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You know, the more I travel and educate myself on the rest of the world, the more I love living in the USA! The more states I travel to, the more I begin to appreciate Texas!

Places I've been to;
China: death penalty for firearms possession. Only people who may possess guns are communist party officials who may break any laws with impunity. There is no liberty in China. No free speech, no freedoms of any kind. If you defend yourself from crime, YOU will be punished for being a "vigilante". Crime is rampant in China. You may only own a 0.177 cal air gun in China. Worst of all you own NOTHING in China. Everything you own could be confiscated at will in China because it is a communist country.

Japan: average 1 year imprisonment for firearms possession. Only people who may possess guns are those who have given up their right to privacy. Police may search and harass you for whatever reason or for no reason at all if you own a legally licensed gun. You have to take a monthly weekday all day class in order to own a shotgun (the only legal gun in Japan unless you have a grandfathered rifle). It also requires time and money to own guns in Japan. Most Japanese have never seen nor touched a gun. No castle doctrine here. On a positive note, there is very little crime here.

Great Britain: not only do you not have a right to own guns (unless you are landed gentry), you also have no right to defend yourself. Furthermore, if you call the police, they will come to your home to take a statement TWO DAYS AFTER YOU CALL THEM. Crime is rampant in Great Britain. Self defense is not a reason to apply for a gun license. Only sporting or work reasons are allowed to attain a gun license. In other words, self-defense is illegal in not so great Britain. Work reasons would be security guard and sporting reasons would be noble lord who has private hunting land. There is no public land hunting in the UK. UK is socialist, which is only a step away from China-style communism.

Colombia: everyone knows someone who was killed by senseless violence. I went there but left in mid-trip due to the dangers.

Summary: America has the most personal freedom and financial freedom. Some places have more financial freedom such as Hong Kong. Other countries may have almost as much personal freedom as America. However, no place has a high degree of financial AND personal freedom like America. If you love freedom, then the good 'ol US of A is the place to be and Texas is the best state in the union. (Alaska may be just as free as Texas, but it's just too doggone cold). God, I love this country and God Bless Texas!

I won't say I've traveled extensively, but I have visited a number of other countries . . . and I'd say that the USA is the worst place in the world to live, except for all those other places.

just think of how great we would be if we sold off california ?

Who migrates to where?

longhornmike wrote:just think of how great we would be if we sold off california ?

*IF* - who would buy it?

I cannot help but chime in as you are very mis-informed. I have not been to Columbia or Britain, but both China and Japan have far lower crime rate, especially on violent crimes than USA.

drjoker wrote:You know, the more I travel and educate myself on the rest of the world, the more I love living in the USA! The more states I travel to, the more I begin to appreciate Texas!

Places I've been to;
China: death penalty for firearms possession. Only people who may possess guns are communist party officials who may break any laws with impunity. There is no liberty in China. No free speech, no freedoms of any kind. If you defend yourself from crime, YOU will be punished for being a "vigilante". Crime is rampant in China. You may only own a 0.177 cal air gun in China. Worst of all you own NOTHING in China. Everything you own could be confiscated at will in China because it is a communist country.

No, it's not death penalty for firearm possession. I challenge you to show me the law that says that.

No, you don't have to be a communist to possess guns. Firearms are mostly reserved for military and police - no, you don't need to be a communist to be in military or police. Gun permits (rifles) are available to hunters but very strict rules apply.

No, you wouldn't be punished for being a vigilante. It's most likely that they would give you a medal and hail you as a hero. The Chinese are mostly taught to be vigilant and they rely heavily on community policing - regular citizens.

No, nobody will confiscate your personal stuff. There's no such law, justification or motivation. There were cases after the civil war (1950s) but not in the last 30 years. After the American civil wars, it's the same thing.

drjoker wrote: Japan: average 1 year imprisonment for firearms possession. Only people who may possess guns are those who have given up their right to privacy. Police may search and harass you for whatever reason or for no reason at all if you own a legally licensed gun. You have to take a monthly weekday all day class in order to own a shotgun (the only legal gun in Japan unless you have a grandfathered rifle). It also requires time and money to own guns in Japan. Most Japanese have never seen nor touched a gun. No castle doctrine here. On a positive note, there is very little crime here.

In which part of USA, can you NOT give up your right to privacy when you possess firearm, except for face-to-face purchase, of course? In which part of USA, do you NOT require time and money to own guns??? Since they have little crime, they do not feel the need of having a gun while in USA, it's the complete opposite, but you still choose to live there.

There's a lot of historical reason why Japan is so strict on gun control (same goes with China). Keep in mind, after WWII, Japan has been put on strict restriction on its military size etc.

drjoker wrote: Summary: America has the most personal freedom and financial freedom. Some places have more financial freedom such as Hong Kong. Other countries may have almost as much personal freedom as America. However, no place has a high degree of financial AND personal freedom like America. If you love freedom, then the good 'ol US of A is the place to be and Texas is the best state in the union. (Alaska may be just as free as Texas, but it's just too doggone cold). God, I love this country and God Bless Texas!

I see your patriotism but you need to be more realistic. It really comes down to what you see as personal freedom and financial freedom. Is owning gun a part of your freedom? Well, in some African countries, you feel free to own guns and personal properties and say whatever about the government but you may not live to see another day. USA today has more socialism and communism than the red China. Do you know that it is constitutional that the government can "confiscate" your personal property to build highways etc.?

Please don't get me wrong. I think USA is a great country, which is why I am still here; however, there are other great countries in the world. For example, I wouldn't hesitate to move to Italy.

One thing you may not realize is that in USA, there's no universal health insurance system - no i do not mean the government should run the system. After you lose/quit your job, your personal and financial freedom would go right out of the window should you get sick or injured.

