If the U.S. is such a free country...

[RDKirk]

Whether it’s violent or not is irrelevant. There are plenty of laws that are punishable by jail time that aren’t violent.

And that is a great deal of the problem.

 

[RDKirk]

It’s hard to compare America to unnamed countries. Can you be more specific?

Denmark. Finland. Sweden. Norway. Germany.

 

[RDKirk]

List of Cities Defunding the Police | Surge in Crime (secureamericanow.org)

"The devil is in the details," as they say.

In Dallas, for instance, "defunding the police" was a matter of reducing the budget for sworn officer overtime in administrative desk work to hire more (lower paid) administrative workers to do that desk work. The sworn officers got less of their expensive overtime for sitting at desks doing administrative work--which is actually a good thing operationally--but are spending just as much time on patrol.

What you need to know in every case is whether they actually have fewer police on patrol.

 

[renniks]

Agreed. The U.S.'s war on drugs has been a colossal failure. They should go the route of decriminalization.

So, we can not arrest people for illegal drugs but we can force people to take drugs?

 

[renniks]

in a lot of ways there's more freedom in China.

Nonsense.

 

[Bradskii]

Probably because it is one of the freer countries.

If it were tightly run with secret police and electronic surveillance everywhere and a brutal penal system like many dictatorships operate, I am certain that there would be more of a deterrent to crime.

I'm not sure if you realise that that's not a plus in your favour.

 

[renniks]

I'm not sure if you realise that that's not a plus in your favour.

You prefer the brutal dictator if there's less crime?

 

[RDKirk]

It's because America locks up so many of the undesirables in our society that we enjoy MORE freedom! We love freedom and people who do bad things must pay the ultimate prices for their misdeeds. And, yeah, sometimes we get a little "over-excited" and just lock people up because they look "wrong", but that's the price of so much freedom.

I'm calling Poe's Law on that one.

 

[pacomascarot]

I'm calling Poe's Law on that one.

Sorry, no. I'm a freedom loving American. I've loved freedom since I could first feel love for anything.

 

[RDKirk]

Sorry, no. I'm a freedom loving American. I've loved freedom since I could first feel love for anything.

Before you even loved your mother?

I'm calling Poe's Law again.

 

[Bradskii]

You prefer the brutal dictator if there's less crime?

You already know what fallacy that is, so why employ it?

 

[Desk trauma]

Sorry, no. I'm a freedom loving American. I've loved freedom since I could first feel love for anything.

Can't lay it on quite that thick from the start, some subtlety has to be employed.

 

[BNR32FAN]

If you're ever invHouston, you better do right

I lived in Houston most of my life. Moved to Dallas in 2005. From what I’ve seen the law is the law and police are still police no matter where you are. At least in America it seems to be that way.

 

[Estrid]

I lived in Houston most of my life. Moved to Dallas in 2005. From what I’ve seen the law is the law and police are still police no matter where you are. At least in America it seems to be that way.

Ya better not gamble, and ya better not fight.

 

[Estrid]

I lived in Houston most of my life. Moved to Dallas in 2005. From what I’ve seen the law is the law and police are still police no matter where you are. At least in America it seems to be that way.

I don't doubt that is so. In the USA.

Canada, Oz, probably anywhere in Europe
Japan.

Elsewhere, not so much

 

[renniks]

You already know what fallacy that is, so why employ it?

Why is it a fallacy?

 

[DamianWarS]

... why is it you guys have the highest incarceration rate in the world?

And especially when it comes to a lot of the supposed freedom loving Southern states (e.g. Texas) which have higher than average incarceration rate relative to the U.S. as a whole?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarceration_rate

probably something to do with the gun laws

 

[TheWhat?]

Because we have the freedom to be awful to our own citizens, apparently.

 

[Bradskii]

probably something to do with the gun laws

'Among inmates in prison for homicide, a sexual assault, robbery, assault or other violent crime, 30% of State offenders and 35% of Federal offenders carried a firearm when committing the crime.' https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/fuo.pdf

That's about a third of violent crimes when a gun was used.

 

[Albion]

in a lot of ways there's more freedom in China.

I'd love to hear which ways you have in mind.