Chicago’s new mayor has sued automakers Kia and Hyundai, blaming them for a 243 percent increase in auto thefts over the past two years. The lawsuit claims that the companies manufactured cars that lacked “appropriate anti-theft measures.” In a stroke of brilliance that rivals Sheila Jackson-Lee, the mayor has determined that automobiles are the cause of auto theft.
Interestingly, burglaries increased 12 percent, robbery increased 7 percent, and theft went up 6 percent during the mayor’s first month in office. Using the mayor’s “logic,” private property is the cause of burglaries, robbery, and theft. Perhaps he will consider suing individuals and businesses that don’t take “appropriate anti-theft measures.”
Fortunately, at least one member of the Chicago City Council has some level of sanity. Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat, denounced the mayor’s lawsuit:
We know why they’re stealing these cars. We know what they’re doing with these cars, but the fact that we refuse to call out this behavior, and we’re giving cover to the criminals, seems to just be another liberal ploy. And to be perfectly honest, [it’s] a page from the socialist playbook because we’re blaming the manufacturer of the cars rather than the criminals on the street.
Lopez is correct. Prosecutors in Chicago, like most Progressive Regressive cities, have allowed repeat offenders to get off with little more than a slap on the wrist. Despite the mayor’s claims, lax prosecution is the cause of the city’s rampant crime.
People who are in prison can’t steal cars. They can’t burgle homes and businesses. They can’t rob or steal from law-abiding citizens. If Chicago’s mayor wants to address the city’s crime problem, he would do well to quit blaming the producers and start holding the parasites accountable.
Until criminals understand that their actions have very negative consequences, they will continue to engage in criminal behavior. And if they don’t get the message, we’d all be better off letting them rot in prison.