Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Greed & Guns

WE WERE SCREWED – There are times when we feel that the sense of entitlement that is fostered in our society has overwhelmed any true sense of reality.  This is one of those times.
A number of AIG shareholders led by ousted (and  very pissed off) former CEO Maurice Greenberg have filed a suit against the federal government alleging that the terms of the bailout agreement were unfair to shareholders.
You may recall that the federal government poured $182 billion taxpayer dollars into AIG to rescue the mammoth insurance firm from bankruptcy.  If the bankruptcy had gone through these same shareholders would have been left with nothing.
This is the same AIG whose greed and reckless business practices threatened to bring down the entire US economy.  Yet here are these shareholders suing the government because they feel that the terms of their bailout agreement were less generous than those awarded to other banks who profited through greed and reckless business practices.
CLINGING TO THEIR GUNS – Vice President Biden is scheduled to meet with members of gun advocacy groups including representatives from the NRA.  This is all in keeping with the Vice President’s efforts to cobble together a comprehensive gun control policy to be presented to the president by month’s end.
In truth this is little more than a dog and pony show for the press.  Base on NRA President Wayne LaPierre’s statements during both his press conference and his recent appearance on “Meet the Press” the chance of there being any meaningful reform on firearms is slim to none.
Since the Sandy Hook shooting we have discussed gun control with a number of gun owners.  We found a general consensus that more stringent gun control laws are needed.
None of the gun owners that we communicated with either in person or via email saw any need for assault weapons or extended capacity magazines to be available to the general population.  None of them understood why it is easier in most states to buy a gun than it is to buy and license a motor vehicle. 
All the gun owners we talked to believed that they had the right to own a pistol to protect their home and family, and a rifle or shotgun for recreational hunting.  All of them believed that the gun show loophole should be closed.  And all of them believed that a background check should be conducted with particular emphasis on keeping guns out of the hands of those listed on terrorist watch list.
But when we got into mental health issues and the production of violent video games we saw quite a divergence of opinions.  Mental health issues were seen as more private family matters not subject to government intervention.  And naturally those in the entertainment industry were opposed to the government regulating movies and video games.  So while gun owners on the right were more concerned with second amendment issues, gun owners on the left were more adamant about protecting first amendment rights.
And that is why any legislation on gun control that manages to pass under the current political environment will probably fall short.
If we want true comprehensive gun control then we can’t just talk about assault weapons, extended capacity magazines, background checks and gun show loopholes.  We have to incorporate mental health and substance abuse issues into the mix.                            

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