forget politics, everyone should invest their time and money into 486s

From an outsiders perspective I have some strong views on the way America(ns) go about their business.

Firstly, some young black kids are going to Jail for petty crime? Stealing from cars?

This line was from a comedian but apparently its true, Americans like to think of themselves as the freestest people on earth yet have the highest rate of incarceration rate in the world, so that makes America the least free nation on earth

If punishment for crime is so great, why is the prison population so high?

You probably throw people in Jail for petty drug use.

Poor social welfare & a disfunctional health care system, people get desperate, commit crimes and go to jail

Why not reduce the military budget and spend more on health and welfare?

So ill get called a leftist, socialist or communist but if you lack empathy like Donald Trump nothing will ever change.

well, from what I gather, about 3 laptops, several phones and tablets, my damn flashlight, etc. But they are most definitely in felony territory. If they had rich parents or at the very least a lawyer, they probably could get out of jail time. But they are likely poor, so they get a public defender. Which is essentially a warm body to satisfy the constitution in most cases. I can only guess at the value of the objects missing, but I'd wager more than $5000, but less than $20,000 (my new cellphone cost $1300) So that is a class 5 felony in Colorado and carries a penalty of 1-2yrs in state prison, $100k fine (up to), and 3 years parole.

Not exactly a slap on the wrist, but if these kids did something stupid like resisting arrest or assaulting an officer, or if they are found with contraband....

Now because you have a felony, you can't get a job at like 95% of places. I'm not up to speed as to the legality of not hiring felons, but 3 years of parole is tantamount to 3 years of unemployment. So that drops you into the bottom of the bottom. You start dealing drugs or stealing to afford food, you get caught, you now, because you have a 'record', and they lock you up for the rest of your life. (practically) In most cases, a felony is just a extremely long death sentence. People know this, so they will stop at nothing to try to escape the police, just making any transgression worse. They get pulled over for speeding or a broken tail light, panic because even a broken tail light can be a parole violation. So they run. When you run from a cop, well there are videos showing how that usually turns out.

Now if you have some modicum of money, your lawyer sings your praises, you look sad, and get a slap on the wrist. You get probation still, but if you play nice for X years, the record gets sealed, so no felony. Thus your life isn't ruined. I have watched this happen to people on both sides.

That is the cycle of our 'judicial' system. People scream it is racist, and there probably is a grain of truth to it. More than anything else, it punishes the poor.

@dirkmirk

1- oh most likely.
2- Well, naturally. Prisons are run by corporations here, and they make donations to certain judges to keep the cannon fodder rolling in.
3- see previous answer.
4- yes. in most parts of the country an ounce of weed will get you a felony/fine/& a year in prison. Obviously varies on type/amount/external factors such as trying to sell or even if you are close to a school.
5- YUP!
6- That's socialist talk! The plutocrats in charge make sure that message gets out. How else can they sell $1000 epi-pens? What are you going to do, NOT pay and die? Make your own? That's a prison sentence! But at least in prison you get some healthcare.
7- I voted for Trump. And I have a very specific, very personal reason why. I've come to find out, I'm not alone in my reasoning, at least so far as people have told me.

I wanted to vote for Sanders. In a nutshell, he got fucked over by the corporations that control the 'democratic' party. (different corporations control the RNC, but I digress) So in anger over his unfair treatment, a lot of people in the suburbs really took it hard. So as a fuck-you to the D's, they voted with Trump. Myself included. Again, my evidence for this is anecdotal, but I have yet to really get a conflicting statement from people I've talked to. Clinton was about as likeable as an oversized dragon dildo. Her puppet strings were so obvious they might as well have been actual chains.

I voted Trump in the hopes he would get elected and destroy this nation. Honest to god. I've been taught that people do not change until there is a SUDDEN EMOTIONAL EVENT. Trump being Trump, would hasten the divide between those that have, and those that don't, and hopefully quicky. "Why Luckybob!", you exclaim, "that would be horrible!". You would be right. I would hope people would actually feel threatened, and finally move from apathy into action and recreate the French revolution here in America. At least in theory at least.

Hillary's greatest asset was her husband. She should have made him a central part of her campaign and dusted off his 1992 program ("It's the economy stupid") and run on it with only minor modifications.

pretty much. I'm not going to disparage her too much, because she* has done and accomplished much more than I likely ever will. But that doesn't stop the fact, if it wasn't for her last name, nobody would have even given her the time of day.

She did not deserve the honor to be the first female president, I'm holding out hope for Elizabeth Warren to secure that honor.

I totally understand the reasoning behind voting for Trump because nothing would change if Hilary got in, it should have been obvious to the democrats as alot of people really, really disliked her.

Im hoping that Trump getting in is going to prove counter-productive for the republicans as it will polarise the population to come out and vote.

Thats another topic, voting should be compulsory!

Republicans are much better voters, you really need to force people to get out their to be represented, its a better system than being an option

If voting was mandatory, people would most likely vote against it.

@luckybob
George Carlin would agree with your theory about the rich keeping people scared to grab all the money.

Here's some statistics:
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vdhb.pdf

Of all household robberies in the US, violence is rare.
Serious violence such as sexual assault or murder in conjunction with household robberies is very rare.
The majority of violent household robberies were perpetrated by former boyfriends / girlfriends, relatives, or acquaintances.
The majority of robberies perpetrated with a resident on the premises were affected through an unlocked or open door or window.

I live in farming country. Firearms are part of everyday life here. They have a lot of legit uses, but I believe they should be treated with the respect they deserve and be kept unloaded and trigger locked in a secure cabinet or rack unless they're needed. If you're worried about safety, try dealing with it using a sturdy door, a sturdy lock, and some common sense first.