I don't have a clue who would buy California outright, but the Chinese may take it in payment for the national debt we are incurring. But I don't think they are interested in New York, which really should go on the chopping block first. Cuba is potentially the high bidder here. Like, the language barrier would be almost a non issue in many parts of the state. It's really a good fit. Cuba and New York. Bloomberg would have to go, however, on account of he's got a handgun permit.

longhornmike wrote:just think of how great we would be if we sold off california ?

I cannot believe you would even prompt this question. California, 10th largest economy in the world, is why USA is USA and where the money is being made and generated.

Obviously I do not share their communism view, but I am talking about being an economic engine, innovation and investment etc. Those guys are years ahead of the rest of the country.

Stupid wrote:

longhornmike wrote:just think of how great we would be if we sold off california ?

I cannot believe you would even prompt this question. California, 10th largest economy in the world, is why USA is USA and where the money is being made and generated.

Obviously I do not share their communism view, but I am talking about being an economic engine, innovation and investment etc. Those guys are years ahead of the rest of the country.

Not intending to argue but rather honest inquiry...how does their economic contribution to the US as a whole compare or can be explained when their state economics are in a superbly poor condition?

Back on point, if you please:

Although we fell in love with the Glacier Country of NW Montana last summer we still returned to Texas in October.

Stupid wrote:Firearms are mostly reserved for military and police - no, you don't need to be a communist to be in military or police. Gun permits (rifles) are available to hunters but very strict rules apply.

In China, you don't need a permit to buy ammunition or at least pay for it. You see, when a member of your family is executed, you'll receive a bill for the bullet . . .

Stupid wrote:There's a lot of historical reason why Japan is so strict on gun control.

The two main reasons are 1) peasants with firearms could kill the most elite samurai with ease when he came raping and pillaging; and 2) Japan lost WWII, and the occupying power (that's us) didn't like the idea of armed Japs running around all over during the occupation. Personal disarmament has now become deeply ingrained into the Japanese culture.

And as for low crime rates in both countries . . . they're a lot more culturally uniform than we are, and they really don't tolerate differences. (This is particularly true in Japan.) Give China and Japan our "diversity" . . . and you'll see an uptick in crime right quick.

IIRC, Asian countries perfected the martial arts because
the peasants were denied weapons and needed a self-defense
system which could not be confiscated by the authorities.

SIA

HankB wrote:In China, you don't need a permit to buy ammunition or at least pay for it. You see, when a member of your family is executed, you'll receive a bill for the bullet . . .

Please remember it's a different culture. People in China see family as one unity and they are very family-oriented. In the the extreme past, 100 years ago, the whole family would be typically executed as well in crimes such as treason. This has been abolished of course since the end of Chinese Empire at around 1911. No family members would be affected anymore, but for the past 5000 years, that was how things were done.

The Chinese believe in harsh punishment - hard labor for convicts. Their recidivism rate is ridiculously low at 6%. Try that in USA, somewhere around 60% I believe. How about you talk about that first? Do you want to live in a place that houses the most criminal per capita AND for every one released, 60% of which will commit more crimes? Just for your information, that place is called United States of America.

HankB wrote:The two main reasons are 1) peasants with firearms could kill the most elite samurai with ease when he came raping and pillaging; and 2) Japan lost WWII, and the occupying power (that's us) didn't like the idea of armed Japs running around all over during the occupation. Personal disarmament has now become deeply ingrained into the Japanese culture.

Again, get your facts straight please. Since Meiji Restoration (1868), the Samurai class was largely abolished - watch "The Last Samurai" to get an idea. The Japanese new army was formed mostly by peasants and trained by westerners. Nobody could legally carry a sword except for military and police since then. Before then, nobody but Samurai could carry a sword or any weapon.

You are correct on that the Allies did not like a armed Japanese society; however, the gun/weapon control had taken place long before the Allies occupation - somewhere hundreds of years before.

I don't know about best state in what category. Not high school graduates, not lowest poverty rate, we nearly are the highest for obesity, nearly the highest % for uninsured children.
Second highest for # of kids in foster care due to abuse and neglect, we are the highest in death penalty.

We aren't much to brag about in terms of quality of care for our citizens. Don't let yourself be fooled, there is a great deal of work to be done.

Stupid wrote: Please remember it's a different culture. People in China see family as one unity and they are very family-oriented. In the the extreme past, 100 years ago, the whole family would be typically executed as well in crimes such as treason. This has been abolished of course since the end of Chinese Empire at around 1911. No family members would be affected anymore, but for the past 5000 years, that was how things were done.

The Chinese believe in harsh punishment - hard labor for convicts. Their recidivism rate is ridiculously low at 6%. Try that in USA, somewhere around 60% I believe. How about you talk about that first? Do you want to live in a place that houses the most criminal per capita AND for every one released, 60% of which will commit more crimes? Just for your information, that place is called United States of America.

You are quite the apologist for China. Perhaps you'd rather live there. It's easy to reduce recidivism when you either imprison for life, execute or exile the offenders. Do you believe that China's reporting of crime rates is accurate?

Before a visit by anyone of importance, say Bell Helicopter, the beneficent Chinese government will round up thousands of homeless from the streets and inter them until the visitors have left. It becomes an embarrassment for a communist regime to have people it can't take care of, so it becomes illegal to be homeless. But from your point of view, the homeless rate is lower there and the communists give everyone a home...at least temporarily.

But I am not going to tell you that, if you find the United States so distasteful and China so attractive, move. I'm not going to tell you that because all you have to do, with the current administration, is wait...you'll be there soon enough.

Mods, shouldn't this be in the political forum? I wasn't in the mood for, nor expected this conversation in this forum.