In last Thursday's edition there was an opinion column by Marc Thiessen titled "RoeCrime is everywhere..." which is noted for the facts it leaves out.
Mr. Thiessen uses a rare event, a shooting in a quiet, middle-class neighborhood outside the home of a Republican candidate in New York, to blame Democratic policies for the increase in violent crime. However, despite his efforts to imply a connection, the author fails to provide any proof that any of the crimes mentioned were committed by a suspect tied to a Democratic policy.
If Democratic policies are to blame then why are so many Republican-led states across the west and south -- including Missouri -- at the top of the violent crime charts? For example, according to a recent report by the Missouri Chamber Foundation, Missouri ranks fourth in violent crime incidents per 1,000 persons. This is becoming a real problem for doing business in our state.
The irony of Mr. Thiessen's story is that the three states he specifically mentions -- Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin -- are all in the lower half of states ranked by incidents of violent crime.
There are many ways to explain crime statistics, but there is a very strong argument to be made that it is the casual attitude toward guns without any common-sense regulation -- conditions which have dominated Missouri GOP politics for 20 years -- that is driving violent crime statistics through the roof. It is time for a change.
Andy Leighton, Cape Girardeau
Paid for by Leighton For Democracy, Treasurer, Ron North, PO Box 763, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63702
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