The Left has argued for years that criminals are driven to crime by external social factors: systemic racism, lack of education, a dearth of social programming like midnight basketball, and — of course — poverty. The solution, of course, is to spend more of our tax dollars to 'end poverty,' which will miraculously, somehow, end crime.
What's their evidence for this? Not much beyond, 'Trust us, bro.'
You reduce crime by eliminating poverty. The reason so called nice neighborhoods have lower crime rates is because people’s basic needs are being met. It is not because of police, alarm systems, or neighborhood associations. Poverty creates crime.
— 𐌁𐌉Ᏽ 𐌕𐌉𐌌𐌉 (@OrevaZSN) May 24, 2026
Of course, for anyone who grew up in poverty, this just isn't true. This writer's grandparents — born the year before the Great Depression started — grew up so poor they'd pick the maggots out of meat to cook and eat it. Despite that, they never assaulted, robbed, or murdered anyone. This writer herself grew up poor, with her parents constantly struggling to pay the bills. They, too, managed to abide by the law despite the economic struggles.
No, the reason crime exists is the same reason poverty exists, as someone pointed out: low IQs, poor impulse control, and antisocial behavior.
Criminals don't commit crime because they are poor
— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) May 25, 2026
Rather, they commit crime for the same reasons they are poor: low IQ, poor impulse control, antisocial behavior
Not all poor people have these traits, but they're qualities that make it almost impossible to get rich https://t.co/eJuZEg9zD2
The root cause of poverty and crime is those behaviors. And those behaviors are ones the American Left has encouraged and cultivated in our culture for years.
America's public school system is, in a word, broken. In 47 of 50 states, literacy rates have dropped. It doesn't help that the Left teaches that reading and writing are tools of 'white supremacy,' or that they push the nonsense that math is racist. If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would almost argue that bringing up a generation of illiterate, mathematically inept people was done by design.
The Left also encourages poor impulse control. It's 'unfair' to have to work to earn things, you should be paid $15+ an hour for flipping burgers at McDonald's, and you can't be expected to be responsible for your choices. The 'body positivity' movement, the 'equity' ideology, and the welfare state discourage fiscal discipline and personal responsibility. Any attempt to get those on welfare to contribute — even asking for able-bodied SNAP recipients to work 20 hours a week — is treated like the worst crime against humanity.
Antisocial behavior is dismissed as 'culturally appropriate,' as the Cherry Creek School District claimed when it defended not punishing Black students for classroom misbehavior. Criminals are given a slap on the wrist despite having long rap sheets, with activist judges openly declaring they're 'taking risks' by letting violent offenders out early. That which is rewarded is repeated, and our 'justice system' has sent a clear message: crime is not only tolerated, it's dismissed. That's why Courtney Boose — the Indiana man with 99 priors — was given reduced charges after he tried to stab a man to death at a gas station. Nicholas Roske was given a light sentence despite trying to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh because Roske began identifying as 'trans' after his arrest. Criminals know they can rob, murder, and assault with impunity and odds are the judge will let them walk.
Throwing more money at a problem without addressing the underlying causes won't fix it. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom touted the state's 'investment' in education, which is politician speak for 'we spend a lot of money.' California spends more than $28,000 per student. For that, only 28 percent of Black students read on grade level. Compare that to Mississippi, which spends between $12,000 and $14,000 per student and has a Black literacy rate of 52 percent. That's because Mississippi returned to phonics-based reading education and — this will shock the Left — insists students learn how to read. They spend less than half of what California does, for outcomes that are far better.
We've been at 'war' with poverty for as long as I've been alive. All we have to show for it is massive amounts of SNAP fraud and no appreciable change in the American poverty level, which has remained between 11 and 15 percent since the 1970s. What has changed, however, is our morality. We've become culturally bankrupt, and no amount of money can fix that.