What are the largest drains on the economy/financial system?

Discussion in 'Economics' started by FireWalker, Dec 18, 2013.

  1. Well, stricter gun laws aren't going to help because those laws will only affect law abiding citizens who purchases firearms legally. These criminals that are shooting each other dead in the street aren't walking into gun stores and buying guns. There's a whole black market for untraceable guns.

    As for your stance on welfare, I agree. Welfare, ideally, should be a safety net for those that have worked and landed on hard times...when they get back on their feet, it should be the next person's turn. Instead, liberal policies have made welfare a career move.
     
    #21     Jan 10, 2014
  2. toc

    toc

    In the US, on average there are 1 or more guns per 2 citizens. That is too much.

    Countries with stricter gun laws have much lower crime rates.
     
    #22     Jan 10, 2014
  3. But that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of crime is committed by those who possess illegal guns. Don't believe the propaganda.
     
    #23     Jan 11, 2014
  4. I have to say.. This thread is just like everyone's crap opinion.. There is a certain value related to having guns held by the people that is not valuated in this correlation. Correlation isn't causation..

    I'm not some huge gun advocate.. but this is a pure example of a terrible argument..
     
    #24     Jan 11, 2014
  5. The violence is caused by a lack of opportunity to make money in the United States. The result is turf wars everywhere for the grift.

    As the monetary system is a fraud of grift, the population follows that example.

    Military thugs are at the top of the food chain.



    FYI, the only thing stopping the military from declaring a dictatorship in the United States is guns in the hands of the population.
     
    #25     Jan 11, 2014
  6. toc

    toc

    Where do these illegal guns come from? do they make them at home? or they come from Mexico?

    Most of these guns are stolen from legal owners. Why is that legal owner is all peaceful with a cache of guns but guy on street is full of energy to use them to commit crime?

    I think it is the culture of upbringing and 'easy money' logic. Why run newspaper route or serve a McDonalds for two years to get your first car when 2 minute crime can get you one easy.


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States

    visit this link and see the graph. from 1980 onwards, the prison population just took off like a jet plane and is still at the takeoff trajectory. What happened in 1980 and which did not change up till now? One guy told me that Reagan loosened the gun ownership laws, I did not do any research so can't back that claim.

    An average prisoner in jail costs taxpayer $25K atleast a year. At 2M inmates that is $50B and this figure is on the low side. Average might be well around $40K per inmate a year.

    In many states, private enterprise has taken hold of prison system and encourage more inmates to make more money. In many other states, budgets are in negative because of the prison expenses.
     
    #26     Jan 11, 2014
  7. toc

    toc

    There are 10 Million illegal immigrants in the US and they have jobs and even save up to send money home.

    There are other Americans who refuse to work these jobs and sit at home on welfare and commit crime for extra expenses. That is why too much coddle in the welfare system encourages higher numbers.
     
    #27     Jan 11, 2014
  8. More than 50% of the GNP goes through public sector hands every year. That should be about 10% and then darwin would take care of a lot of the unproductive population and the rest of us would have a booming economy.
     
    #28     Jan 11, 2014
  9. I agree. Welfare pays about the same as $10-12/hour. There is no incentive to work. Factor in taxes and laziness and the minimum incentive to get off of welfare becomes about $30/hour.

    So, how does an uneducated, basic skills person make $60k/year ($30/hour)?

    A similar situation exists for the educated and skilled: What is a realistic way to earn $200,000/year today?
     
    #29     Jan 11, 2014
  10. toc

    toc

    from the same link above............don't blame the inmates alone!

    why does the answer to all the problems come back to the POLITICIANS !!

    In the past two decades, the money that states spend on prisons has risen at six times the rate of spending on higher education. In 2011, California spent $9.6 billion on prisons, versus $5.7 billion on higher education..... The state spends $8,667 per student per year. It spends about $50,000 per inmate per year. Why is this happening? Prisons are a big business. Most are privately run. They have powerful lobbyists and they have bought most state politicians. Meanwhile, we are bankrupting out states and creating a vast underclass of prisoners who will never be equipped for productive lives.[114]

    — Fareed Zakaria, CNN, March 30, 2012
     
    #30     Jan 11, 2014