See my response to your post in the Stone thread. I'm not sure whether you're describing BLM riots or the federal government's response to Covid, but either way I don't see what either has to do with federal taxation. BLM is a distraction from real problems, like a fucked up criminal justice system, an educational system that prioritizes teachers unions instead of students, and public health and a health care system that costs out the wazoo but does a piss poor job of providing good, affordable outcomes, not even mentioning our response or lack thereof to Covid. All of this hurts blacks more than whites. The problem is inefficient government and, in the case of health care, inefficient incentives and regulation. We already spend more on incarceration, education and health care than just about any place in the world. You're not going to improve any of that by blindly throwing more money at it or by taking capital away from the capitalists. Originally Posted by Tiny
BLM riots? You're steering straight right wing. Are these times getting to you? Stray over to my side.If "right wing" means I think with my brain and not my heart, that's very true.
I have some hope for you. Those tax dollars need to be spent wisely. Not killing the colored. Training and reprogramming for a better society. Originally Posted by eccieuser9500
I wasn't clear. Several years ago I looked at the number of blacks and non-blacks killed by police. Also at the number of police killed by blacks versus other races. And finally the number of people killed by police in other countries.
Based on that, police in the USA are indeed too quick to pull the trigger. But the % of police killed by blacks versus other races wasn't out of line with the % of blacks (versus other races) killed by police. I don't think there's evidence for bias based on the numbers. I just think the killings of whites doesn't make the news. Furthermore, this isn't a huge problem. About 200 blacks are killed by the police annually, compared to 800 nonblacks.
However, yes, black lives do matter. And the BLM is totally unfocused on what does matter. What does matter? Well, what I wrote about above, and the numbers back me up:
1. Criminal justice system - Black men get longer sentences, have less chance of parole and a greater chance of getting nabbed for probation violations, and IMHO are more likely to be convicted for committing a crime than non-blacks. Thirty-three percent of black males have been convicted of felonies. Try getting a good job with a felony on your record.
2. Education system - Blacks on average have lower SAT scores and lower high school graduation rates. This shows up in lower incomes and lower quality of life.
3. Health - Life expectancy for blacks is 75 years versus 78.6 years for whites, 81.9 years for Latinos and 86.3 years for Asian Americans.
"1", "2" and "3" above are a travesty. There are steps that politicians can and should have taken to address these, far beyond what they've done so far.
If BLM were conducting peaceful protests about these issues, it would make a lot of sense. I've got a particular problem with what's happened because it conflicts with a couple of issues I'm passionate about, the destruction of capital and the spread of Covid. Government destroys capital through extortionate taxation and over-regulation. The violent BLM protesters do it through outright destruction of property, plant and equipment. They've destroyed businesses and jobs. And, paraphrasing Michelle Obama, your side had taken the high road on Covid. More people on the left wear masks and social distance. You don't have people on your side arguing that it's every American's god given right to sit shoulder to shoulder indoors without masks in church or at a sporting event. The protesters threw this out the window when they came together in large numbers, many without masks.
The onus to correct these problems, whether it's how police treat blacks when they arrest them or items "1", "2" and "3" above, probably falls harder on Democratic politicians than Republicans. At least when it comes to killings by police and education in large cities, it's the Democrats who have control.