Gun Control & RKBA

Our system (social, economic, justice...) needs to offer people more options and more support.
- Minimum wage needs to about double.

Absolutely... and in some places it should be even higher... if you can't afford to live on 40 hours a week, with a child, the system is failing you massively. I won't dwell on it, but here in Ireland it's MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to raise a family. And society benefits from that.

- Non-violent offenders NEVER go to prison.

I'd not be ok with this if I'm honest, but I'd think prison has to be more like Swedish style prison. The goal has to be rehabilitation as much as punishment. Unless you're mentally ill crime is largely a sign of a larger problem which society has the obligation to acknowledge and address IMO.

- Healthcare needs to be a civil service job run by the individual states and federally subsidized.

I'm not sure why it needs to be run by states, unless you mean to make it more responsive, etc. I'd say that healthcare is LARGELY the same from state to state though, so national standards and local control is probably a good model.

- True capitalism maximizing small business opportunities needs to be simplified and the field leveled.

Sure, but true capitalism doesn't really exist anywhere - especially when government is levelling fields, so to speak. Innovation and job creation must be encouraged and protected, but... if we're all being honest... the economy is changing radically and will only continue to push people out of work in massive numbers. More important than small businesses (I am a small business owner btw) is protecting society as a whole.

- Prisons, schools, hospitals, health insurance and healthcare overall need to be operated as non-profit preferably by government entities.

100% - except health insurance as Americans think of it is anachronistic and should be done away with completely.

- Election reform (so major a topic it's beyond the scope of anything I could say in less than 1,000)

Agreed - this should be job one of any President.

- Drugs: I'm almost at the point where I think we should have no laws at all on recreational drugs. The $5,000+/week addiction clinics need to be taken over by the states and publicly funded and managed just like public healthcare.

Look at models that work: decriminalize and then treat addiction like a mental/physical health issue. That will also cut crime dramatically in many places almost immediately.

- Income inequality needs to be addressed and social support for people needs to be available.

That should be the secondary goal of any American government until it's accomplished.

- Volunteerism needs to be popularize, focused, expanded and built as a community resource.

Agreed... people want to be part of something larger and society needs all the help it can get.


- Firearm ownership transfers (sales, gifts, rentals, loans...) outside of immediate family need to go through a BGC at the local police or sheriff's office.

I personally think America needs an immediate moratorium on all gun sales, including private sales, and a 5 year plan to completely buy back all guns off the street. I ahve no interest in gun control that lowers gun crime and death by 10% - great though it would be - because that still means 27,000 dead Americans at the end of a gun every year - hardly a successful policy.

- Prisoners (the violent ones) have a phased return to the community: work within the facility and prove worthy of trust and your can move on (prison operated businesses, work release and ultimately parole.)

We don't disagree, but I think that it need a more holistic approach than that. You have to help people become trustworthy, not just reward some people who are already most of the way there. Rehabilitation is about helping people become part of society to lower recidivism and more importantly make society better for everyone. It's not just about segregating broken people into a hole and forgetting about them.

- Parole is a one per lifetime shot; screw it up and you're serve the remaining sentence. Subsequent convictions don't have parole as an option.

Again, it's like a driving instructor that only produces people that can't pass a driving test... who's to blame? the failed drivers or the instructor? If you can't rehabilitate people the system is broken. Some systems work and so there's no excuses really. If people do really repeat consistently a holistic view needs to be taken towards their life. It's much cheaper as well to help them outside of prison than in. IF they have mental health or addiction issues these need to be addressed.

- Congressional reform: I'm not sure how or what but I don't really buy that 435 people can represent 320,000,000 (700,000+ each).
Well, that's what local government is supposedly for. But yeah.. there' a MASSIVE disconnect between states and DC and that needs to be addressed.

- Tax reform: from 1944 through 1963 to top marginal tax rate was over 90%. I've heard the '50s were some of the best years ever.

Indeed. But it has to be acknowledged that the economy was wildly different back then. I'd suggest a more meaningful solution in 2016 (or 2020 or 2030) would be a guaranteed minimum income. It's coming in Europe in my lifetime, and in Asia to some degree. We're going to have extreme job losses in the coming decades and have to decide if we want to live in a dystopia or not.

That's a start on my thinking.

ABT - Always Be Thinking!