I just need one more post for 600, thank you.
I just need one more post for 600, thank you.
You shouldn't allow anybody to bust your ass or get hurt in the way you afraid to be . You are my neighbor and it's my obligation to defend every inch of your integrity . The only problem is , I don't know , how to split it for micro pieces , but at least you can count on me . Finally the gorgeous weather let us to enjoy riding and I hope wind will blow away past winter stagnation . I'm facing now Cape May for charity event , dedicated for children affected with cancer . That's like almost epidemy among these little defenseless creatures and it's a tragedy of modern times , tearing my heart so bad .
Limoles,
Unfortunately the gun debate stirs deep emotions and probably subconscious fears in people, myself included. The emotion and fear, for me, come from the very real attempt by politicians to ban guns, and if a ban can't happen, then to make gun ownership so expensive and difficult that it becomes an in-situ ban. IMO I think if handguns are banned, then it becomes easier to ban rifles, shotguns, and everything else.
So what, you may ask?
The *what* is that this will then be a fundamentally different country. Gun ownership is therapeutic and enjoyable and, for many, even practical. Personally speaking, I'm not ready to change the country in this way at least partially because I don't have the trust or confidence in our government to do so wisely or effectively. Nor do I trust the government to stop when they're ahead. Motorcycles will be banned next, then high heel shoes, and then whatever else the genius's think is needed. More laws, more rules, more government will never get my support.
Have you seen the recent news stories concerning the IRS? If you have a relative who has a tax bill, they have gone after people in the family who know nothing about the activities of the relative. Forget about asking if this is fair, this is not even legal. Then there is the story about the IRS again unfairly and illegally focusing attention on groups with opposing political views. How about stories of government agencies wrongly exercising easement confiscation to take privately owned property without any sort of legitimate public use for it. Such injustices can be corrected... but it'll take 10 years and a six figure legal bill.
The sensational gun crimes that we see in the news are tragic and too frequent, but the government is far too dysfunctional to solve this or any other serious social problem in America. This is my position... and until I see a better government in place I cannot even entertain the idea of giving them more power... or money. Let's start a thread about taxes
Regardless of our opinions and the thoughts in our heads, you are ok with me; I enjoy your posts and if I knew you personally I'm sure I'd enjoy your company. I don't agree with baseless accusations or personal attacks against you. As I mentioned above, this is a highly charged and deep seated topic, which seems to always lead to comments that are beyond simple disagreement. I'm in a continuous exercise to increase my maturity and stay focused to the subject at hand when discussing heated topics... but I'm not Jesus... and I know I'll always have room for improvement. So if I said anything that offends you, I apologize too.
I think we are dancing around a difference between Canada and USA... and I may take some heat for this.
Canada, IMO, is much better at reasoning, thinking, and acting in an HONEST and LOGICAL manner. Here in America, I believe, we are far more prone to reason, think, and act based on skewed input from silliness such as political correctness, particularly in matters concerning race, and from other things like pure political gain.
We have a sick, twisted, and broken system. If handguns are banned, and our wonderful politicians see it as a successful law... they will assuredly move on to other "successful" laws if it means political brownie points, and REGARDLESS of any other consideration.
Thank you George . This is an answer , which can build and empower anybody's senses . There are many things , which intelligent people could do , but to be able to accomplish any goal , the only cleverly pointed solutions can find the proper results .
One's I was having discussion about our government and on the very end of it , one guy asked the rest of us : "Who are those pricks in Washington and why they are destroying America" ? Then the other broke the silence , saying : "WE , yes we - we are responsible for giving them that power , because WE ELECTED THEM and now you can f&%$ yourself" . So , who is to blame ? Technically , this is our fault , when chosen leader happened to be ineffective , or simply wrong . This is leading me to ask everybody : Why do you selecting ( if so ) your candidate and what is convincing you to trust him ( her ) ?
In truly democratic system , elected people should be accountable for everything , but strategically played ping-pong game between Republicans and Democrats established already irreversible damages to our well being and in fact , for their only and their "friends" benefits . After all , majority of our society are left unhappy . Why is that and why is so ? The answer is not so simple , but since those two parties have monopole and liaison connections ( backed by huge donations from big corporations ), they do what they want , without showing any signs of care . Sims to me , we are swallowed into the one big , messy hole with no exit whatsoever .
So - coming back to our discussion based on my observations - crime is caused by : poverty , luck of properly functional family , lousy education , injustice and devastating influences of Hollywood . Think for second - What would you do , if you were born in ghetto , raised by single parent , struggling with no money , watching violent programs in TV ( which destroys remaining traces of intellectuality ) , being surrounded by friends with the same descriptions ? Having no skills , what kind of work could give you chances to buy home , car , or few weeks of vacation ?
And this is a core of my reflections brought to attention on the very beginning of our debate . Here is the root of crime , where naturally driven to it individuals having no , or little choices . For them to blend into the society and be productive is absolutelly impossible !!!
And now , why it is so connected to our government ? Well - They are responsible for many wrong doings , like outsourcing jobs to the foreign countries , they almost eliminated domestic production , lowered the bar of education , eventually creating perfect environment to nurture crime and force us to accept it . Very few avenues are left on the way to improve this situation .
Then what ? We established counter forces to fight with that crime and introduced separate segment of the motivated people , who are involved with it . Vicious circle . We and our elected officials created this situation and ironically , trying now to eliminate it . Where are the winners and what's the sense of all of it ?
There is only way to reverse this situation - we need more responsible LEADERS , who will serve us , not themselves .
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.