Reducing Firearm-Related Violence

On May 6, 2014May 7, 2014 By Rick McIn economics, ethics, firearms, government, things getting betterLeave a comment

The Institute of Medicine published findings:

In 2010, more than 105,000 people were injured or killed in the United States as the result of a firearm-related incident.

Recent, highly publicized, tragic mass shootings in Newtown, CT; Aurora, CO; Oak Creek, WI; and Tucson, AZ, have sharpened the American public’s interest in protecting our children and communities from the harmful effects of firearm violence. While many Americans legally use firearms for a variety of activities, fatal and nonfatal firearm violence poses a serious threat to public safety and welfare. …

Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence

gun_money

William Saletan summarizes:

Earlier this year, President Obama ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the existing research on gun violence and recommend future studies. That report, prepared by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, is now complete.

Its findings won’t entirely please the Obama administration or the NRA, but all of us should consider them. Here’s a list of the 10 most salient or surprising takeaways. …

1. The United States has an indisputable gun violence problem.

According to the report, “the U.S. rate of firearm-related homicide is higher than that of any other industrialized country: 19.5 times higher than the rates in other high-income countries.”

2. Most indices of crime and gun violence are getting better, not worse.

3. We have 300 million firearms, but only 100 million are handguns.

4. Handguns are the problem.

5. Mass shootings aren’t the problem.

6. Gun suicide is a bigger killer than gun homicide.

7. Guns are used for self-defense often and effectively.

8. Carrying guns for self-defense is an arms race.

9. Denying guns to people under restraining orders saves lives.

10. It isn’t true that most gun acquisitions by criminals can be blamed on a few bad dealers.

Rethinking Gun Control

Surprising findings from a comprehensive report on gun violence.

Republicans Say No to CDC Gun Violence Research. Most in the GOP don’t want to know the facts. And definitely don’t want their voters to know the facts.

Dr. Garen Wintemute, a professor of emergency medicine who runs the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis, spent $1 million of his own money to continue the research.

As I’ve said before, I don’t think people are very far apart on this issue. Fire arms lobbyists are going to have an increasingly difficult fight buying politicians over the coming years. And they’ll have to outspend their opponents at an even greater rate.

Republicans must change. Or lose. Long term.

U.S. dominated by economic elite

On April 25, 2014April 25, 2014 By Rick McIn economics, governmentLeave a comment

The rich are getting richer, the poor poorer.

The US government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country’s citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities has concluded.

The report, entitled Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens, used extensive policy data collected from between the years of 1981 and 2002 to empirically determine the state of the US political system.

After sifting through nearly 1,800 US policies enacted in that period and comparing them to the expressed preferences of average Americans (50th percentile of income), affluent Americans (90th percentile) and large special interests groups, researchers concluded that the United States is dominated by its economic elite.

tywkiwdbi

Romney

Unfortunately for those rich elite, they only get one vote. Those getting poorer and poorer also get one vote.

Eventually, no matter how bad the Democrats are, Republicans will lose every election.

The GOP must change or go the way of the dodo bird.

new – easier to BUY American politicians

On April 7, 2014 By Rick McIn economics, ethics, government, things getting worseLeave a comment

U.S. Supreme Court ruled to raise the limit for individual campaign contributions from $123,000 to $3.6 million dollars.

Billionaires and corporations can now buy politicians legitimately.

crook politiicans

The rich have far, far too much influence on American politics already. 😦

I’m hoping there’s more disclosure on who donated how much to whom, in future. But not optimistic.

ultra rich Americans should worry

On April 1, 2014April 1, 2014 By Rick McIn economics, ethics, governmentLeave a comment

Unless the GOP changes, they are not going to win many Presidential elections in future. No matter how badly the Democrats run the country.

Nobody believes Paul Ryan cares about the poor.

Republicans are still mostly in favour of the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer.

DEREK THOMPSON:

I’ve written, over and over, that the most important divide in our wealth disparity was between the 1 percent and the 99 percent. For example, when I compared the evolution in investment income since the late 1970s, I often imagined a graph like this from the Economic Policy Institute, showing the 1 percent flying away from the rest of the country.

