What's Going On in Philadelphia?

Why would NYC and Philadelphia be seeing such different trends?

• What sets Philadelphia apart from other cities, say the police, politicians and academic experts, is the combination of high poverty — with 25 percent of the population living below the poverty line, the city has the highest rate among the 10 biggest cities, according to census data — a youth culture that increasingly settles minor disputes through violence and the easy availability of guns.

Now the kicker...

• Pennsylvania’s cities are forbidden by state law from making their own gun laws, and so must conform to the political will of a largely rural state that, according to the National Rifle Association, has around a quarter of a million gun owners.

Isn't it great that Philadelphia has to accept the standards of the rural counties in much of the rest of PA? This is all too common. States that like to whine about Washington, DC setting their policies (my commonwealth of VA is one of them) will not allow localities to set their own policies. (Do as I say, not as I do.)
- posted by john @ 2:58 PM