indiana!

The “Top 5” were unchanged from last year.

And the worst states in which to do business?

1. California
2. New York
3. Illinois
4. Massachusetts
5. New Jersey

Nice going Illinois. Second year in a row in that position.

The faster Illinois residents dump incompetent and ill-intentioned lawmakers, the sooner the state will be able to make headway on a number of real issues. Avoiding insolvency (somewhat of a stretch at this point) and job retention/attraction readily come to mind here.

By the way, our neighbors to the north- Wisconsin- climbed three spots in this latest survey to number 17. JP Donlon wrote on May 6:

More and more states are getting the pro-growth message. Wisconsin governor Scott Walker’s position is typical of this new thinking. “I’ve never seen a store get more customers by raising its prices, but I’ve seen customers knock down doors when they cut prices,” he says.

You can view the rankings of all 50 U.S. states on the Chief Executive website here.

By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)

Source:

Donlon, JP. “States More Aggressive in Competing With One Another.” Chief Executive. 6 May 2013. (http://chiefexecutive.net/states-more-aggressive-in-competing-with-one-another-2013). 13 May 2013.

Tags: California, Chief Executive magazine, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, regulations, Scott Walker, state government, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin

AAA Predicts Falling Gas Prices, Except In Great Lakes Region

Usually around this time of year, I commute more often between my pad in Chicago and my family’s place in southeastern Wisconsin. While that won’t be happening as much in 2013 due to everything that’s going on around here, I still like to keep on top of gas prices to get an idea of how much I’ll be shelling out to enjoy the open road.

(Editor’s note: Open road my butt. This is the Chicago metropolitan area, where if bumper-to-bumper gridlock isn’t taking place, you’re dealing with drivers who are distracted, in a hurry to go nowhere, or who really just don’t care about the rules of the road. And a “good drive” is one where you don’t lose a hubcap/wheel cover from a pothole that goes all the way to China.)

Venting process complete.

Anyway, here’s some highlights from the “AAA Monthly Gas Price Report: April 2013 Trends and Summer Outlook” that’s just been released on the “NewsRoom” section of the AAA website:

• Gas prices nationally averaged $3.55 per gallon in April, which was the least expensive average for the month since 2010. Gas prices dropped about 13 cents per gallon in April (3.5 percent), which was the largest percentage decline for the month in ten years. In comparison, gas prices in 2012 averaged $3.89 for the month, while the average price in April 2011 was $3.79 per gallon.
• Gas prices should drop to $3.20 to $3.40 per gallon by mid-summer if current trends continue in regards to oil prices, motorist demand and refinery production. Gas prices in recent years have declined in early summer after reaching a springtime peak as refineries ramp up gasoline production in anticipation of the summer driving season.
• The cheapest gas prices are predominately in the Southeast where extensive refinery production and lower-than-average taxes have helped keep prices low in comparison to the rest of the country. Gas prices in the Great Lakes region have increased in recent weeks because of planned refinery maintenance and unscheduled outages following recent heavy storms.
• The five states with the highest averages today include: Hawaii ($4.34), Alaska ($3.97), Ill. ($3.91), Calif. ($3.90) and Mich. ($3.79). The five states with the cheapest gas price averages today include: S.C. ($3.23), Tenn. ($3.26), Ala. ($3.27), Ark. ($3.27) and Miss. ($3.28).

As for me in Chicago? Prices at the pump have not only been brutal this spring, but are expected to go higher. Samantha Bomkamp reported on the Chicago Tribune website last night:

AAA said Tuesday that motorists nationwide are paying the lowest springtime gas prices in three years, but don’t tell that to drivers in Illinois.

Despite a recent dip, drivers here are paying the highest average price in the lower 48 states. With a statewide average on Tuesday of $3.91 a gallon, Illinois drivers are paying more than every state except Alaska at $3.97 and Hawaii and $4.34.

Costs are even higher in Chicago where the average price was $4.32 per gallon Tuesday, according to AAA. Prices averaged $4.14 in the suburbs…

While AAA predicts that drivers nationally should see gas prices fall even lower, motorists in Illinois and other Great Lakes states should see even higher prices as maintenance continues on refineries that provide most of the region’s gas supplies.

It’s a good thing I fill up in Wisconsin, where the price of gas is routinely cheaper.

