Official Current Affairs & Politics thread

[MrDollarBills]

not that I'd wish for it, but I wonder how the republican congress would have reacted if the dude who shot Steve Scalise with an SKS during the congressional baseball shooting last year had killed multiple representatives and senators. Would they still be kissing the NRA's ass?

Probably.

[Rich Rane]

you can say ban military weapons or make stronger gun laws. thats all well and good but bottom line is that there are more guns then people in the US with a longstanding, huge sample of evidence that more guns = more gun deaths regardless of economic and social factors.

we need to reduce the amount of guns. period.

Something something 2nd Amendment. Something something mental health. Nothing comes of this, on to the next school shooting.

[Rich Rane]

At the very least, I'd think about a good bullet tax. Want to fire a death machine? Make it cost a lot. Hopefully gun owners would keep a better eye on their firearms and only fire them if need be. Hunters who shoot only for food can get their discount.

I also wish it was mandatory to have gun owners have a really good safe for their weapons as well.

[MrDollarBills]

At the very least, I'd think about a good bullet tax. Want to fire a death machine? Make it cost a lot. Hopefully gun owners would keep a better eye on their firearms and only fire them if need be. Hunters who shoot only for food can get their discount.

I also wish it was mandatory to have gun owners have a really good safe for their weapons as well.

We now have two high profile instances where gun owners have allowed for disgruntled and disturbed young white males to access their guns and use it for mass killing (Sandy Hook, Santa Fe). I would not only tax bullets to hell and ban assault rifles, but I would also make it a felony if a gun owner allows someone to use their guns in a mass killing.

[Rich Rane]

At the very least, I'd think about a good bullet tax. Want to fire a death machine? Make it cost a lot. Hopefully gun owners would keep a better eye on their firearms and only fire them if need be. Hunters who shoot only for food can get their discount.

I also wish it was mandatory to have gun owners have a really good safe for their weapons as well.

We now have two high profile instances where gun owners have allowed for disgruntled and disturbed young white males to access their guns and use it for mass killing (Sandy Hook, Santa Fe). I would not only tax bullets to hell and ban assault rifles, but I would also make it a felony if a gun owner allows someone to use their guns in a mass killing.

Precisely, but it almost feels so out of reach to ask gun owners to be more responsible with their guns.

[MrDollarBills]

At the very least, I'd think about a good bullet tax. Want to fire a death machine? Make it cost a lot. Hopefully gun owners would keep a better eye on their firearms and only fire them if need be. Hunters who shoot only for food can get their discount.

I also wish it was mandatory to have gun owners have a really good safe for their weapons as well.

We now have two high profile instances where gun owners have allowed for disgruntled and disturbed young white males to access their guns and use it for mass killing (Sandy Hook, Santa Fe). I would not only tax bullets to hell and ban assault rifles, but I would also make it a felony if a gun owner allows someone to use their guns in a mass killing.

Precisely, but it almost feels so out of reach to ask gun owners to be more responsible with their guns.

It shouldn't be. My father owns a handgun and to this day I have no idea where it is hidden in his house and he's now in his 60s. there is no excuse.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

you can say ban military weapons or make stronger gun laws. thats all well and good but bottom line is that there are more guns then people in the US with a longstanding, huge sample of evidence that more guns = more gun deaths regardless of economic and social factors.

we need to reduce the amount of guns. period.

This is spot on. Countries that have banned most guns and have strong gun laws have far less shootings in general.

On top of this, States that have stronger gun laws also have less shootings. For example New York has never had a mass shooting and Massachusetts hasn’t had one since 2000.

In addition violence in general goes down when guns are removed from society, especially suicides.

It’s abundantly clear to any reasonable person that guns are the problem. People in the future are gonna read about this time in history books and think WTF. The modern Republican Party will be looked back on as one of the most cruel and corrupt group of people to ever take power in this country and that’s saying a lot considering this country’s past.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

At the very least, I'd think about a good bullet tax. Want to fire a death machine? Make it cost a lot. Hopefully gun owners would keep a better eye on their firearms and only fire them if need be. Hunters who shoot only for food can get their discount.

I also wish it was mandatory to have gun owners have a really good safe for their weapons as well.

We now have two high profile instances where gun owners have allowed for disgruntled and disturbed young white males to access their guns and use it for mass killing (Sandy Hook, Santa Fe). I would not only tax bullets to hell and ban assault rifles, but I would also make it a felony if a gun owner allows someone to use their guns in a mass killing.

Precisely, but it almost feels so out of reach to ask gun owners to be more responsible with their guns.

