Capco

I'm a lefty and we are more in agreement than the powers that be would like us to believe. I agree that their healthcare should be the same as ours, but I disagree with your approach. I'd rather every American have better healthcare than they have now instead of reducing the politicians' healthcare to our levels (within reasonable expenditure limits of course). Everything else I agree 100% with.

Except the post I just quoted. Fair enough. This it somewhat true but it's also not the path forward. I think most people would agree that politics has become more polarized in the last couple decades. Both sides have moved further from the center, and the center is where the American tradition of compromise is most effective. Although the GOP is getting rid of the old guard in some cases, the new guard is just as bad if not worse. This is because since 2016, the GOP has shifted even further to the right, which is the opposite of what is needed imo. Instead of compromise, the GOP is becoming more hard line. And tbh, the same has just started to happen in the Democratic Party since 2018 with the far-left representatives that were elected (AOC, Omar, etc.).

Look man, I get how passionate we can get about our political beliefs. And the latest generation of politicians has been incredibly lackluster on both sides. Politics will invariably play a part in the solution, but it's a lot more than just politics. Without passing blame to one side, do you at least think I brought up some good points? Again, as other posters have said, if we can define the problem we can solve it. And the solution isn't just as simple as voting for the right guy to fix our problems for us. We're gonna have to roll up our sleeves as a nation and work together as one (E Pluribis Unum) if we want to make legitimate change in the outcomes our fellow citizens. This would be an excellent post... if you didn't fall entirely in line with the blame game they want you to play. You listed 3 Democrats and no Republicans or Independents. But that's not a blame game to you, thems just the facts amirite?

We can stop pointing fingers and fix the problem. Or we can play the blame game indefinitely with no recourse or solution in play. Which is more important to you? Fixing the problem and looking towards the future or laying blame and staying in the past?

I took the video from the OP of this thread and used it as a basis for discussion in the following post that I wrote in PPP. I thought I'd share it here as well. ============= I believe the key to fixing black-on-black violence and crime in black communities is to fix black poverty. The poverty rate for the whole country is 11.8%. For whites, the rate is 8.1%, and for blacks, the rate is a whopping 20.8%. http://federalsafetynet.com/us-poverty-statistics.html Some might say "well the reason so many blacks are in poverty is because so many are committing crimes and spending time in jail" but in fact the opposite is true. The reason so many blacks commit violent crime is because so many are trapped in poverty because of systemic, passive racism. Remember in our country that public school districts are locally funded. If your community is dirt poor, your high school is almost certain to become a drop out factory. This can affect Americans of all colors, but again due to decades of system racism in the economy, this ends up disproportionately affecting black economic outcomes in predominantly black communities. One thing I would like to see is to replace school taxes with a system of federal funding for all public school districts. Each student in the country should be allotted the same amount of funding with respect to regional cost-of-living differences or Purchasing Power Parity. There shouldn't be such massive public education outcome differences in an egalitarian country like our own. Otherwise, you are left in the situation we are currently in that is more akin to "quasi-public" schools. Imagine there's an excellent school district in your locale with fantastic outcomes. It's public, which means it's free at the point of delivery to all those who attend. But what's the caveat to attend? Well, you have to live in the district... and in this case living in the district almost invariably means owning a +$1 million home. Combine the property tax method with the value of those all those million dollar homes, and you might have several times the amount of money to spend per student than those districts that are dirt poor. The public school system in America as it stands today has financial barriers to entry, which runs counter to why public education was conceived in the first place (i.e. the Enlightenment philosophes believed that education was for everyone, not just the rich). tl;dr: Poverty causes crime. Education lifts people out of poverty. Eliminating/reducing poverty lowers crime rates, increases tax revenues, lowers the need for lifelong public assistance, decreases the need for militarized police, and can help put an end to active racial discrimination. And I didn't blame any one side or political party.

I believe the key to fixing black-on-black violence and crime in black communities is to fix black poverty. The poverty rate for the whole country is 11.8%. For whites, the rate is 8.1%, and for blacks, the rate is a whopping 20.8%. http://federalsafetynet.com/us-poverty-statistics.html Some might say "well the reason so many blacks are in poverty is because so many are committing crimes and spending time in jail" but in fact the opposite is true. The reason so many blacks commit violent crime is because so many are trapped in poverty because of systemic, passive racism. Remember in our country that public school districts are locally funded. If your community is dirt poor, your high school is almost certain to become a drop out factory. This can affect Americans of all colors, but again due to decades of system racism in the economy, this ends up disproportionately affecting black economic outcomes in predominantly black communities. One thing I would like to see is to replace school taxes with a system of federal funding for all public school districts. Each student in the country should be allotted the same amount of funding with respect to regional cost-of-living differences or Purchasing Power Parity. There shouldn't be such massive public education outcome differences in an egalitarian country like our own. Otherwise, you are left in the situation we are currently in that is more akin to "quasi-public" schools. Imagine there's an excellent school district in your locale with fantastic outcomes. It's public, which means it's free at the point of delivery to all those who attend. But what's the caveat to attend? Well, you have to live in the district... and in this case living in the district almost invariably means owning a +$1 million home. Combine the property tax method with the value of those all those million dollar homes, and you might have several times the amount of money to spend per student than those districts that are dirt poor. The public school system in America as it stands today has financial barriers to entry, which runs counter to why public education was conceived in the first place (i.e. the Enlightenment philosophes believed that education was for everyone, not just the rich). tl;dr: Poverty causes crime. Education lifts people out of poverty. Eliminating/reducing poverty lowers crime rates, increases tax revenues, lowers the need for lifelong public assistance, decreases the need for militarized police, and can help put an end to active racial discrimination. And I didn't blame any one side or political party.

