Can't Pay the Mortgage? Just Burn down the House.

MSN money a href=”http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourHome/BrokeHomeownersTurnToArson.aspx?GT1=10927″has a story /aon the growing number of arsonists setting their house on fire due to the mortgage crisis:br /br /blockquoteMany observers say there’s no question that people commit arson under economic stress. “Traditionally, there will be some acts of fraud that are driven by the economic conditions, no question about it,” Scafidi says. A slice of the normally law-abiding population — in every economic stratum — will seize on arson as a solution under the right set of pressures, he says./blockquotebr /br /I love the way the article makes it sound like any normal law-abiding citizen will burn down his or her house if the pressure gets high enough. Sorry, this is like saying that law-abiding citizens with gun permits shoot people just because they are mad and have a gun nearby. It almost never happens. Arsonists are a particular group of people with a particular strain of negative psychological traits. They are not “normal” mentally healthy people who just get a wild hair up their ass when the economy takes a downturn.