Keep Christ in Christmas

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 3:16-21 KJV

Have a peaceful, joyous Christmas. Jesus IS the reason for the season.

Please remember our troops, police, firemen and all others who put their lives in jeapordy on our behalf in your prayers.

Our Crime "Rank"

Todays News Bulletin listed us as the 5th safest town in the state. Looks like our men in blue deserve a big THANK YOU!!! Tell them the next time you see one or call them up.

BF Crime Numbers

These are the numbers for 2005
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_08_nm.html

Population............................3938
Violent crime.........................9
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter..0
Forcible rape.........................2
Robbery...............................1
Aggravated assault....................6
Property crime........................59
Burglary..............................10
Larceny-theft.........................41
Motor vehicle theft...................8
Arson.................................1

So it looks like the big numbers can easily be attributed to Hwy 47. Not fact, assumption on my part. Never-the-less, we live in a pretty safe community. The police are doing an excellent job considering the numbers of crimes in the county as a whole.

Crime Ranking

There was recently an article in the News Bulletin about crime in Valencia County. http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/67453-12-16-06.html
It made statements that the County is a very dangerous place to live. This looks pretty bad for us. So bad that Belen recently revised their numbers (due to a clerical error) for the FBI.http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/67450-12-16-06.html It didn't help much, they still "rank" poorly.

These numbers make great news stories. They get us all riled up.
Taken at face value these kinds of "rankings" can be pretty frightening. They can affect our economy negatively. What business wants to locate to a high crime area? Who would buy a home there?

My question is, what does the FBI say about crime rankings? A quick look at their website revealed this excerpt:

Each year when Crime in the United States is published, many entities—news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an interest in crime in our Nation—use reported figures to compile rankings of cities and counties. These rankings, however, are merely a quick choice made by the data user; they provide no insight into the many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county, state, or region. Consequently, these rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their residents.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/index.html

Perhaps we should take those that try to get us all worked up over how BAD things are a little less seriously.

I will post the results of my research into Bosque Farms "rankings" when I get them all together. Just remember when I do..... they are just numbers. They cannot accurately reflect the relative safety of any single person.

Bosque Farms: A Great Place To Live

I have been on this earth a long time. I have seen a lot and lived in other places. This is by far the best place. We have a low crime rate and great weather. We are far enough away from the city to be able to see the stars at night, yet close enough to shop and be entertained. Most people get along with their neighbors. Our residential lots are at least a half acre in size so there is plenty of room for kids and pets. Horses and cows and chickens abound. Property values are going up and taxes are reasonable. We have a dedicated police department and a great volunteer fire department. Our Village Council is responsible and our Court is fair. Our Government actually operates in the black.

Are there areas that could use some improvement? Sure there are. There isn't a town in the world where things are perfect. Until the second coming of Jesus Christ, there never will be. There are few vocal folks around here that seem to think perfection is possible. They have managed to get their blog published in the newspaper as a GREAT place to find out about what is happening in this town. I am here to say it is not! Hence this blog.

The point is that we have more good things happening than bad in this town. I hope to focus on the positive as much as is possible.