Excellent post. Thank you for your candor.

Sorry I was just bored waiting for dinner (Italian sausage and pasta btw, @Sig1Hunter ?) and used that opportunity to butt in. To answer you in the simplest terms, I'm voting for Biden because he is the more left-leaning candidate. Every presidential election I've voted in since 2008 (I became eligible in 2007) has been on that premise. I'm a lefty.

If he's anything like me, he's pissed that the DNC shafted Bernie again but would still rather have Biden over Trump.

For real though man, I don't think Crayola is a right winger. Pretty sure I've liked some of his posts in the past iirc. I get your point but in this case I don't think it applies to him if memory serves me well. I might be mixing him up with another C-named poster though.

My bad too. I can come off as a real jerk sometimes. It's an unfortunate gift.

Same. That's why I'm asking around here to see if anyone might have a concrete answer rather than screaming "omg wtf defund the po-lease". If I had to speculate, I would say that the cops involved probably had a lot of pent up anger and frustration, and were taking it out on the property around them (which is basically what some of the protesters were doing as well). Neither situations are excusable, but I think it might explain their reasoning and rationale. Maybe the tire slashings are examples of that too. Or maybe the cops are afraid of vehicles being used as weapons and it's a precautionary tactic? Maybe they needed to make sure the cars were empty before proceeding and the windows were so tinted that breaking the windows was the only way to be sure? Again, I dunno either. But in lieu of a damn good reason, these acts are crimes.

Btw, this has nothing to do with the man being a Trump supporter. This incident occurred in Chicago in 2011. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/teen-punching-man-at-cta-stop-caught-on-tape/1897925/ I thought the camera quality seemed exceptionally poor. Being from 2011 would explain it. Still absolutely reprehensible.

Oh hell no. Not ***** cool at all. And they laugh about it?! Something about violence against the elderly really boils my blood. Please catch the perp. I hope he spends a long time in jail.

Oh my, I've found another poster with excellent logic and reasoning skills. It takes talent to be this level of reductionist. Since you are so good at knowing other people's intent, what were the cops intending to do when they slashed and smashed random, empty, parked cars?

Fwiw, the organizer who asked the mayor this question said "we don't want any police in our city" or something to that effect just a couple seconds before he answered.

Oh really? Since you know so much about my intentions, tell me, what do I intend to have for dinner tonight? Pointing out a scene where a woman respectfully asks "what's going to happen at 8, sir?" only to hear the response "what's gonna happen is we're gonna start beating the ***** out of you" isn't worthy of note? (that's the final clip in the montage, last 15 seconds if you want to quickly verify it). @Deranged Rhino Correct, there's a lot at play here. Emotions are high on all sides. That means mistakes are bound to happen. That doesn't mean we should excuse the mistakes entirely though. For the most part the officers around are doing a good job I think. The protesting in my area has all been peaceful, and cops have joined in on several occasions. Still, any cops (and protesters) not following protocol should be reprimanded accordingly. I think that's only fair. I stand corrected ma'am. As I said, I appreciate you clarifying the matter for me. It still doesn't explain the tire slashings and window smashings, etc. And when I asked about these things, I wasn't trying to be facetious. Just because I disagree with many posters here politically doesn't mean there isn't value to be had at times. Like just now.

It's in the video I linked. There are several examples of tire slashings and at least 2 examples of private property destruction (smashing windows of empty, parked cars and smashing what appeared to be a door). The video of the police (I think NYPD) destroying their own cruiser wasn't in that montage, but if I come across it again I'll post it right away. Cops were even spray painting graffiti on the cruiser to make it look like the act of a rioter. It was nuts. You're right, I just found this article about it. It was Boston, not NY. Thank you. https://newsmeter.in/fact-check-did-boston-police-damage-their-own-car-to-blame-on-george-floyd-protesters/

You when mean acting on the 1st Amendment right to peaceably protest and assemble in accordance with any laws, curfews, and regulations regarding them still gets you beaten unnecessarily? If that is considered a "Stupid Game" then I suppose so. There are people out there breaking the law, but there are also protesters and press who are obliging everything they are being told to do and are still receiving heavy handed acts of violence.

Why are cops slashing tires of parked cars, destroying private property, and even destroying their own cruisers in some cases?

Lol. You need to pull your head out of your HamSandwich.

Thank you (and anyone who donates) for providing us with this forum.

You see? No matter what I say, your mind is already made up. Anything I bring up will be refuted, contested, admonished, or ignored. It's not worth the time and effort to just slam my head into a brick wall.

If I had any faith at all that those people would change their tune, I'd gladly provide that. But I have no faith at all that it would change anything, so it's just not worth the time and effort. Why? Because it's very simple. The people who have the capacity for that kind of self-reflection are already in the position of not needing to have these things explained to them like they are 5 years old in order to change their minds. OTOH, the people who don't have that capacity cannot change their minds regardless of any number of facts presented to them by definition. Typically, the only thing that can change those folks' minds is experiencing a personal tragedy. And that's not something I can provide over a message board. I can't undo years of brainwashing over a Saturday afternoon.