In reality there needs to be massive change (banning the most lethal weapons: assault rifles/buckshot/handguns, background checks, mandatory safes for guns, licensing, stricter punishments for those that carry illegally, proof of need etc.) which will probably have to be brought about through executive order by a Democratic President. We need to make sure that happens in 2020.

[MrDollarBills]

^yep. Voting in 2018 and 2020 is literally a life or death situation on many fronts. trump's base doesn't care because they are all miserable and frankly, cruel degenerates that want others to suffer. They don't care about children dying in mass shootings, you can't expect empathy from people who take delight in seeing families detained and separated by ICE agents. The rest of us, which is probably 70% of the country, want to live in a safe country where children don't have to fear death while sitting in class or people can have access to healthcare without having to start up a gofundme campaign. Vote D down the line without hesitation, we can worry about who is more progressive later. right now, moderates and sensible candidates will do. anything is better than this cruel and greedy jackasses of the GOP.

[Prokorov]

This is spot on. Countries that have banned most guns and have strong gun laws have far less shootings in general.

its not just places with strong gun laws or gun bans... just places with less guns. the data clearly shows that less guns in your country = less shootings per capita. point being that even with super strong gun laws if you have more guns then people you will still have tons of shootings. need to have strong laws and find a way to drastically reduce the number of guns among other non-gun solutions also required.

On top of this, States that have stronger gun laws also have less shootings. For example New York has never had a mass shooting and Massachusetts hasn’t had one since 2000.

not always true. chicago has super strong gun laws but tons of shootings... issue being the surrounding states dont have strong gun laws and you can drive a few hours and buy a gun with no checks. which is why it is idiotic to have guns regulated at a state and not federal level.

In addition violence in general goes down when guns are removed from society, especially suicides.

It’s abundantly clear to any reasonable person that guns are the problem. People in the future are gonna read about this time in history books and think WTF. The modern Republican Party will be looked back on as one of the most cruel and corrupt group of people to ever take power in this country and that’s saying a lot considering this country’s past.

yeah guns are an issue. a huge one. the data is overwhelming and it verifies it self on a world scale. but its not just guns... its also a complete degredation of social services. people want to say "its bad parenting and mental health" and thats a huge part of this issue as well.... the problem is the same people who say its parenting refuse to dump money into social services which is a huge part of helping kids with no parents, drug addicted parents, abuse parents, or homeless parents. and the same people who say its mental health dont want to drop a cent into healthcare.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

This is spot on. Countries that have banned most guns and have strong gun laws have far less shootings in general.

its not just places with strong gun laws or gun bans... just places with less guns. the data clearly shows that less guns in your country = less shootings per capita. point being that even with super strong gun laws if you have more guns then people you will still have tons of shootings. need to have strong laws and find a way to drastically reduce the number of guns among other non-gun solutions also required.

On top of this, States that have stronger gun laws also have less shootings. For example New York has never had a mass shooting and Massachusetts hasn’t had one since 2000.

not always true. chicago has super strong gun laws but tons of shootings... issue being the surrounding states dont have strong gun laws and you can drive a few hours and buy a gun with no checks. which is why it is idiotic to have guns regulated at a state and not federal level.

In addition violence in general goes down when guns are removed from society, especially suicides.

It’s abundantly clear to any reasonable person that guns are the problem. People in the future are gonna read about this time in history books and think WTF. The modern Republican Party will be looked back on as one of the most cruel and corrupt group of people to ever take power in this country and that’s saying a lot considering this country’s past.

yeah guns are an issue. a huge one. the data is overwhelming and it verifies it self on a world scale. but its not just guns... its also a complete degredation of social services. people want to say "its bad parenting and mental health" and thats a huge part of this issue as well.... the problem is the same people who say its parenting refuse to dump money into social services which is a huge part of helping kids with no parents, drug addicted parents, abuse parents, or homeless parents. and the same people who say its mental health dont want to drop a cent into healthcare.

Well strong gun laws and gun bans leads to less guns. It’s the only way to reducd the amount of guns in society.

Chicago actually doesn’t have high amounts of shooting per capita since it’s a large city. The idea of Chicago being a horrible and excessively crime riddled city is a conservative myth. Sure it’s not the best but it isn’t the worst by any means. I agree that things need to be done on the federal level however.

The point about improving healthcare and mental health services is important but it’s largely irrelevant to the issue of gun violence. Japan has some of the highest rates of depression and other mental illnesses in the world yet they see less than 10 gun deaths per year. People in the U.S. arent more likely to be mentally ill than those in Australia or Canada yet we have 100x if not 1000x the amount of gun deaths in our country than they do. The determining factor is the presence of guns, not mental health.