East bound and down, loaded up and truckin’…

By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)

Sources:

“AAA Monthly Gas Price Report: April 2013 Trends and Summer Outlook.” AAA. 29 Apr. 2013. (http://newsroom.aaa.com/2013/04/aaa-monthly-gas-price-report-april-2013-trends-and-summer-outlook/). 1 May 2013.

Bomkamp, Samantha. “Gas prices ease nationwide while Ill. marches higher.” Chicago Tribune. 30 Apr. 2013. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-gas-prices-ease-nationwide-while-ill-marches-higher-20130430,0,3861102.story). 1 May 2013.

Tags: AAA, AAA Monthly Gas Price Report, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Chicago, crude oil, crude oil prices, gas prices, gasoline, gasoline prices, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, oil prices, refineries, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin

On TV: Doomsday Preppers ‘Solutions Not Problems’ Preview

Season 2 of National Geographic Channel’s Doomsday Preppers TV series continues tonight with a special Valentine’s Day episode, “Solutions Not Problems,” which airs at 9 PM ET.

I was lucky enough to be provided an advance-screening of the “Bachelor Prepper” episode. From a Nat Geo Channel press release I received at the end of last week:

Prepping for an economic collapse, Jeff is converting a decommissioned missile silo into the perfect bug-out getaway. But that’s not all Jeff is focused on. With an online dating profile, he is also searching for a special someone who can share his love for prepping. We’ll see Jeff, a bachelor on the lookout for love, not only work on his bunker, but also go on multiple dates to find his prepper mate. Will he select one to take to his secret bunker? We also meet Doug, who lives in the mountains of Tennessee. He currently runs his own stone quarry, and the locals call him “Rockman.” But what they may not know is that he is using rocks to prepare his underground bunker for the upcoming economic collapse. Will he build a safe haven out of his rock stockpiles?

Jeff Flaningam is a 37-year-old Wisconsin bachelor who owns 19-acres out in central Kansas- with a decommissioned Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silo buried underneath it. Jeff is hard at work turning the abandoned missile base into a livable bug-out location. He told viewers:

I’m preparing for a catastrophic economic collapse.

According to the show:

The national debt currently totals more than $16 trillion. Jeff believes that if nothing is done to change this, the U.S. could go from becoming a global economic leader, to a nation struggling to provide food, water, and power. He worries that the consequences of such a collapsing economy could last indefinitely.

Flaningam added:

Transportation system falls apart, fuel costs go through the roof, people can’t get the goods that they need. The normal courtesy that we share with our fellow man is going to degrade and get thrown out of the window. Violence would be rampant. I don’t think anyone can know how long an event like that could last. I know I have to be prepared to stay off the grid for as long as it takes.

The Wisconsin-based prepper plans on bugging out 800 miles to the Kansas bunker when the first signs of a SHTF situation arise.

But before that happens, he’d like someone to share those “special times” with.

“Doug,” aka “Rockman,” owns a stone quarry in the Tennessee mountains. He told viewers:

I’m prepping for an economic collapse that will change the world forever.

Doug added later:

Our economy is in distress. And I don’t see it getting better. Can you imagine paying $17 trillion dollars back?

Along with his employee and best friend Inés, the two of them are shown building an underground shelter constructed out of a shipping container that their families will use as a bug-out location, and putting a 3-tiered defensive plan for the bunker into place.

It was a fun, informative, and not too overboard (reality TV-wise) episode to watch. And if you’re not into that lovey-dovey stuff, at least catch it for the “Rockman’s” segment, where he, with the help of a former U.S. President, shows you an easy way to make money from money.

Don’t worry. You’ll get what I’m talking about by watching tonight’s episode.

For more information about the TV series visit the Doomsday Preppers page on the National Geographic Channel website here.

