I love the fact that Australia has extremely strict gun laws. I just need to correct you here - the worst mass shooting was the Port Arthur massacre and that was 35 people killed and that's when Howard kicked in the gun laws. Best thing he ever did for the country. You can still get guns but the laws are extremely strict.
Yep that's what I mean: the worst since the laws were changed (in response to Port Arthur) was the Linde cafe siege in Sydney last year.
Very glad for the change. I grew up in a rural area with loads of farmers who all went through the gun buy back scheme, got appropriate hunting rifles and permits and have not been any worse off since.
Just to add to the raising min wage debate - in SF, very few people can afford to live there, including the tech workers who are driving the COL up. I don't just mean in the cool hip neighborhoods either ~ San Francisco as a whole (the city and the county) are so expensive that no one can live there. So when you're working a min wage job but have to live 1.5 hours away via public transportation (about $10 one way), min wage in the city has to be above fed wage. It's so bad that a big concern is how many emergency workers who work in SF can't afford to live there - which will suck when the next big one hits! I think it needs to be raised - and I live in an area where it's already higher!
Also, question for the non USA residents RE gun control. Is hunting as big a culture where you are as it can be here? I grew up in rural California and around guns and hunters - I personally do not trust that I could shot a person if need be, so we don't have them in our house - but how do the strict gun laws work with hunting rifles and such, vs hand guns?
I don't profess to be an expert, but hunting is relatively common in more rural areas in Au and you can get permits for a rifle. You also need to have it locked up. You absolutely cannot own or get a permit for a semi-automatic or automatic gun. There is no need for a civilian to own one.
Raising min wage to $15 isn't going to help the economy. A hike that is more than double the current min wage will only force fast food places to fire a portion of their workforce to save on operating expenses. If the fed min wage needs to be increased, fine, but do it marginally over a period of time. Places like CA and NY already have their state min wages above the federal wage. They somewhat take into account COL in those areas and I only say somewhat because I know that no one can live off of $9/hour in NY or CA, but when has fast food become a career choice? I don't feel that anyone should be entitled to make $15 just because you can't raise a family on $7.25 an hour. Work the fast food type job while spending 2 years at a tech college (you pay way less in tuition to get a highly sought after skilled job) make way more than $15/hour and start working up a ladder.
When the minimum wage argument is discussed my UO is why so many people only talk about fast food workers. There are so many other skilled industries where workers only make minumum wage. It just oversimplifies a very complicated problem that we are having in this country with the wide gap between the rich and the poor.
I think it's sad that stricter gun laws are actually still believed to be a UO in America. They are absolutely not. The vast majority of Americans support stricter gun laws. This includes increased background checks and average people not having access to semi automatic weapons.
You guys need to remember that baileybaileybne is NOT in the States so it makes complete and total sense that she feels this way. In other parts of the world, specifically Europe since I've traveled extensively there, it is a completely different way of life and mentality than we have here.
This is true. In Canada we aren't allowed to carry a concealed weapon. In fact, for a while we had a gun registry where you had to register all your guns. Do I feel safe? You bet. I don't need a weapon on me to feel safe. Even when travelling in parts of the United States I have never felt unsafe to require a weapon. Maybe I just haven't been in the sketchy part of the states where I think I'd require extra safety.
In the UK we aren't even allowed to own a gun never mind carry one. & places don't sell them. Although never have I felt so unsafe that I've thought I'd need a gun but maybe that's because I've never had the option of having one. I think it would be a cool thing to learn how to use though if the law here allowed it. Even police don't carry them. When I went to New York on vacation I was pretty freaked when I saw the police at the airport carrying guns as id never seen anything like that before - like a real person holding a real gun right in front of me. It was a very spesual snowflake moment lol.
I always get flamed for this IRL so go ahead: I dont ever do anything for my mom on Mother's Day. We have an extremely antagonistic relationship and always have; she takes every chance to point out what a disappointment I am. Call me crazy but I don't think that anyone deserves my respect simply due to the fact that she birthed me and kept me alive. If she's going to shoot down any attempts I make at repairing our relationship, I don't think that I should pretend that we're all close and happy just because its Mother's Day. It's just not my thing.