[Prokorov]

Well strong gun laws and gun bans leads to less guns. It’s the only way to reducd the amount of guns in society.

I realize this is your first instinct when thinking about it and seems logical... but honestly it isnt the case. you can put tons of strong gun laws and regulations in today, but those guns are ALREADY in the country. Those 600 million guns dont just disappear once the laws are passed.

does it stop more guns from coming in, being manufactored/sold or getting in to the wrong hands? YES! and that alone is worth those laws and regulations. but we also need to talk about disarming, having those weapons turned in, and an EXTREMELY well thought out plan for where those guns go.

Chicago actually doesn’t have high amounts of shooting per capita since it’s a large city. The idea of Chicago being a horrible and excessively crime riddled city is a conservative myth. Sure it’s not the best but it isn’t the worst by any means. I agree that things need to be done on the federal level however.

per capita, they dont... they are like 30-35th in gun violence/deaths/homocides depending which you use. still nothing like NY who is 48 or Massachusettes at 50. 5 times as many gun deaths in Illinois vs. NY per capita. and you have to assume its because NY is surrounded by other states with strong gun laws... MA, VT, CT, NH, RI, NJ, etc...

The point about improving healthcare and mental health services is important but it’s largely irrelevant to the issue of gun violence. Japan has some of the highest rates of depression and other mental illnesses in the world yet they see less than 10 gun deaths per year. People in the U.S. arent more likely to be mentally ill than those in Australia or Canada yet we have 100x if not 1000x the amount of gun deaths in our country than they do. The determining factor is the presence of guns, not mental health.

Well this goes back to my point above, those 600 million guns need to go somewhere or else you still have the mental health issues + tons of guns laying around issue.

Also, while other countries may have the same amount of mental health/depression rates, you are talking about different cultures, different methods of diagnosing it, different access to healthcare, and different perscriptions for those issues.

In Canada if you have mental health issues you walk into any doctor, treatment is basically free, medicaiton is free, and you are pretty well off.

in the US, you need insurance, if you are poor and have none maybe they still see you and send you a bill you never pay. fine and good, except when they give you a perscription for your meds you need to maintain mental health, you cant afford them, and when you try and go for gov't assitance for those drugs you are turned away because those programs are cut or underfunded or maybe you just give up because you are poor and in poor mental health and cant manage the lengthy process in your condition.

never mind social factors, the culture in japan is much different. there value on their own and others lives are differemt. their family lfie is different

then you also have the US overpesrctipion of drugs to cure all when other treaments may be better, or giving people certain drugs instead of other drugs due to pressure from big pharma.

or you have drugs 8-12X overpriced vs. costs in neighboring countries because of pharmacutical companies grip hold on us drug regulations and banning importing these drugs to get the cost down.

and thats just mental health!

how about poverty, foster care, single family homes, and the absolutely UNREAL amount of incarcerated US citizens who when they get out of jail go into a social system that is so underfunded it makes more sense to go back to jail then it does to be released and rehibilitated.

stronger gun laws are needed. it may be the #1 thing that is needed. but it isnt close to solving this issue by that alone. and we wont ever completely remove these deaths, true... but we need to invest in these other social and health issues to really reduce these deaths and more important find a way to reduce those 600 million guns down to 100 million guns or less.

[MrDollarBills]

not always true. chicago has super strong gun laws but tons of shootings... issue being the surrounding states dont have strong gun laws and you can drive a few hours and buy a gun with no checks. which is why it is idiotic to have guns regulated at a state and not federal level.

Bingo. this is why here in New Jersey, the new Governor has set up a database that will track guns confiscated in violent crimes to find out where the gun came from (which isn't going to solve the issue, but having the data there to finally start laying the blame where it belongs is a good start i guess). The guns being used in Chicago shootings or shootings in Newark aren't coming from the states with strict gun laws. If you have strict gun laws in all 50 states, things will change. Til then, someone is going to be murdered because Walmart in some backwoods hick state sells assault rifles next to the candy aisle.

[MrDollarBills]

Well strong gun laws and gun bans leads to less guns. It’s the only way to reducd the amount of guns in society.

I realize this is your first instinct when thinking about it and seems logical... but honestly it isnt the case. you can put tons of strong gun laws and regulations in today, but those guns are ALREADY in the country. Those 600 million guns dont just disappear once the laws are passed.

does it stop more guns from coming in, being manufactored/sold or getting in to the wrong hands? YES! and that alone is worth those laws and regulations. but we also need to talk about disarming, having those weapons turned in, and an EXTREMELY well thought out plan for where those guns go.

