Last week, national murder rates were announced for 1994. And according to the survey, murder rates are down nearly one person per 100,000.

Major cities like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles are all reporting fairly high percentage decreases in their local murder rates as well.

No sooner had the statistics come out when politicians and other officials started making quick commentary on why the rates were down.

Many are claiming that the increased number of police on the streets is the reason. But everyone in a position of authority seems to have his or her own reason for the statistics — usually that reason supports one agenda or another, or one political position or another.

One major reason for the statistics that only a few people have mentioned is that murder rates, along with many other crime statistics, are cyclical. They will increase and decrease fairly regularly every couple of years on their own accord.

But even beyond that, it seems that people are too hasty to find meanings in the numbers, without properly analyzing them. Whether there’s meaning there or not is yet to be determined.

One thing is certain: Regardless of the statistics, this society still has a long way to go before it solves its crime problems. The numbers have lost their meaning in political agendas, but the crime is still there.