By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)

Tags: Bachelor Prepper, BOLs, bug-out locations, bunkers, Doomsday Preppers, Doomsday Preppers TV series, Doomsday Preppers TV show, Jeff Flaningam, Kanas, national debt, preppers, Rockman, Solutions Not Problems, survivalists, Tennessee, underground bunkers, underground shelters, Wisconsin

Study: Only 3 Out Of 76 Major U.S. Metro Areas Are In Economic Recovery

Surprise, surprise. More evidence is out that points to the economic recovery that’s supposed to be taking place in the United States as being a big joke. Reuters’ Lisa Lambert talked about a new report that was released today by the Washington, D.C.-based think tank the Brookings Institution and wrote on the Yahoo! News website:

The United States has the most major metropolitan economies of all countries – 76 – according to an annual report on the 300 largest metropolitan economies worldwide that Brookings released on Friday…

Three and a half years since the 2007-09 economic recession ended, only three major U.S. metropolitan areas are experiencing an economic recovery, according to the Brookings Institution.

(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)

Those three metro areas are Dallas, Knoxville, and Pittsburgh.

Congratulations you guys.

Only 3 out of 76 major metropolitan economies in the U.S. experiencing an economic recovery?

Pathetic.

Especially when you consider all that stimulus, all those bailouts, all that government intervention, all that new debt heaped on the pile these past couple of years. Lambert added:

“It was still better than last year when the U.S. had no metro recoveries,” Brookings Associate Fellow Emilia Istrate said.

0 recoveries to 3 out of a possible 76? Pardon me for a moment while I head outside to go dance in the streets.

Source:

Lambert, Lisa. “Only three major U.S. cities see economic recovery: study.” Reuters. 30 Nov. 2012. (http://news.yahoo.com/only-three-major-u-cities-see-economic-recovery-050732585.html). 30 Nov. 2012.

Tags: Brookings Institution, Dallas, Emilia Istrate, government intervention, Knoxville, metropolitan economies, national debt, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas

Poll: Illinois Finishes Second To California As Least Favorite U.S. State

I heard it on the Chicago morning news today. According to a recent poll, Illinois is the second least favorite state in the Union- topped only by California. The Raleigh, North Carolina-based survey organization Public Policy Polling conducted a “state favorability poll” from October to January in which they asked American voters nationally what their impressions of each state were. The results were discussed on their website Tuesday. The five most favorite states of those surveyed were:

1. Hawaii
2. Colorado
3. Tennessee
4. South Dakota
5. Virginia

While the five least favorite states turned out to be:

1. California
2. Illinois
3. New Jersey
4. Mississippi
5. Utah

Public Policy Polling staff said on their website:

Americans generally have a favorable view of most states. Only five are in negative territory, led by California (27% favorable and 44% unfavorable), Illinois (19-29), New Jersey (25-32), Mississippi (22-28), and Utah (24-27).

Wisconsin, where I spend a good deal of my time during the year, was the 16th most favorite state among respondents.

Source:

“State favorability poll.” Public Policy Polling. 21 Feb. 2012. (http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/state-favorability-poll.html). 24 Feb. 2012.

Tags: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, least favorite states, Mississippi, most favorite states, New Jersey, Public Policy Polling, South Dakaota, state favorability poll, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin

On TV: Doomsday Preppers, Episode 4

Getting back on track with my reviews, on Tuesday, February 21, episode 4 of the new National Geographic Channel TV series Doomsday Preppers aired. In “It’s All Gonna Hit The Fan,” three prepper groups were assessed. In order of appearance:

Martin and Sarah Colvill, “mobile preppers”
“I’m preparing to survive the next great depression caused by a worldwide economic collapse”

Donna Nash and family, Alpine, Utah
“I am preparing for a worldwide pandemic”

Kevin O’Brien and family, formerly of Jacksonville, Florida; now somewhere in the Tennessee mountains
“Kevin believes that a 2012 polar shift will cause the earth to move on its axis, resulting in an onslaught of natural disasters… and since Florida is a low-lying coastal peninsula, Kevin believes that his home state will be completely devastated by a polar shift.”

Here are my thoughts about episode 4 of Doomsday Preppers, broken down by prepper group:

Martin and Sarah Colvill

Martin Colvill is a retired police officer who is now a big-rig trucker. After they lost their home to foreclosure, Martin and his wife Sarah, who is battling cancer, live in their truck. As stated above, Martin fears a U.S. economic collapse and the turmoil associated with it, such as hyperinflation. He anticipates delivery trucks having problems making deliveries in such a scenario. Colvill said:

My long term goal is to help America become the nation that it should be again. And the biggest way I can do that is to make a delivery in a safe and timely manner. If I can help other drivers survive, then our nation will be able to rebuild itself. With truckers, we have a chance.

