This is one of the few times I have to disagree with one of your posts.
First, the booze. I'll be the first to admit I'm biased, as I don't drink. I honestly don't see the reason for it. It tastes like crap (my opinion of course) and I don't need a buzz to have fun, I have a lot of fun without it. More importantly, there are tons of studies that show the harmful effects on the developing brain until at least the age of 25. There's no good that comes from it after 25 years old either. Sure, you can say it's up to each individual to make their own choice. Ok, so why not treat cocaine like alcohol? Legalise cocaine. If it's up to each person to choose what they want to do, so legalise all drugs. That honestly doesn't make sense for a responsible government to do.
Alcohol is classified as a highly addictive depressant. Specifically, it is classified as a Central Nervous System depressant. Similar to some narcotics. Why treat alcohol any differently? It's the responsibility of the government to help ensure the health of its population. I honestly believe society would be better off without alcohol.
Secondly, the guns. Again, I'm biased since I live in a country that doesn't have guns like the US. It's just not a thing, and we seem to get along just fine without them. Actually, so do many of the developed countries that don't have a liberal gun policy: gun incidents per capita are much lower.
I've always been confused by the "American right to have guns". Why? I ask my American friends and I'm never given a truly informative and valid reason. To defend yourself? If guns are restricted across the country, you'd have much less people with guns that you'd need to defend yourself with a gun against.
Gun homicides per 100,000 people in the US is 4.12, the highest in the developed world. The US has 46 percent of the world’s civilian-owned guns. Civilian-owned guns per 100 people in the US is 120.5, by far the highest in the developed world.
I still come back to the same question; Why do Americans need guns so badly?
>>>This is one of the few times I have to disagree with one of your posts.
That's A-OK in my view. We need not always agree, indeed it is good to have our assumptions challenged, and I certainly can't claim to be right about everything.
The booze:
Yes, I have seen the damage addiction to alcohol can do to people who slip into that. I've seen it up close and personal, so I suppose that is why I am careful with my consumption of it. But, I do find it to be an excellent social lubricant, so everyone can always get a drink at my house.
Ultimately, to my mind, it does come down to freedom to choose. And to my mind, while I have never, and would never use any 'hard' drugs, I think that people who want to use those should have that choice as well. I can't see the morality in locking people in prison because of the substances they ingest. I also can't see the logic in making criminal cartels fabulously wealthy by creating a black market.
I believe that our society would be better off, and it would actually be a lot cheaper for taxpayers if instead of prohibition and prison we offered treatment for those who needed to get their addictions under control.
The guns:
The founders of my nation guaranteed the right to own guns because they believed civilian ownership of firearms was a check against abusive government. The theory being that it is a lot harder for a totalitarian government to murder its citizens if those citizens can shoot back.
But, it also plays into our culture here. Our nation was founded in a wilderness where things could eat you. Guns were necessary, not only for protection from human predators but from animal predators as well. They were also necessary for feeding oneself. Indeed, in the eastern part of my State (My State has a very urbanized area in the west, and an extremely rural area in the east) wolves are a thing still today, and will decimate a farmers herd of cattle or other livestock. Sometimes guns are used to remove wolves that are unable to be stopped in other ways, such as via harassment or techniques to scare them off.
For me personally, guns are the tangible history of my family, just as much as our farm is. I own some of my great grandfather's guns, my grandfather's guns, and my father's guns. Someday they will go to my daughters and my granddaughters. For me, they are treasured family heirlooms.
One final thought, not really a major consideration of mine, but I know that it is a consideration of many: I presume your statistic is correct, and that here in the US we have a lot more guns than people. It could be argued that it would be awfully difficult for the US to ever be successfully invaded by a foreign power because of that fact alone. That can be contrasted, for example, with Europe in which successful invasion happens from time to time, with disastrous results for civilian populations. Now admittedly the US has other advantages that make invasion more difficult (geography, nuclear weapons, vast open spaces, &c) but gun ownership has to play into that in many people's minds as well.
One note on your statistic though: Not all of the guns owned by Americans are what I would call ready for shooting. One of my guns is a very old shotgun with Damascus steel barrels. It could be fired, and some years ago I acquired a few specialized shells that could be safely fired from it but I probably never will. Another of my guns has significant amounts of gold plating. It could be fired, but doing so would destroy its value. So, I think such things do have to be kept in mind when thinking about how many guns Americans own. Lots of them are passed down through families and are likely rarely if ever actually used.
Thank you! I fear that a very distinct lack of civil disagreement and discussion are serving to tear our society apart. I hope that we can somehow return to rational and reasonable discussions, for without that, we have no hope of growth.
And thank you for sharing your perspective on these issues. I appreciated learning about your points of view.
This is one of the few times I have to disagree with one of your posts.
