If a state family court can't vacate state fees levied on account of family matters (child support), then the process is broken.

Courts have the authority they do because of the results of generations of ego driven turf wars between departments.

The rules exist for a reason : because people decided.
Nothing in court or law is based on physics or nature. It's all made up by people.

Properly would be using empirical evidence and a logical ruleset that doesn't require people to argue personal opinions - but rather strictly solve the inputs for an output.

Judges and prosecutors are people. They grimace just like anyone else.
The courts are not 'higher' or 'enlightened'. They are simply the sum of generations of personal bickering.
They don't "work properly". They simply "work as they do - whatever that may be".

Like I said, the 9 to5ers don't give a crap. It's just a time code.

-scheherazade

There already are reasonable restrictions.

(I can't really ask to be exempt from laws that don't even exist. But I can ask for those new laws to not be written.)

Consider this.
Maybe /you/ are not special.
Maybe /you/ are not in this world to do with other people's lives how /you/ see fit.
Maybe /you/ should take the very advice you would give to violent offenders, and just leave people in peace.


Yes, this country has clusterfuckish problems.
But guns are not the cause.

We have a very high percentage of uneducated people. For example, my high school, in one of the nicest areas of the entire country, with the super easy U.S. curriculum, with the super relaxed and curved U.S. grading policy, 30% of kids that entered never graduated. And that's one of the better examples in the country.

The problem isn't even the education system. It's cultural. Kids show up to socialize, and smart kids get made fun of. Often they have no parental pressure to perform either. No amount of money can fix that kind of schooling, because it's not a schooling problem.

They don't just miss out on an education that helps them obtain gainful employment. The concepts of empathy and solidarity are essentially omitted.

There is a proverbial horde out there, many under strong financial pressures. Having the same consumer impulses that most people here have, they resort to augmenting their incomes with questionable activities.

The median *individual* income in the U.S. is around 26k / year. Half the population makes less than that... The cheapest unassisted rent in my area is ~800/month. Go to new york, and you could be paying 1600/month each with 3 other people for a rat hole. After water, electricity, food, fuel, you'd be wiped out. Any emergency (broken down car, medical expenses, whatever), and you are in the hole.

The nice areas you see on TV are a minority. Most of the country is a po-dunk shit hole, full of people that get desperate the moment things go bad. Which leads to restricted activities, and that tends to lead to violent encounters.

We have a very high percentage of arrested/jailed people.
When you're arrested, even if not convicted, you're not acceptable by a large proportion of jobs. The police even call your employer right away to let them know you've been arrested. You are essentially marked.

Like I said, 1 in 18 men are in the system. That's a LOT of people. Other than those on parole, they aren't working. Those that are working aren't making much money (on account of the undereducation and arrest record), and will likely be back in the system.

BTW, more than half of them are in jail for an activity that never even involved another person.
Most are there for harmless stuff.

Once these people do get out of jail, if they weren't already under financial pressure, they likely now are, and will stand a good chance at reinforcing the problem population.

(eg. Person with their life more or less in order goes to jail for having a bag of drugs, then they get out, can't get a job, and they need to resort to sketchy crap to make ends meet. Maybe get into violence, but often just return to jail.)

But, it's not by accident. Our jails are for-profit, with people in government making money from the jailing industry. Either by campaign contributions, lobbying, or by having financial stake in the companies.

The most self-serving thing the government can do, is keep the problem going, and tell people that they should rely on the government to fix it by getting tough. Then the govies make money on the jailing side, and they reinforce their public mandate.

The jailing companies themselves put inmates to work making cheap goods (ever bought a t-shirt that was made in the U.S.? It was probably inmate labor.), and then 'charge the inmates rent', effectively paying them a penny a day. Modern slavery.

All along the way, the taxpayers are paying the bills, and it's just a giant trough to feed from.

I hope you can imagine why I'm averse to making more ways to jail people that aren't being a problem.

It's also why I'm inclined to make drugs legal (pretty much try Portugal's approach). So as to bring that trade into the light, and end the gangster turf wars (which are a high proportion of the gun violence).

A lot of this could be fixed long-term by social engineering, using media to elevate the prestige of education and productivity. But we know that that is not going to happen when there is no money to be made on it.

-scheherazade

Your video, Ice Cream Turf War, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

I have no idea what this is about, but Denmark has been having a lot more violence than usual lately, in part because of Muslim reprisals when they are attacked, and in part because of motorcycle gangs, engaging in a turf war.

"...Wall Street is one big turf war...by benefitting one person, you're disadvantaging another person...."

>> ^chilaxe:
People are going to do drugs whether it's legal or illegal.
Regulate it so people aren't being duped into smoking rat poison, tax it, and remove one of the primary sources of funding for international crime families.


Lets not forget the major source of funding for domestic crime families.
In the early 70's, street gangs were far far more timid than they are now. Something that you might actually respect and consider a somewhat decent choice for your kids to get involved in.

Drugs ruined that, a cheap, easy way of getting massive ammounts of cash for the "boss" of the gang, while at the same time paying pittance to the crew, funneling in weapons and setting off turf wars.

You don't see the kind of gang wars over tobacco do ya ?
That shit is far more dangerous than pot, yet because its legal, taxed, regulated, and easily accessible, its not worth a dime to black-market trade the stuff.

You will see the same thing happen if you legalise all the other drugs. And I mean all of em.
Salvia, crack, heroine, ice...etc.
So long as its produced safely, and tightly regulated, those who want to use it, will...and no crime-rings benefit from it.

You'll also free up MASSIVE resources in your penitentiary system.

How did the acts of stupidity suddenly get turned into a cultural turf war?

The fact is at the end of the day for me, any form of threatening violence because of different ideology/belief is stupid.

I see alot of people slightly ticked off about this, but the fact remains to me that in the entirety of the segment from the show, Top Gear actually does acknowledge the good sides of the US, so I thought it was fairly balanced. Especially their closing statements about the state of New Orleans.