It turns out that that graph is somewhat misleading. It makes it look like the 1 percent is a group of similar households accelerating from the rest of the economy, holding hands, in unison. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A few weeks ago, I shared this graph (from the World Top Incomes Database) showing how the top 0.01 percent—that’s the one percent of the 1 percent—was leaving the rest of the top percentile behind.

It turns out that wealth inequality isn’t about the 1 percent v. the 99 percent at all. It’s about the 0.1 percent v. the 99.9 percent (or, really, the 0.01 percent vs. the 99.99 percent, if you like). Long-story-short is that this group, comprised mostly of bankers and CEOs, is riding the stock market to pick up extraordinary investment income. And it’s this investment income, rather than ordinary earned income, that’s creating this extraordinary wealth gap. …

Unveiling the real story behind the richest of the rich

How You, I, and Everyone Got the Top 1 Percent All Wrong

So why should the top .01% of Americans worry?

Soon there’s going to be a backlash.

60 Minutes revealed that the U.S. stock market is rigged:

in the last two weeks, the New York attorney general and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission in Washington have both launched investigations into high-frequency computerized stock trading that now controls more than half the market.

The probes were announced just ahead of a much anticipated book on the subject by best-selling author Michael Lewis called “Flash Boys.” In it, Lewis argues that the stock market is now rigged to benefit a group of insiders that have made tens of billions of dollars exploiting computerized trading. …

Steve Kroft: What’s the headline here?

Michael Lewis: Stock market’s rigged. The United States stock market, the most iconic market in global capitalism is rigged.

Is the U.S. stock market rigged?

I’ve got nothing against rich people. Lebronne James has earned every penny.

But when I see a dork, stupid billionaire … I get suspicious.

loser-donald-trump

How did this guy get rich?

It’s not smart. It’s not an efficient distribution of wealth to have so many dollars in the hands of so few people, many of whom do not deserve it.

The ultra rich should be prepared to move to that that retirement estate in Belize. 🙂

$18.92 average wage needed to rent 2 bedroom house

On March 28, 2014March 26, 2014 By Rick McIn economicsLeave a comment

USA in 2014.

Compare most expensive with least expensive States to rent.

Much attention has been paid to the fact that the federal minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation (or with increases in worker productivity, or with the rising incomes of the 1 percent). But in a much less abstract sense, federal and local minimum wages have also failed to keep up with the rising cost of rent. …

Wonk blog

Norway the most GENEROUS nation?

On March 27, 2014March 25, 2014 By Rick McIn economics, ethics, governmentLeave a comment

American right wing types love to complain that the USA gives away more foreign aid money than anyone else.

If you count GROSS dollars, it could be argued that the USA is the most GENEROUS nation.

If you calculate per capita or per GNP (Gross National Product) the USA drops down the list to perhaps 17th.

Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark are near the top of the list, per person.

That said, I’m not at all convinced that foreign aid money is well spent. It could certainly be money wasted. 😦

via KRISTJAN WAGER – Is USA the biggest foreign aid donor? (2007)

SLOW internet in Africa

On March 25, 2014March 20, 2014 By Rick McIn economics, government, internet, product complaints1 Comment

Internet speed and reliability in southern Africa is crappy. As bad as I’ve seen anywhere in the world.

We postulate that there are not enough cables running under the ocean …

NOT SO.

Oh sure: cables in the Atlantic have a higher capacity than a cable going down the coast of East Africa. … Not to say the cables in Africa are less useful, in fact many are newer…

Africa is in pretty good shape because multiple new cables have been laid so capacity can grow for many years to come, and cables are designed to last for a minimum 25 years.

CNN – This is what the Internet actually looks like: The undersea cables wiring the Earth

So — we should blame the Internet Service Providers of Africa. The “pipes” are not the problem.

minimum wage?

On January 16, 2014January 13, 2014 By Rick McIn economics, education, gymnasticsLeave a comment

A perfect world would not have socialism, unions nor minimum wage legislation.

But it seems to me that there is a time and place for each in the development of a society. Take CHINA, for example. Communism to Capitalism is the road map. En route the Chinese people would benefit from Unions and minimum wage laws.

At some point, they’d no longer be needed.

If I want to volunteer (as I am right now) — why should any Government stop me?

If I want to be an unpaid intern — why should any Government stop me?

Click PLAY or watch The Truth about the Minimum Wage on YouTube.