Growing copper theft 'like an epidemic' sweeping US

NBC News ^ | Jul 30, 3013 | Marc Koba

[1rudeboy]

Are you serious? People are stealing copper, and you want to raise my taxes in response?

[a fool in paradise]

It is sabotage and should be treated as a serious crime.

Too many culprits are buying the illicit metal for there ever to be serious enforcement.

[a fool in paradise]

Crime doesn’t pay but the hours are good.

[1rudeboy]

The Darwin Awards people came out years ago and stated, “we won’t bother with the copper-theft-electrocution-stuff anymore, it’s too common.”

[DannyTN]

"Are you serious? People are stealing copper, and you want to raise my taxes in response?"

It's your fault they are stealing copper.

You bought all that cheap stuff from china, and put them out of jobs. Now they are stealing your copper. And it will get worse until jobs return to the US. And jobs won't return until Americans start buying from Americans again. And that's not going to happen until we restore the import tariffs of foreign producers or until we all make $2 a day like the Chinese.

So yes, raising import tariffs is in your best interest.

[DannyTN]

"Are you serious? People are stealing copper, and you want to raise my taxes in response?"

It's your fault they are stealing copper.

You bought all that cheap stuff from china, and put them out of jobs. Now they are stealing your copper. And it will get worse until jobs return to the US. And jobs won't return until Americans start buying from Americans again. And that's not going to happen until we restore the import tariffs of foreign producers or until we all make $2 a day like the Chinese.

So yes, raising import tariffs is in your best interest.

[discostu]

How do you prove it’s stolen? More importantly how do you expect the business to figure out it’s stolen before they purchase? People bring in legitimately acquired scrap metal, including copper, all the time. I knew guys growing up that had that as their primary source of income, buy/ find junked cars and other random metals (usually in impromptu “dump sites” that happen on the edge of towns), take them apart, sell the metal. How does a business tell the difference between them and a guy dissecting houses under construction? That’s part of why thieves are into this stuff, no serial numbers, once they safely get away from the theft site copper is copper.

[1rudeboy]

Thank you, Ms. Pelosi. Just wanted to make things clear.

[discostu]

The way to stop theft is NOT to raise the price of non-stolen versions of same. And these guys weren’t put out of work. Thieves are thieves, law abiding people don’t generally turn into thieves.

[nickcarraway]

Sorry, every time I read about a copper thief being injured/killed in a theft, it was always a nonhispanic person. My friends had it done by nonhispanic deadbeat tenants.

Unless you just think U.S. people are always more incompetent.

[discostu]

I remember that. I remember hearing about bold copper thieves in East St Louis walking right past cop cars with arms full before I was old enough to drink legally. Probably 10 minutes after the first scrap metal yard was founded somebody figured out you could steal copper.

[1rudeboy]

There's no way around that, really . . . but that's why the reputable scrapyards take your personal information (if they aren't already legally obligated to do so).

That being said, if someone comes in with fresh copper or aluminum coils with company stickers still attached (as happened to one of the companies I worked-for as a result of theft), you can't look the other way. You're receiving stolen property.

[DannyTN]

You've made it very clear that you couldn't care less about unemployed Americans.

[1rudeboy]

That’s all right . . . let it out. Here’s a tissue.

[Uncle Miltie]

Correlation is not causation, so I take your point.

[DannyTN]

Desperate people can turn into thieves. And we are creating desparate people by the droves.

Here is the results of 40 years of 1% import tariffs.

[lacrew]

Tariffs may be another interesting discussion....but let me assure you, the average copper thief is not some guy who lost his job at the textile mill, due to cheap Chinese imports.

The average copper thief is a drug addict.

[1rudeboy]

[DannyTN]

"the average copper thief is not some guy who lost his job at the textile mill, due to cheap Chinese imports. The average copper thief is a drug addict."

That may be. But ever hear the saying "Idle hands are the devil's workshop."? How many unemployed people turn to alcohol and drugs? How many kids of unemployed people turn to alcohol and drugs?

When people have jobs, there is less despair. And where there is less despair there are fewer addicts.

[Cyber Liberty]

It's your fault they are stealing copper.

I don't believe you wrote that.

You're on the wrong forum. Seriously. We believe in individual responsibility here, not societal responsibility. Stealing is nobody's fault but the thief's.