The Colvills prep in the 53 square foot sleeper cabin of their truck. The couple has amassed a 4 to 6 month food supply, which includes dehydrated food. Along with dehydrated food, freeze-dried food is very popular in the prepper/survivalist communities. What’s the difference between the two? Well, from what I understand, dehydrated. or dried food, is made by slowly removing the water from the food through the use of heat. Freeze-dried food is a fresh or cooked food item that’s been frozen- then had the water removed. Each process has it pluses and minuses, so research is recommended before going out and buying food in these forms. One of the advertisers I partner with, Nitro-Pak Preparedness Center (see sidebar ad), offers both dehydrated and freeze-dried foods.

In addition to what they have stored on the truck, the Colvills also have a network of supply caches all over the country. For those readers that have or are planning to acquire a place of refuge, or “bug-out location,” in the event they need to flee from a catastrophe, having hidden stashes of supplies pre-positioned along primary and alternate routes to a BOL is something worth exploring.

When TSHTF, the couple plans on driving to a “safe zone.” However, one of their concerns is not having enough fuel for the truck. Martin said that they do have the ability to siphon fuel, should it come to that. Siphons are inexpensive, and might be a worthy addition to one’s preps.

During those times when they’re not on the road, Martin wants to camouflage the truck. In the episode, the prepper is shown purchasing camouflage netting from an outfitter to spread over his rig. However, once back at the truck he realizes he’s going to need a lot more of it to complete the job. Camouflage nets- and by extension, camo tarps- can be used for a variety of tasks, in both good times and bad. They’re also worth looking into.

In a societal collapse, Colvill fears the bad guys might try to seize his rig and its contents. The retired law enforcement officer pointed out:

Something that most people don’t think about- modern prisons use electronic locks. When the grid goes down, electricity is no longer around, prisons around the nation will suddenly open up. All of a sudden you’re going to have a flood of angry men and women, and they’re going to come flooding out.

The Colvills are subsequently shown training to deal with potential truck hijackers.

At a time when prisons across the county suffer from overcrowding and government budgets keep tightening, the temptation exists to release portions of the prison population back into the general populace before their term is served to completion. California and Illinois come to mind here. From the Los Angeles Times on December 10, 2011:

The early release of inmates in some parts of California is accelerating as officials at county jails struggle to accommodate state prisoners flowing into their facilities…

And from The Herald-News, a Chicago Sun-Times publication serving Will County, Illinois, communities, this appeared on their website yesterday:

The governor also plans to close a super-maximum security prison in downstate Tamms; a second youth-detention center; and six secure halfway houses, the latter of which could result in the early release of as many as 1,000 inmates into the general public, the state government’s largest employee union predicted Tuesday…

Martin Colvill left viewers with something worth thinking about. He said:

A lot of it is left up to us- what choices we make. When I see someone in need, or someone being bullied, I will step in and say, “NO.” And if it means taking a risk, there are those of us that are willing to do that. All that evil needs to propagate is for good men to do nothing.

In the “The Odds” portion of the segment, the show says:

While hyperinflation and severe depressions have occurred in major economies of the past, economists do not believe the United States is currently at risk of such disasters.

Other “doomsday preppers” concerned about hyperinflation include Dennis Evers in episode 2 and Pat and Lynette Brabble in episode 3. As I said in my last review:

Some of the same people who predicted the 2008 global economic crisis are warning that the nation is heading for hyperinflation. Recent examples of such rapid inflation include Argentina a decade ago and Zimbabwe.

As well-known investor Jim Rogers pointed out recently, the Federal Reserve has the printing press going at full-speed these days. And some real smart people who were way ahead of the pack when it came to identifying the housing bubble, the economic crisis, and the “Great Recession” think the United States will eventually opt to print its way out of its massive debt obligations. “Would you like some fries with that $1,000 Big Mac?” That’s what it might come to.

By the way, these same parties also don’t discount the likelihood of a severe depression taking place either. The fact is, most economists and other financial types didn’t see the recent financial carnage coming until it pretty much sat on their faces. Therefore, take what they have to say with a grain of salt.

