The American Police State

On July 17th, 2014, a man was murdered in broad daylight on the streets of New York.  Nothing was done to stop it.  No one tried to intervene.  Why?  Because the murderer was a NYPD cop.  The victim must have done something pretty terrible to have been killed by a policeman, right?  The man was selling un-taxed cigarettes.

In the early morning hours of June 29th, 2014, police respond to a call about a suspicious vehicle outside of a club.  The police reports claim the man was hitting the car and yelling.  The young man says he was watching videos on his cell phone while waiting for his girlfriend to get off work.  The results of the incident are a broken leg, black eye, and another run-in with the law that escapes significant accountability.

These are just 2 examples of the daily problems that come from over-confident, over-zealous cops that think they are above the law.  Think about it -- if a cop sees an individual make a right turn without signaling, they can make an illegal U-turn and break the speed limit before they pull someone over, search the car, and put them in jail with hefty fines for practically anything they want.

Have you seen an episode of "Cops"?  Think about how many lives are ruined because a cop wants to satisfy his monthly ticket quota.  He pulls over a young, black man -- still in college -- and convinces the man that he has the right to search his car because he "smells something suspicious."  He asks the man to step out of the car, and he is handcuffed for "procedural and safety reasons."  The man acts irritated and annoyed -- which are not crimes -- because he's being treated like a criminal during a routine traffic stop.  Whether the cop finds a joint in the car is irrelevant because at this point the man is going to be booked for something.  His record is going to be permanently blemished, and employers are going to be forever hesitant to hire someone who had issues with the law.  But it sure makes good television.

In the video below, you'll see a cop dramatically change his tone after he is told that he is being filmed.  Watch the cop squirm as he refuses to admit his guilt.  The truck driver signaled for the cop to pull over after the cop car sped past with the officer on his cell phone.  Cops are allowed to break the very law they are supposed to uphold.

Thankfully we live in an age where cameras are everywhere.  It would be incredibly naive to say that police brutality has only recently become a problem in America.  Twenty years ago, if you experienced a case of police brutality, it was commonly your word vs theirs -- and I bet I know who won those arguments.

This is the world we live in.  Cops can enforce the law however they see fit, and if they treat anyone with an unfair amount of force or coercion, they can rely on the lack of media coverage and their "official police report" to protect their heinous actions.  The examples of police brutality in America are practically infinite.  How have we gotten to a point where the police can literally murder a man with a choke hold and the media barely cover it?

July 1, 2014 -- Cop beats a homeless grandmother on the ground
June 16, 2014 -- Cop beats 19 yr old lesbian at a Gay Pride Parade
Jan 4, 2014 -- Cop beats 70 year old man having a diabetic attack
July 26, 2014 -- Cop stomps on the head of a man arrested for smoking weed
Nov 11, 2009 -- 2 Cops beat a man senseless, and were just now fired after a video surfaced in January
May 28, 2014 -- A SWAT team drug raid results in a flash bang nearly killing a child in a crib
May 2014 -- Police taze a sleeping passenger during a DUI stop in the EYE, twice 
April 25, 2014 -- Police break 3 bones in a mans face during a routine traffic stop for a cracked windshield

Gun Control and Voting Rights

Gun Control.  If you've read anything I've written, you know I'm a big fan of less government control.  But my view on gun control might surprise you.  Every gun-owner in the United States should take a gun safety class, have a gun license, and pass a background check.

Compare driving cars to owning guns.  The purpose of owning and driving a car is for efficient transportation.  Every American is free to choose to drive a car, but they first must pass a driver's test and get licensed.  Cars are dangerous.  There are tons of rules about driving cars that no one seems to complain about.  They keep people safe.  People who cannot prove that they can safely drive a car are not allowed to drive cars.  Seems simple enough.  Guns should be no different.  We all have the freedom to own and use guns, so asking for people to prove they can be a responsible gun owner is not too much to ask.  