Chicago actually doesn’t have high amounts of shooting per capita since it’s a large city. The idea of Chicago being a horrible and excessively crime riddled city is a conservative myth. Sure it’s not the best but it isn’t the worst by any means. I agree that things need to be done on the federal level however.

per capita, they dont... they are like 30-35th in gun violence/deaths/homocides depending which you use. still nothing like NY who is 48 or Massachusettes at 50. 5 times as many gun deaths in Illinois vs. NY per capita. and you have to assume its because NY is surrounded by other states with strong gun laws... MA, VT, CT, NH, RI, NJ, etc...

The point about improving healthcare and mental health services is important but it’s largely irrelevant to the issue of gun violence. Japan has some of the highest rates of depression and other mental illnesses in the world yet they see less than 10 gun deaths per year. People in the U.S. arent more likely to be mentally ill than those in Australia or Canada yet we have 100x if not 1000x the amount of gun deaths in our country than they do. The determining factor is the presence of guns, not mental health.

Well this goes back to my point above, those 600 million guns need to go somewhere or else you still have the mental health issues + tons of guns laying around issue.

Also, while other countries may have the same amount of mental health/depression rates, you are talking about different cultures, different methods of diagnosing it, different access to healthcare, and different perscriptions for those issues.

In Canada if you have mental health issues you walk into any doctor, treatment is basically free, medicaiton is free, and you are pretty well off.

in the US, you need insurance, if you are poor and have none maybe they still see you and send you a bill you never pay. fine and good, except when they give you a perscription for your meds you need to maintain mental health, you cant afford them, and when you try and go for gov't assitance for those drugs you are turned away because those programs are cut or underfunded or maybe you just give up because you are poor and in poor mental health and cant manage the lengthy process in your condition.

never mind social factors, the culture in japan is much different. there value on their own and others lives are differemt. their family lfie is different

then you also have the US overpesrctipion of drugs to cure all when other treaments may be better, or giving people certain drugs instead of other drugs due to pressure from big pharma.

or you have drugs 8-12X overpriced vs. costs in neighboring countries because of pharmacutical companies grip hold on us drug regulations and banning importing these drugs to get the cost down.

and thats just mental health!

how about poverty, foster care, single family homes, and the absolutely UNREAL amount of incarcerated US citizens who when they get out of jail go into a social system that is so underfunded it makes more sense to go back to jail then it does to be released and rehibilitated.

stronger gun laws are needed. it may be the #1 thing that is needed. but it isnt close to solving this issue by that alone. and we wont ever completely remove these deaths, true... but we need to invest in these other social and health issues to really reduce these deaths and more important find a way to reduce those 600 million guns down to 100 million guns or less.

Spot on.

America has become a **** hole and no one seems to notice. It will only get worse unless significant change is brought to the forefront. If you're the democrats, you're campaigning on each and every one of the issues you pointed out.

[TheBrooklynKidd]

Well strong gun laws and gun bans leads to less guns. It’s the only way to reducd the amount of guns in society.

I realize this is your first instinct when thinking about it and seems logical... but honestly it isnt the case. you can put tons of strong gun laws and regulations in today, but those guns are ALREADY in the country. Those 600 million guns dont just disappear once the laws are passed.

does it stop more guns from coming in, being manufactored/sold or getting in to the wrong hands? YES! and that alone is worth those laws and regulations. but we also need to talk about disarming, having those weapons turned in, and an EXTREMELY well thought out plan for where those guns go.

Chicago actually doesn’t have high amounts of shooting per capita since it’s a large city. The idea of Chicago being a horrible and excessively crime riddled city is a conservative myth. Sure it’s not the best but it isn’t the worst by any means. I agree that things need to be done on the federal level however.

per capita, they dont... they are like 30-35th in gun violence/deaths/homocides depending which you use. still nothing like NY who is 48 or Massachusettes at 50. 5 times as many gun deaths in Illinois vs. NY per capita. and you have to assume its because NY is surrounded by other states with strong gun laws... MA, VT, CT, NH, RI, NJ, etc...

The point about improving healthcare and mental health services is important but it’s largely irrelevant to the issue of gun violence. Japan has some of the highest rates of depression and other mental illnesses in the world yet they see less than 10 gun deaths per year. People in the U.S. arent more likely to be mentally ill than those in Australia or Canada yet we have 100x if not 1000x the amount of gun deaths in our country than they do. The determining factor is the presence of guns, not mental health.