Donna Nash and family

Donna Nash is prepping for a worldwide pandemic. From the show:

The World Health Organization believes that a devastating influenza pandemic is almost inevitable. Even conservative estimates suggest as many as 100 million people worldwide may be infected, and millions will die.

On Tuesday, the U.S. News & World Report website ran the following:

A paper published Tuesday by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control suggests a new swine flu virus has the potential to cause an outbreak.

The A(H3N2)v swine flu strain that has infected at least 18 Americans since Sept. 2010 has shown the potential for human-to-human transmission. According to the paper, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the H3N2 strains “resemble viruses with pandemic potential.” Terrence Tumpey, one of the authors of the study, says the current seasonal flu vaccine won’t protect against this swine flu strain…

In 2009, we were given a glimpse of how devastating pandemics could be with the spread of H1N1 influenza.

Getting back to the episode, Donna is shown stockpiling supplies and putting together pandemic survival kits. She said she plans on helping immediate neighbors, and footage is shot of her visiting some of them with her kits. I wonder if she gives these away, or charges/asks for donations for them. A little research revealed that the “Pandemic Lady,” as the show called her, is also the owner of Ark Ready, a company which sells preparedness products. Like Tim Ralston in episode 3, Donna is a “prepper entrepreneur.” I have to point out that the “About” section of Ark Ready’s website really grabbed my attention. It says:

As a girl, Ark Ready Founder and Chief Evangelist Donna Nash recalls her mother handing her a canister of mace and telling her to have a nice evening. Nine boyfriends and 16 canisters later, Donna was committed to the importance of preparedness…

(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)

By the sound of it, I’m guessing those canisters weren’t disposed of because they were past their expiration dates.

Like a number of other “doomsday preppers,” the Nash family realizes the importance of training. In the episode, Donna and her family members are shown conducting a family pandemic drill where they donned their pandemic protection supplies as fast as they could and mustered on the front lawn. The neighbor’s quizzical look was classic.

Another priceless moment was when Donna’s daughter-in-law showed up late to the drill and was quarantined- along with her child- in a room adjacent to the home’s dining area. As the rest of the family sat down to share a meal, the young mother and child could only look on behind transparent plastic sheeting.

Kevin O’Brien and family

Kevin O’Brien, his wife Amie, and their kids are relocating from Jacksonville, Florida, to the mountains of Tennessee because they’re concerned about a coming pole shift which results in Florida becoming submerged underwater. To be clear, what the O’Briens fear isn’t a magnetic pole shift, but rather true polar wander, which is a solid-body rotation of the Earth with respect to its spin axis, causing the geographic locations of the North and South Poles to change, or “wander.” Some theorize that rapid TPW could lead to scores of natural disasters taking place across the world over a small period of time.

After years of research and planning, the O’Brien family are shown moving to their new home in Tennessee: 130 acres located on geologically-stable rock at an elevation of 1,800 feet. Kevin said:

Our land is secure and defendable, there’s a forest and timber there for firewood, we can grow own vegetables there. There’s a source of water. We can raise our own livestock there.

On the design of their future residence, Kevin added:

We’d like to build a really solid home, probably out of reinforced concrete. Bullet-proof, water-proof, fire-proof, earthquake-proof, and ultimately, pole shift-proof.

The O’Briens intend to utilize alternative energy at their new homestead, including solar panels and large black plastic barrels filled with water for passive solar heating. Interesting.

Kevin O’Brien brought an assortment of firearms and 5,000 rounds of ammunition to Tennessee for protecting the retreat and its inhabitants. 5,000 rounds might sound like an awful lot of ammo to some. However, well-known survival blogger and author James Wesley, Rawles recommends 2,000 rounds per battle rifle, 500 per hunting rifle, 800 per primary handgun, 2,000 per .22 rimfire, and 500 per riot gun in his 2009 book How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It. And those are minimum recommendations.

In “The Odds” portion of this segment, the show said:

There is some scientific evidence that a true pole shift occurred 800 million years ago when the earth’s land masses formed a super-continent. But scientists believe that because our continents are now separated, such an event is almost geologically-impossible.

