Originally Posted by
bigbird
I have a cousin who lives in California, Santa Monica to be exact. He was born a US citizen. Every time I talk to him, he goes on a tirade about the ineptness and disconnection of local, state, and federal gov't from the citizenry who elected them.
You can't please all of the people all of the time, but I can say the vast majority of our laws make sense and are well thought out. When I think of the inconsistencies with your legal and penal system, it's no wonder that your prisons are overflowing from some bizarre sentences for some really petty crimes.
I have to comment on two issues that really separate your country from ours. They involve rights and freedoms. One, as I've beaten to death, is the handgun thing. In reality, an outright ban on handguns is pie in the sky. I don't think the citizenry or legal system would let it happen. It's part of your heritage and makeup.
The other is your freedom and rights on the road. It is totally bizarre to me in that some parts of the US you can actually consume alcoholic beverages while driving, as long as you are not at or over predefined blood-alcohol limits. If that doesn't encourage impaired driving, then allowing distracted driving (mobile phone use) certainly does. In Canada, it is illegal to consume alcoholic beverages while driving, and illegal to talk and or text with handheld devices while driving. Hands free devices are allowed.
How your citizenry can let those abuses of common sense continue to happen totally blows me away.
I see one cause of your legal and penal systems being so messed up being election of those officials. To me it's weird that a sheriff or police chief or warden would be elected by the masses. What the hell do you or I know about the requirements of law enforcement, unless you are an expert in that field? Electing those officials only opens up the system to corruption. Our police chiefs are hired through processes similar to private corporations; interviews, background checks, references, with some public input from non partisan citizen board members. The experts look after those responsibilities, not the masses. They are all accountable.
Canada is certainly not perfect and certainly not a better country than the US. It is only different.