Now compare voting to owning guns and driving cars.  Voting rights might seem to be an unrelated issue, but not when you think about it logically.  Voting in itself is not dangerous to the person voting, but the results of voting can have drastic effects on our country.  Does any American want someone to win an election as a result of voter fraud?  Doesn't everyone agree that we want our elections 100% free from corruption?  Just like driving cars and owning guns, the individual needs to prove they can be a responsible voter.  Vote once, and only once, in the elections that are available to you based on location/party/etc.  The best way to ensure that the power of the vote is not abused is by registering. The best way to assure guns don't easily get in the hands of criminals is by requiring registration.

So if you can't tell already, the hypocrisy around these issues is plenty.  Republicans scream that the government shouldn't be able to regulate guns, but they want voting more heavily regulated.  Democrats scream "voter suppression!" when registration is required to vote, but they want to heavily regulate guns.  This is why nothing ever gets accomplished in America -- our politicians are inconsistent on their views.  Republicans are pro-gun because southerners are more commonly gun owners and conservative voters, where as progressive voters are typically less likely to go register to vote.  This isn't rocket science.  It's all about votes and maintaining power to our politicians.

The majority of the people in America are honest and responsible.  But does that mean we should make it easy for the dishonest and irresponsible to misuse their power?   Owning a gun, driving a car, voting for our leaders... no one is saying that you can't do each of these things.  We all just need to be sure these things are done responsibly. 

Fixing Immigration: It will Never Happen

We will never achieve successful immigration reform until several things change.  Let's stop pretending that the Democrats have all the solutions to immigration.  Let's stop pretending that the Republicans can straighten out the immigration problem.  But the solution is a simple one, nonetheless, if only both sides could admit a few things.

The Democrats need to admit that a border is important.  The idea of a border has been around basically forever.  There is a border between my yard and my neighbor's, and there is a border between the United States and Mexico.  It is there to allow people and ideas to thrive separately, but co-exist with no issues.  For the same reason I can't decide to put a pool in my neighbors yard, all of Latin America can't just freely come into the United States.  I can institute an "eat your veggies or no dessert" policy for my son, but my neighbors don't have to follow that rule.  See?  Co-exist with no issues.  When you don't honor a border, the system falls apart.

The Republicans need to admit that immigration is a good thing.  Past, present, and future, the majority of Americans are here because of immigration.  Putting up a fence does not solve our immigration problem.  There are countless hard-working, motivated people that dream of coming to America.  These people would undoubtedly help put more money into our economy.  They would pay taxes just like every other American.  They would have the freedom to choose who to vote for just like every other American.  Republicans want you to think that every immigrant is a drain on society, but that simply isn't true.

Democrats need to admit that not every immigrant is going to help our country.  There are a lot of bad immigrants.  Some have criminal records, while others have a history of abusing the system.  There are diseases and viruses that could lead to the harm of other Americans.  And yes, there are even people who want nothing more than a free ride from our generous government.  Sweeping amnesty for all is not the solution, no matter what the Democrats tell you.

Both sides need to admit that they are mainly interested in votes.  In general, it takes generations of hard work, good choices, and responsibility to achieve success in America.  Rarely is success achieved over night.  Most immigrants would be just starting that path to success, and most low-wage workers would use any help they could get from the government.  And we all know Democrats love expanding entitlement programs.  Republicans simply don't want their opponents to secure more votes.  When it comes right down to it, this is the most important issue to the politicians in our country.

So now let me explain to you the logical solution to immigration reform in our country.  Firstly, let's secure the border.  Find a company in the private sector to manage the construction of a wall between Mexico and America.  Simple.  Secondly, completely scrap our current immigration process and start from scratch.  The current system takes years to legally become an American.  Again, contract out this process to a company in the private sector with plenty of checks and balances to assure a speedy, efficient immigration process -- it should take less than a month.  And finally, define the criteria to become an American.  You cannot have a criminal background, contagious sickness, or a history of joblessness.  You must have a minimal understanding of the English language.  There must be a time-limit established for those who enter our country and require government assistance.  These criteria make sense, right?  We can all agree that these things are not difficult to achieve -- don't be a criminal, have a job, learn some English.  It is common sense that these are qualities we expect in every American, so why should an immigrant be held to lesser standards?

So when pigs are flying and hell is frozen over, I expect Republicans and Democrats to have come to a successful solution to immigration in America.  It only took me 10 minutes.