My mom had this sort of relationship with her mom. Unless you have a mom or have been in this situation, it seems people just can't understand. I feel for you.
ladysif. I was never concerned about carrying a gun for that reason. If someone was going to brutally assault me or it was kill or be killed , I would kill them or atleast try to. I am so sorry your family went through something like that. I also have an uncle who committed suicide by gun. It was a gun he owned. And it was the reason guns were not allowed in our home for a long time. But if someone is going to do that they will find a way to whether they own the gun or not. Like I said I can still carry a gun but I choose not to now because I don't feel the need to anymore based on not living in that area. We do not keep firearms in our home because my husband is opposed to them and I respect his opinion and we have fought it out. However, if we did have them I would follow the same precautions as my father did as a police officer. I would not be afraid of someone else accidentally getting the gun.
Guns are only carried by detectives as far as I know in Ireland. The general police man does not carry one. There is no guns available to the public. To be honest I don't agree with people needing guns for safety. If the guns were restricted to only officers of the law in the US there would be a lot less gun crime. I understand criminals will get guns but that happens here too. I've tried looking up mass shootings for the republic of Ireland and can not find any. But as your all aware the US has a huge volume of mass shootings. I honestly think it's because guns are so freely available.
I'm curious if the phrase "you don't bring a knife to a gun-fight" is an American thing. In America, in some parts, you assume that at least 50% of people around you have a gun-some good people, some not. If you live here and don't think there are people around you with guns, then you are quite naive. It has come to a point here where even police officers carrying guns is not "safe". See all of the recent police shootings, both accidental and unjustified. I wish it were easier to feel safer here and not have the idea of "do I need this to feel safe?" However, since owning a gun is a constitutional right of the American people and has been since it became a country, I don't see there ever being less guns or a lot stricter gun laws. So in the meantime, they become an admittedly shitty safety net for people who would not ever own a gun if the need to protect themselves from other people who own guns wasn't there.
+1...100% agree! I get annoyed with my BFF all the time b/c she doesn't even try anymore. You're a mom; you're not dead!!!!
I totally get mom's wanting to look nice and dress up, wear make-up or make sure their hair is fixed. What bothers me is the emphasis placed on body image after delivery. So many women obsess about returning to a flat tummy or worry too much about what their vagina will look like afterwards. You can be 20 lbs heavier than your pre-pregnancy weight and still manage to look fabulous everyday!
Will chime in here and say that while some ppl may say you look good, I would be so uncomfortable in my own skin. 20 lbs is a lot. I'm a runner ( multiple marathons under my belt) and I love running for non-esthetic reasons but also love the added benefit of looking and feeling fit. If I were 20 lbs heavier I would feel a disconnect between all the hard work and it not being reflecting in the mirror.
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January & February: 2 IUIs, BFN
March: IUI, ectopic, 2 surgeries with 1 tube removed
May - July: 3 more IUIs, all BFN, on to IVF
August: IVF#1, BFN
September: FET#1, BFP!!!
It's a girl!!!
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And just for some perspective on why people may feel unsafe, here are crime rates for the city I live in for last year (the city I live in now is much safer than the one I lived in when I concealed): Homicides-21 Rape with threat of deadly weapon-87/111 Armed robberies-385/403 Assaults with deadly weapon-540/703
You can look up most cities in the US with a simple Google. The results are not very settling.
@hazeldublin I agree wholeheartedly. My city with a population of 140,000 had 21 murders with firearms last year which is way too many. I think it is probably due to the availability of guns. I just wanted to point out why maybe the feeling of needing to protect oneself feels higher in the US. And most people feel the way to protect themselves from guns is by having one themselves, which I can definitely see seeming like backwards thinking to some.
And just for some perspective on why people may feel unsafe, here are crime rates for the city I live in for last year (the city I live in now is much safer than the one I lived in when I concealed): Homicides-21 Rape with threat of deadly weapon-87/111 Armed robberies-385/403 Assaults with deadly weapon-540/703
You can look up most cities in the US with a simple Google. The results are not very settling.
Murders with firearms is 12 in Ireland so obviously much less than the US. I'm assuming this is to do with guns being less freely available. Obviously as you can see there is crime, I'm not saying there isn't. I just believe that less guns in the country contributes to less gun crime over all. Just to add the population is much lower over anyway so some of the comparisons are of course going to be worlds apart.
