NEW ECONOMICAL STIMULUS

ANCHOR: AT AN ECONOMIC EVENT IN LOUISIANA, PRESIDENT BUSH AND FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN BEN BERNANKE THREW THEIR WEIGHT BEHIND A NEW ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE THAT THEY EARLIER OPPOSED.

[REPORTER VO/SHOWING DEMOCRAT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ENTERING THE CAPITOL BUILDING]
DEMOCRATS ON CAPITOL HILL HAVE BEEN PUSHING FOR ANOTHER STIMULUS PLAN, BUT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN COOL TO THE IDEA AS THE FEDERAL BUDGET DEFICIT EXPLODES.

[REPORTER/STANDUP. CG: Egija Hartmane, NewsTeam Boulder. THE CAPITOL BUILDING IS IN THE BACKGROUND]
SPEAKING TO THE HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE, BERNANKE ENCOURAGED CONGRESS TO DESIGN A STIMULUS PACKAGE THAT WILL BE TIMELY, WELL TARGETED AND WOULD LIMIT THE LONGER-TERM AFFECTS ON THE GOVERNMENT'S BUDGET DEFICIT.

[VIDEO: BERNANKE SPEAKS. CG: Ben Bernanke/Federal Reserve Chairman]
"IF THE CONGRESS PROCEEDS WITH A FISCAL PACKAGE, IT SHOULD CONSIDER INCLUDING MEASURES TO HELP IMPROVE ACCESS TO CREDIT BY CONSUMERS, HOME BUYERS, BUSINESSES AND OTHER BORROWERS. SUCH ACTIONS MIGHT BE PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE AT PROMOTING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND JOB CREATION."
[REPORTER VO/VIDEO: SHOWING DIFFERENT BANKS, LIKE, WACHOVIA, BANK OF AMERICA]
SO FAR, THE DRASTIC ACTIONS OF BUSH AND THE FED ADMINISTRATION HAVE NOT TURNED AROUND A BUNKER MENTALITY. BANKS FEAR LENDING MONEY TO EACH OTHER AND TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. BUSINESSES ARE RELUCTANT TO HIRE AND BOOST CAPITAL INVESTMENTS.

[REPORTER VO/VIDEO: HOUSES WITH “SALE” SIGNS, SHOWING HANDS THAT ARE HOLDING CREDIT CARDS, AND SENIORS LOOKING THROUGH THEIR BILLS]
ACCORDING TO AN ASSOCIATED PRESS-YAHOO NEWS POLL: ONE-THIRD OF AMERICANS ARE WORRIED ABOUT LOSING THEIR JOBS. HALF OF AMERICANS FRET THEY WILL BE UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH MORTGAGE AND CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS. AND SEVEN IN 10 ARE ANXIOUS THAT THEIR STOCKS AND RETIREMENT INVESTMENTS ARE LOSING VALUE.

OUTCUE: EGIJA HARTMANE, NEWSTEAM BOULDER

[BACK TO ANCHOR]
15 BANKS HAVE FAILED. AND WALL STREET'S FIVE BIGGEST INVESTMENT FIRMS WERE SWALLOWED BY OTHER COMPANIES, FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY OR CONVERTED THEMSELVES INTO COMMERCIAL BANKS TO WEATHER THE FINANCIAL STORM.

Boulder Crime vs. Princeton Crime

The crime statistics for Boulder, Colorado and Princeton, New Jersey in 2007 show that Boulder had a substantially higher crime rate in all categories. For example the number of violent crimes in Boulder was about nine times higher than in Princeton, and the number of larceny thefts was almost five times higher.


source: FBI crime statistics


However The U.S. Census Bureau statistics show that there are more than 91 thousand people living in Boulder and 31 thousand people living in Princeton. Therefore, in terms of crimes per 10,000 residents, the difference between Princeton and Boulder is not quite so large: violent crimes being three times higher in Boulder than in Princeton, and larceny thefts being about 1.5 times higher




The last murder in Princeton was in 2003 when a 23 old student (and baseball and football sportsman) was charged with a Class AA felony murder in the fatal beating of a 38-year-old man during a Halloween costume party. The last murder in Boulder was in 2007. A man killed his wife with a kitchen knife after an argument, leaving his two year old and four year old children motherless.

Over the last five years, the population of Boulder has decreased by about four thousand, or 4 percent, while the number of residents in Princeton has increased by about 5 percent. The crime rate has decreased in both towns for the last five years. The most significant crime decrease in Princeton was a two fold reduction in burglary. In Boulder, there was a 25% reduction in burglary, while property crime and larcerny theft were both down by about 40%.

Both, Boulder and Princeton, are famous student towns. This year, 28 thousand students are attending the University of Colorado at Boulder and more than 7.5 thousand students are studying at Princeton University. According to the University Crime website (www.ucrime.com), 27 crimes were committed at Princeton University in 2008 so far, and 103 crimes were committed during the same period at Colorado University in Boulder. This is about 3.5 crimes per thousand students at both universities, and the crimes mainly involved theft.


From the ‘cityrating’ website (www.cityrating.com), city crime rates in different crime categories can be compared with the national average. From 2007 statistics, Princeton’s worst performance was in burglary and theft, which were about 0.8 times the national average. Boulder’s worst categories were rape and arson, both being about 1.5 times the national average .

A list of the safest and most dangerous cities overall is compiled annually by Morgan Quitno Press, which bases the rankings on FBI figures . The most recent rankings place Boulder as the 65th safest city in the USA. Princeton was not included in the data owing to its relatively low population, but CNN Money Magazine rated Princeton the 15th best place to live in America in 2005 .