Dean - Politicians, especially those who are running for office, commonly use the 'feel' approach.  "American's feel the economy is in the toilet" "Americans are scared because of violent crime" and use examples like the murder rate in Chicago vice the FBI national statistics which shows nationally violent crime is lower than ten years ago.  Stating the number of homeless you see in Anchorage has a direct correlation to the national economy is illogical, at best and dragging your political views into the post offers the view you're more concerned about politics than the main issue.