this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2024
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What "freedoms" would they be giving up, exactly? The freedom to become a school shooter?
Every freedom. You're giving the government a green light to do whatever they want to you. Two pure examples of this is China and Russia. How do you think tyrannical regimes come along? By taking away your ability to defend yourself. This has been shown in history multiple times.
Europe exists, has more freedom than your shithole country, and very few guns per capita.
This is objectively true. I have the freedom to go to college without being in crippling debt, the freedom to take 5 weeks of paid vacation every year, the freedom to go to a doctor without fear of bankruptcy, the freedom to travel or move to another country at will...
Living in the US has literally no upside.
Haha and how much are you getting taxed up your arse for all the 'free' stuff exactly? Good luck with the third mortgage so you can keep up with tax payments while you freeze your arse off this winter and half your children die due to malnourishment.
Do you think you have less taxation because of your 2. amendment?
What do you think guarantees all the other rights? A strongly worded letter to the local newspaper?
So you think the government in the United States of America is so afraid of its constituents that they are not raising the taxes.
What about all the other countries in the world that have less or similar taxes like the states but no 2. amendment? Are they completely reliant on sending strongly worded letters to the newspapers? Or do you think in a functional democracy there might be other ways for constituents to wield power?
Ameritards pay more per capita for far worse healthcare. Enjoy getting taxed to bomb kids in the Middle East!
That's literally any Western country dude, stop already. Enjoy being nuked by Russia to ensure continued American hegemony.
We keep up with the mortgage because the minimum wage here is $16USD.
The average Australian citizen pays $17,000 in taxes as opposed to $14,000 for seppos.
For that, I know myself and all my fellow Australians will never be crippled with medical debt, as going to the hospital is always free. We have the second best health care in the world, right next to the UK.
Us Aussies like to look out for each other, rather than you individualistic, seemingly selfish yanks.
Ahhh an Aussie, your state mandated levels of Stockholm syndrome towards your nanny state will never allow you to open your eyes to any other possibilities. Again with the word 'free', I don't think you quite understand how much you pay through your arse for so little. If you think the UK has good healthcare or is something to brag about, you truly are lost my friend.
Key word is "state mandated", only the state of Victoria was locked down, I think COVID barely scratched the other states. I also lived in NZ at the time, and as you recall, we barely got COVID and I spent 2020 and 2021 skiing and partying. Thanks to clever leadership, not seen in the US at the time.
As for UK healthcare, I quickly researched where Australia stacked up in the world and by most metrics, the UK was overwhelmingly the best. Unlike the weirdly propagandized Americans, I don't have to do weird mental gymnastics to try and force my country at the top. I can accept facts.
Dude, I’m American and even I know they get more time off, get paternity and maternity leave, can take more vacations, have better transit, pay less in health insurance. They have enough disposable income to do the things we do, but don’t have to worry about the other bullshit as much. Nothing they get is “free”, and they know this, but they don’t have to think twice about using the services.
Have you actually lived anywhere in Europe or are you just guessing from the other side of the fence? Do you have any idea how much we have to pay through our noses for useless medical insurance that leaves you waiting 3-4 weeks to see a mf GP when it is your turn and has people dying on waiting lists.
I'm not advocating for a USA style system, but the momo above you makes it sound like Europe (western part anyway) is some sort of utopia.
You literally just described American healthcare. I don't know where people get this idea that you don't have to wait to see a doctor here. I've had to book doctors appointments months out. And specialists can be 6+ months of waiting.
I think the Americans that say otherwise actually don't try to go to the doctor on a regular basis. And if you press them on why, they'll admit it is a fucking hassle and worried about the bill if they need to actually get something done.
Everyone has problems man. Nothing is a Utopia, but there are better systems. And I get my opinions from articles that I’ve read. They are readily available on search engines and compare and contrast US vs Western Europe, which is what we’re objectively talking about when comparing.
No, I’ve not lived in Europe but my mother’s side of the family is German so I do talk to actual people who live there.
