The sad side of America

Pristinegirl

Pristinegirl

Well-known member
MBTI
ANFP
I truly love America and think it is great. However today my eyes opened to a side of America I have never seen before. I saw a chocking documentary called Louis Theroux: Killadelphia. It was very saddening and pitiful to see the inhabitant's harsh reality, almost an antisociety.

In North Philly there are blocks that literally have the look of a war zone, with whole rows of housing turned over to drug dens, ghostly addicts wandering about, and dealers on street corners round the clock. With the drugs come homicides and no one is willing to cooperate with the cops even if they have wittnessed something because their number one rule is 'never snitch'.

Here is the whole documentary: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-258794784227132041

Or Here is a clip from the documentary:

[YOUTUBE]IYLepQQNQCU[/YOUTUBE]

I understand that it is not an easy issue but my question is: do you think it it can be solved or at least improved. If so, how?
 
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Yeah Philly is a tough city, I spent a few weekends there visiting my brother and his wife and their daughters at the Ronald mcDonald house it was right in one of those areas. It wasnt as bad as it seems but it was absolutely a tough area. This isnt an America specific though, check out the ghettos in France.
 
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  • Remove the laws that say it's a crime to sell or buy illicit narcotics
  • Ensure that Narcotics be sold over the counter at a pharmacy, where they're maintained at the same chemical compound and strength, as well as FAA testing for ingredients
  • Provide free health care to all citizens
  • All Abandoned Housing that is owned by the banks, have them sell it at bottom dollar, and I do mean "Bottom Dollar" to the current inhabitants.
  • Provide a community based police force that comes from THAT community, with family roots in it.
  • Ensure that the Internal Affairs is no longer a part of the Police Force, and has greater powers of arrest for arresting police who abuse their position
  • Give those communities a stronger voice in the city council
  • Increase tax on bullets (not guns) so that it becomes incredibly expensive to buy ammunition for their weapons.
 
While I can see where you are coming from on some of those points shai, its not as easy as all that, for this country to switch to sudden free healthcare, our economy would crash even further...While I hate the insurance c companies, drug companies, and doctors...Think of how many workers will loose jobs if these industries are no longer profitable. How does a country in so much deficit pay the doctors to treat patients?

As for the drugs...well I agree with you...they should be leagalized controlled substances...but these areas...they are like war zones...take away what they are fighting about and they will find something else...These people literally have to fight to stay alive, every day...

Something that I think will also help is stop allowing american based companies to do all their grunt work in countries where its cheeper labor...Levis should pay american workers to make their jeans...Nike should pay american workers to make the shoes...ect...More people would have work...
 
That's a damn good solution too. For an American company to sell in America, it should have to employ 90% American staff. Any company that tries to get out of it by registering in another nation, can no longer sell within the U.S.A.

However, it would be that easy. So some more people lose their jobs... Destroy the agribusiness industries that produce sterile seeds so that people need to re-buy seeds from them each year. Ensure that everyone is growing their own foods in their community. They can be sold from inside the community to the community, and specialised products can be sold nationally or brought in on independent means. This ensures that no one starves.

Remind everyone how to make water filtration devices, and ensure they can buy rainwater tanks. This ensures no one dies from dehydration.

Then it's simply a matter of rebuilding the economy from the ground up with small business.

So 30% of Americans might die during that. That's a chance I'm willing to take.
 
Im not willing to take it...I am not willing to take the change that my nine year old daughter is one of that thirty percent...Im just not...If it comes to that, I think I will leave the country.
 
Shai Gar said:
Leave and do what where? Be a wage slave for someone else?
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I am not currently a wage slave...I own my own business...Look im not trying to argue and I agree with you to some extent..I think america needs reform on healthcare...but I also think that to do that would nearly destroy it
 
Entyqua said:
I am not currently a wage slave...I own my own business...Look im not trying to argue and I agree with you to some extent..I think america needs reform on healthcare...but I also think that to do that would nearly destroy it
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If you own your own business, then you'd survive. It's only those who don't know how to work for themselves, or do things without other peoples supervision and payment who'd suffer.
 
Shai Gar said:
If you own your own business, then you'd survive. It's only those who don't know how to work for themselves, or do things without other peoples supervision and payment who'd suffer.
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no we wouldnt...my husband works for a financial company...while he is not technically supervised, he works with in a corporation structure, which his type of work is generally... He is paid a salary...We couldn't survive on just my income...no way...no how...
 
You need his salary for what? Break it down.

Break down how else you could achieve what you need from his salary.

How much does your company provide you with?
Is that enough to support what you truly need to pay for and cannot get by creating yourself?
 
It is very complicated as in this case the community does 'not want' to be helped. Another important factor is that as soon as e.g. a powerful drug dealer is removed, another takes his place... ALSO what is up with drive-by shootings?

For instance there was a guy who was arrested and he had tattooed his hands, at the start of his fingers. On one hand it said Born and the other said Thug. So he was asked why it said Born Thug. He thought about it and responded "I struggle and stuff". So he was asked again but Why? and he truly looked devistated, as if he held back a tear and said "What else should it say? WHAT else should it say??".
 
The drug lord is only there because the community can't get drugs any other way. If you look at my plan, i tackle that situation, the situation which created the lack of trust in outsiders and the government, as well as providing aid for healing.
 
Shai Gar said:
The drug lord is only there because the community can't get drugs any other way. If you look at my plan, i tackle that situation, the situation which created the lack of trust in outsiders and the government, as well as providing aid for healing.
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Actually the drug lord is there because almost all users are located there. But in such a case of that you proposed, wouldn't it spread and become a bigger more widespread national problem?
 
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Shai Gar said:
Remove the laws that say it's a crime to sell or buy illicit narcotics
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If we were to do that I would feel more comfortable if we had an extensive treatment system. Which I assume you thought would be covered by the healthcare system.

That seems like reasonable enough though.

All Abandoned Housing that is owned by the banks, have them sell it at bottom dollar, and I do mean "Bottom Dollar" to the current inhabitants.
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If you own an abandoned house well it would probably be in bad condition so you would have to bring it up to code to make it any kind of money off of it. Which costs a lot of money money many people don't have. I think that there should be option for free demolition.

Provide a community based police force that comes from THAT community, with family roots in it.
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What's the reason for that one?


Increase tax on bullets (not guns) so that it becomes incredibly expensive to buy ammunition for their weapons.
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That would probably open up a black market for bullets.


I like your plan but I think it needs some tinkering.

:mlight:
 
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I would also strongly suggest improving the education system. That probably contributes a lot to poverty which drives people into hustling. Same goes for the welfare system.
 
Lucifer said:
I would also strongly suggest improving the education system. That probably contributes a lot to poverty which drives people into hustling. Same goes for the welfare system.
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I second this. Education needs a rehaul and we need to find ways to motivate the poor to be interested in and continue education.
 
Lucifer said:
I would also strongly suggest improving the education system. That probably contributes a lot to poverty which drives people into hustling. Same goes for the welfare system.
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I think that's one of the keys. And I'm not only talking about the system, I'm also talking about the teachers specifically. Of all professionals, I think educators have the biggest impact on society (or at least they have the potential to have the biggest impact on society).
 
Pristinegirl said:
Why are they not interested in getting an education though? and why do they have the attitude they have?
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Look at where they live...They dont see the point in an education when they could be dead tomorrow...or have to join the gang just to survive...They dont see a point in learning when their reality shows no way out!
 
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