Well this goes back to my point above, those 600 million guns need to go somewhere or else you still have the mental health issues + tons of guns laying around issue.

Also, while other countries may have the same amount of mental health/depression rates, you are talking about different cultures, different methods of diagnosing it, different access to healthcare, and different perscriptions for those issues.

In Canada if you have mental health issues you walk into any doctor, treatment is basically free, medicaiton is free, and you are pretty well off.

in the US, you need insurance, if you are poor and have none maybe they still see you and send you a bill you never pay. fine and good, except when they give you a perscription for your meds you need to maintain mental health, you cant afford them, and when you try and go for gov't assitance for those drugs you are turned away because those programs are cut or underfunded or maybe you just give up because you are poor and in poor mental health and cant manage the lengthy process in your condition.

never mind social factors, the culture in japan is much different. there value on their own and others lives are differemt. their family lfie is different

then you also have the US overpesrctipion of drugs to cure all when other treaments may be better, or giving people certain drugs instead of other drugs due to pressure from big pharma.

or you have drugs 8-12X overpriced vs. costs in neighboring countries because of pharmacutical companies grip hold on us drug regulations and banning importing these drugs to get the cost down.

and thats just mental health!

how about poverty, foster care, single family homes, and the absolutely UNREAL amount of incarcerated US citizens who when they get out of jail go into a social system that is so underfunded it makes more sense to go back to jail then it does to be released and rehibilitated.

stronger gun laws are needed. it may be the #1 thing that is needed. but it isnt close to solving this issue by that alone. and we wont ever completely remove these deaths, true... but we need to invest in these other social and health issues to really reduce these deaths and more important find a way to reduce those 600 million guns down to 100 million guns or less.

I agree completely about all those things. I’m just saying that stronger gun laws, such as a law saying you must turn over x, y and z types of guns to the government (aka disarmament) is the only answer to the issue of gun violence. We could do all those other things you mentioned but the presence of guns would still cause higher levels of gun violence than in countries without guns.

Personally I think 100 million is still an absurd amount. There needs to be a proof of need before anyone can own a gun, and 1/3rd of this country definitely doesn’t NEED to own a gun.

While all those other things are important, the reality is that the individual act of banning guns for the vast majority of a population has reduced overall violence in countries that have enacted these bans, not just gun violence. It’s not the only thing that needs to be done but it is by far the most important and effective.

[shakendfries]

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[MrDollarBills]

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I'm sure Trump had zero knowledge about this.

Cohen is going to wind up getting charged with espionage among many other crimes. He should be fearing for his life right now, espionage gets you strapped to the table for a good night needle


what really has me irked is the story about ICE in Arizona losing track of over 1500 migrant children who were forcefully separated by their parents

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seriously, I hope Trump's last days on this planet are painful and filled with torture. This is indefensible.

[shakendfries]

Read on Twitter

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

I'm sure Trump had zero knowledge about this.

Cohen is going to wind up getting charged with espionage among many other crimes. He should be fearing for his life right now, espionage gets you strapped to the table for a good night needle


what really has me irked is the story about ICE in Arizona losing track of over 1500 migrant children who were forcefully separated by their parents

Read on Twitter

seriously, I hope Trump's last days on this planet are painful and filled with torture. This is indefensible.

Read on Twitter

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

[MrDollarBills]

Kusher and Miller are both Jewish, and they laugh at the kind of rhetoric that led to their ancestors being gassed in Auschwitz. I can't fathom how rotten of a human being you have to be to find this funny.

[Rich Rane]

what really has me irked is the story about ICE in Arizona losing track of over 1500 migrant children who were forcefully separated by their parents

This article is from nearly a year ago and went under my radar. Prepare to vomit...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently asked the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA), which instructs federal agencies on how to maintain records, to approve its timetable for retaining or destroying records related to its detention operations. This may seem like a run-of-the-mill government request for record-keeping efficiency. It isn’t. An entire paper trail for a system rife with human rights and constitutional abuses is at stake.

ICE has asked for permission to begin routinely destroying 11 kinds of records, including those related to sexual assaults, solitary confinement and even deaths of people in its custody. Other records subject to destruction include alternatives to detention programs, regular detention monitoring reports, logs about the people detained in ICE facilities, and communications from the public reporting detention abuses. ICE proposed various timelines for the destruction of these records ranging from 20 years for sexual assault and death records to three years for reports about solitary confinement.

https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/ice-plans-start-destroying-records-immigrant