Edit: You only have to wait 3-4 weeks?! Try waiting 7-8 months, bud. That’s to see a general fucking practitioner! Then pay over $100/visit until you meet your deductible with good insurance.
Where do you live? That's certainly not my experience in the Netherlands. Of course we have expensive health care because our center right government believed in privatizing everything, but it's still way better than the US. Source: born American, currently Dutch.
Born and brought up in the UK. Don't come from a disadvantaged background nor did I live in a poor area. Worked and paid taxes almost all my grown life like a good little momo. Our system (socialised healthcare) may work somewhat on the national level but it sucks at the individual level. To be clear, I am not against socialised healthcare but to pretend we are blessed by it free of cost or that it works wonders (OP I replied to originally) is the height of lunacy or huffing fairy dust. Many benefits we (Europeans) receive are in fact paid for through our noses and pretending it is some benevolent government's doing is not doing anyone any favours.
Haha okay that explains it. The UK counts as Europe about as much as Turkey or Russia does... which is to say yes you're on the same continental plate, but beyond that...
Anyway, your government has been aggressively underfunding the NHS for ages. It's hardly a surprise if it's shit.
Only on about every independent freedom index ever made. Although, im sure you'll just declare the USA to be more free regardless.
That's why it's on number... 17. Lmao.
So? Still number 17😂.
According to your own link, the USA is not even in the top 10, which are actually all in Europe.
Well, its a good job that no one is claiming the fact that Europeans are more free is due to there being more regulations then, isn't it? Otherwise that point might have been relevant and not just mildness regurgitation of propaganda.
Do you think private individuals should also be able to own tanks, ground to air missiles, fighter jets, aircraft carriers and nukes? Why stop at rifles? What do you think rifles will do against a fighter jet?
If you think the people should be able to violently overthrow the government, then the people need to have appropriate armament for something like that. Yet i dont see many people advocating for the right to have tanks.
If more guns means more democracy, why all the places that have tons of guns are so undemocratic? The only exception to this is Switzerland but there people dont actually have guns. Technically they have guns but they have no ammo and their guns are locked and arent allowed to openly carry rifles around.
Everything has a price. And the price for your unrealistic "the government should be afraid of the people because the people have guns" position is the dead children. It's the every time someone gets angry over something, they have a weapon that can easily end the life of someone else. Do you honestly trust the general public with that power?
Animals I've seen on my property: law enforcement, moose, elk, bison, cow, brown bear, black bear, wolf, wild dog
Number of times law enforcement has engaged me for existing while brown since I began to open carry: 0
Bonus: boomers, MAGA, and neolibs are all afraid to engage.
They'll take my rifle and pistol when they pry them from my cold, dead hands.
Russians absolutely have guns. And their laws aren't very strict. And you seriously think the majority of developed countries where gun laws are stricter than the US's are in imminent danger of tyranny?
Sheesh. Tyranny absolutely doesn't care about guns, and even appreciates them in some ways. Because before things are bad enough that government weaponry (which citizens can never hope to match if the government is serious enough) is used to enforce it, militias of extremists will absolutely start the process of turning the country to shit. And will not prevent actual tyrannical behaviour by the government.
Proud Boys standing at polling stations with military weapons to intimidate voters for "safety". Extremist anti-abortion nutheads enforcing their point of view regardless of laws or basic logic. Police murdering citizens for minor offenses or unfounded suspicions, where a gun on the citizen's person couldn't possibly do anything but make the cops more afraid and more violent. (What you gonna do with your guns? Start a frickin' war with the police? You know they'll call for reinforcements and now have a perfectly valid reason to shoot, right?)
Those are all happening in the US. Guns aren't helping with any of this tyrannical behaviour, and while I'm not willing to put my hand over the fire over this take, it would be reasonable to consider whether the popularity of gun laws and lax gun regulation have made things worse.
Yes, every country with gun laws has turned into a dictatorship. Such is how things go when your freedom to have an assault rifle for defense is restricted. France, Spain, Australia, Norway, Sweden, etc. all currently have totalitarian governments suppressing their citizens more than the USA. Without a gun, every freedom is lost.
/s (obviously)