First, the booze. I'll be the first to admit I'm biased, as I don't drink. I honestly don't see the reason for it. It tastes like crap (my opinion of course) and I don't need a buzz to have fun, I have a lot of fun without it. More importantly, there are tons of studies that show the harmful effects on the developing brain until at least the age of 25. There's no good that comes from it after 25 years old either. Sure, you can say it's up to each individual to make their own choice. Ok, so why not treat cocaine like alcohol? Legalise cocaine. If it's up to each person to choose what they want to do, so legalise all drugs. That honestly doesn't make sense for a responsible government to do.
Alcohol is classified as a highly addictive depressant. Specifically, it is classified as a Central Nervous System depressant. Similar to some narcotics. Why treat alcohol any differently? It's the responsibility of the government to help ensure the health of its population. I honestly believe society would be better off without alcohol.
Secondly, the guns. Again, I'm biased since I live in a country that doesn't have guns like the US. It's just not a thing, and we seem to get along just fine without them. Actually, so do many of the developed countries that don't have a liberal gun policy: gun incidents per capita are much lower.
I've always been confused by the "American right to have guns". Why? I ask my American friends and I'm never given a truly informative and valid reason. To defend yourself? If guns are restricted across the country, you'd have much less people with guns that you'd need to defend yourself with a gun against.
Gun homicides per 100,000 people in the US is 4.12, the highest in the developed world. The US has 46 percent of the world’s civilian-owned guns. Civilian-owned guns per 100 people in the US is 120.5, by far the highest in the developed world.
I still come back to the same question; Why do Americans need guns so badly?
>>>This is one of the few times I have to disagree with one of your posts.
That's A-OK in my view. We need not always agree, indeed it is good to have our assumptions challenged, and I certainly can't claim to be right about everything.
The booze:
Yes, I have seen the damage addiction to alcohol can do to people who slip into that. I've seen it up close and personal, so I suppose that is why I am careful with my consumption of it. But, I do find it to be an excellent social lubricant, so everyone can always get a drink at my house.
Ultimately, to my mind, it does come down to freedom to choose. And to my mind, while I have never, and would never use any 'hard' drugs, I think that people who want to use those should have that choice as well. I can't see the morality in locking people in prison because of the substances they ingest. I also can't see the logic in making criminal cartels fabulously wealthy by creating a black market.
I believe that our society would be better off, and it would actually be a lot cheaper for taxpayers if instead of prohibition and prison we offered treatment for those who needed to get their addictions under control.
The guns:
The founders of my nation guaranteed the right to own guns because they believed civilian ownership of firearms was a check against abusive government. The theory being that it is a lot harder for a totalitarian government to murder its citizens if those citizens can shoot back.
But, it also plays into our culture here. Our nation was founded in a wilderness where things could eat you. Guns were necessary, not only for protection from human predators but from animal predators as well. They were also necessary for feeding oneself. Indeed, in the eastern part of my State (My State has a very urbanized area in the west, and an extremely rural area in the east) wolves are a thing still today, and will decimate a farmers herd of cattle or other livestock. Sometimes guns are used to remove wolves that are unable to be stopped in other ways, such as via harassment or techniques to scare them off.
For me personally, guns are the tangible history of my family, just as much as our farm is. I own some of my great grandfather's guns, my grandfather's guns, and my father's guns. Someday they will go to my daughters and my granddaughters. For me, they are treasured family heirlooms.
One final thought, not really a major consideration of mine, but I know that it is a consideration of many: I presume your statistic is correct, and that here in the US we have a lot more guns than people. It could be argued that it would be awfully difficult for the US to ever be successfully invaded by a foreign power because of that fact alone. That can be contrasted, for example, with Europe in which successful invasion happens from time to time, with disastrous results for civilian populations. Now admittedly the US has other advantages that make invasion more difficult (geography, nuclear weapons, vast open spaces, &c) but gun ownership has to play into that in many people's minds as well.
One note on your statistic though: Not all of the guns owned by Americans are what I would call ready for shooting. One of my guns is a very old shotgun with Damascus steel barrels. It could be fired, and some years ago I acquired a few specialized shells that could be safely fired from it but I probably never will. Another of my guns has significant amounts of gold plating. It could be fired, but doing so would destroy its value. So, I think such things do have to be kept in mind when thinking about how many guns Americans own. Lots of them are passed down through families and are likely rarely if ever actually used.
This is excellent! A view is shared and civilized comments ensue. This is the kind of interaction I love.
Thank you for sharing your well thought out opinion on the matters.
Thank you! I fear that a very distinct lack of civil disagreement and discussion are serving to tear our society apart. I hope that we can somehow return to rational and reasonable discussions, for without that, we have no hope of growth.
And thank you for sharing your perspective on these issues. I appreciated learning about your points of view.
Side note, I just finished listening to your interview from May 2022 on The Working Tools Podcast.
I hope that I didn't sound too crazy!
Not too crazy. lol
Love this
Thank you very much! I really appreciate your kind words.
Hark, the clanking of distant glass and the sight of pitchforks bobbing over the rise of a hill. Is that a whiskey rebellion brewing?
Damn, I hope so! We need a good rebellion!