What they might be referring to is a study in which the magnetic composition of ancient sediments found in the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard was analyzed by Dr. Adam Maloof of Princeton University. From an accompanying news release dated August 25, 2006:

“If a true polar wander event has occurred in our planet’s history, it’s likely been when the continents formed a single mass on one side of the Earth,” he said. “We don’t expect there to be another event in the foreseeable future, though. The Earth’s surface is pretty well balanced today.”

Another good episode. More ideas worth looking into. Again, I wish all these prepper groups success in their endeavors.

New episodes of Doomsday Preppers air on the National Geographic Channel Tuesday nights at 9 PM Eastern/Pacific Time. For more information, go to the Nat Geo Channel website here.

Tags: 2012 polar shift, 2012 true polar wander, A(H3N2)v, Adam Maloof, Alpine, alternative energy, Amie O'Brien, BOLs, bug-out locations, California, camouflage, camouflage netting, camouflage tarps, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dehydrated food, Dennis Evers, Donna Nash, Doomsday Preppers, Doomsday Preppers episode 4, Doomsday Preppers TV show, dried food, Florida, freeze-dried food, fuel, gasoline, H1N1, H3N2, hyperinflation, Illinois, influenza pandemic, inmates, It’s All Gonna Hit The Fan, Jacksonville, James Wesley Rawles, Jim Rogers, Kevin O'Brien, Lynette Brabble, Martin Colvill, pandemic, passive solar heating, Pat Brabble, pole shift, preppers, prisons, quarantine, Sarah Colvill, siphons, supply caches, survivalists, swine flu, Tennessee, Terrence Tumpey, TPW, trucking, true polar wander, U.S. dollar, Utah, viruses, WHO, World Health Organization

Doomsday Prepper David Sarti Has Firearms Confiscated

Last week I blogged about the new National Geographic Channel TV series Doomsday Preppers. Once of the preppers featured in episode 2 was David Sarti, the “Hillbilly Prepper,” who lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Sarti says he is “prepping to survive an EMP detonation that will wipe out our nation’s transportation system.”

This weekend I happened to come across a story on the Off Grid Survival website that announced:

Just days after appearing on the National Geographic TV Show Doomsday Prepper, a prepper from Tennessee has been declared Mentally Defective and his guns have been seized by the government. The Prepper, David Sarti is a character to say the least, but his story is somewhat disturbing and should be a wake up call for everyone…

You can read the rest of “Doomsday Prepper Declared Mental Defective…. Government confiscates his Guns” on OffGridSurvival.com here.

Tags: David Sarti, Doomsday Preppers, gun confiscation, mental health, preppers, state government, Tennessee

Springfield, Illinois, Named America’s 3rd Most Dangerous City

Back in the late nineties I travelled between Chicago and Springfield, Illinois, on official business. Even though I’d attended college only 86 miles away in Champaign, I had never visited the state capital before. While I was very impressed by that area of Springfield where the various government buildings are located, I remember driving past some shady areas of town too. So I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised when I read the following tonight by John Giuffo of Forbes.com about the second most populated city in the state outside the Chicago metropolitan area:

Here are America’s five most dangerous cities, according to government statistics…

#3 Springfield, IL
Population: 206,601

The capital city of Illinois, Springfield ranks third on our list because it had 855 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2010. The city also confounds analysts who try to interpret its relatively high crime rate. The unemployment rate was lower than the national average at 7% as of July, so the economy wouldn’t seem to play a major role in crime. And although meth usage saw a small spike in the mid-2000s, a law passed a few years ago making the necessary pharmaceutical ingredients harder to buy seems to have cut down on abuse. There are also poorer neighborhoods – literally on the other side of the railroad tracks – that tend to have higher rates of poverty and the higher rates of crime that accompany that, which contributes to the city’s overall higher rate of crime. Another factor could be Springfield’s relatively young population – 66% of the city is under the age of 44 – and relatively younger populations are historically correlated with higher rates of crime.

(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)

My state’s capital. Not good. Not good at all.

I actually feel sorry for them in that they now have this dubious distinction.

Beating out Springfield? Memphis was number two, and Detroit took the top spot for 2010.

Source:

Giuffo, John. “America’s Most Dangerous Cities, 2011.” Forbes. 4 Oct. 2011. (http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-most-dangerous-cities-2011.html). 4 Oct. 2011.

Tags: Detroit, Illinois, Memphis, Michigan, Springfield, Tennessee