THE DECLINING MURDER RATE

For the forth straight year, homicides dropped in Orange County and
elsewhere in America. Last year 108 people were murdered here, down from
125 in 1996 and less than half the body count of 218 in 1993, the most
homicidal year in county history.

Los Angeles had a similar drop, to 566 as of Dec. 14 (the last complete
tally) from 709 in 1996. It's the lowest number of murders in the city
since 1977 when the city had 700,000 fewer residents. Even New York City
saw it's murder rate drop 22 percent.

Politicians take credit for the drop, of course, citing the record number
of people being slammed into jails. But a more prosaic cause likely is at
work. Most murders are committed by people between the ages of 15 and 30.
For the first time the huge baby boom generation - born between 1946 and
1965 and 70 million strong - is over 30.

Even 109 murders in Orange County is 108 too many. North Dakota's murder
rate is 10 percent that of Orange County, Montana's one third.

Government obviously is right to arrest and imprison murderers and indeed,
tougher local prosecution and sentencing laws are likely contributors to
the downward trend in homicides. The rebounding economy, with almost
nonexistent unemployment in Orange County, is helping, too.

We also can't help but note that the murder rate tends to be smaller in
states, such as North Dakota and Montana, with fewer people and less
government.

People are more civil when they control more of their lives. Freedom begets
civility.