Agreed- I really don't think Ireland and the US is a befitting comparison , given the size, population, GDP and cultural make - up.
what about other crimes not involving guns? Not just looking at the UK, has crime dropped significantly due to stricter gun laws in other Westernized democracies? Did countries with stricter gun laws lower murder rates substantially? I believe the jury is still out. Again, I'm not stating I support one view or the other, I just tend to be a stats and fact person that likes to have "all my ducks in a row" before coming to a conclusion. I just feel the subject is a little more gray than black and white.
In the US, states are able to pass and institute gun laws of their own with some being stricter and some being more lenient. I believe in DC that the banning of handguns did not reduce gun related violence..if I can remember correctly. The majority of gun owners in the US are law abiding citizens that are against the illegal purchase and prior criminal ownership of guns. I don't think these are the people to worry about. I think you have to look at demographics and drug trade in large urban areas, which is where the majority of these crimes take place ( statistically). Would stricter gun laws deter a person that has already committed a crime from illegally obtaining a weapon or through a private sale (private sales do not require a background check, but it is still illegal to knowingly sell a firearm to a person that is a criminal or has mental health issues. Unfortunately, it still happens)? Probably not.
It is highly unlikely or even in the realm of possibility that the US will ever have gun laws like those in Western Europe or Australia, but maybe the solution is to address gun use? Just throwing that out there!
Raising min wage to $15 isn't going to help the economy. A hike that is more than double the current min wage will only force fast food places to fire a portion of their workforce to save on operating expenses. If the fed min wage needs to be increased, fine, but do it marginally over a period of time. Places like CA and NY already have their state min wages above the federal wage. They somewhat take into account COL in those areas and I only say somewhat because I know that no one can live off of $9/hour in NY or CA, but when has fast food become a career choice? I don't feel that anyone should be entitled to make $15 just because you can't raise a family on $7.25 an hour. Work the fast food type job while spending 2 years at a tech college (you pay way less in tuition to get a highly sought after skilled job) make way more than $15/hour and start working up a ladder.
When the minimum wage argument is discussed my UO is why so many people only talk about fast food workers. There are so many other skilled industries where workers only make minumum wage. It just oversimplifies a very complicated problem that we are having in this country with the wide gap between the rich and the poor.
Exactly this. I am a preschool teacher. My job requires that I hold a Bachelor's Degree. I hold a Bachelor's Degree plus several years of experience. I do not make 15$ per hour at my job. I make less than 15$ per hour. I am the highest paid teacher at my facility.
Post by periwinkledaydreams on Apr 24, 2015 8:20:31 GMT -5
Exactly this. I am a preschool teacher. My job requires that I hold a Bachelor's Degree. I hold a Bachelor's Degree plus several years of experience. I do not make 15$ per hour at my job. I make less than 15$ per hour. I am the highest paid teacher at my facility.
And I live in a state with one of the highest COL in the US. I guess I cannot believe we still talk about a "minimum wage" at all. How despicable. Like, "What's the LEAST amount we can get away with paying people???" We really need to be discussing LIVING wages. "How much should we pay people so that they can afford to provide themselves with food, clothing and shelter and not have to go to the government to ask for additional assistance???" Seems reasonable to me.
Post by periwinkledaydreams on Apr 24, 2015 9:19:41 GMT -5
Joolschweets, it is pretty bad. It is a private facility, not a public preschool (don't even get me started on the lack of availability of public pre-kindergarten education in the US!!!) And yes, you are correct in thinking the minimum is less than that here and the gap is wider, at least where I am at. My state set their minimum wage at $9.15 per hour this year, and pride themselves on it being progressive, while their living wage is calculated at $19.00 for a single adult WITH NO CHILDREN!!! It is really disgusting. I truly love the work I do but I am all but forced to change my career path because there is no opportunity for increase (like I said, I am the highest paid teacher at my facility) hence the SERIOUS teacher turnover problem. Ironically enough in this conversation, many teachers from my preschool have actually left and gotten jobs in fast food because they can advance to management and make several times what they make as teachers!
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