• Prinz Kasper
    link
    fedilink
    172 months ago

    What “freedoms” would they be giving up, exactly? The freedom to become a school shooter?

    • Time
      link
      fedilink
      10
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      Every freedom. You’re giving the government a green light to do whatever they want to you. Two pure examples of this is China and Russia. How do you think tyrannical regimes come along? By taking away your ability to defend yourself. This has been shown in history multiple times.

          • Something Burger 🍔
            link
            fedilink
            92 months ago

            This is objectively true. I have the freedom to go to college without being in crippling debt, the freedom to take 5 weeks of paid vacation every year, the freedom to go to a doctor without fear of bankruptcy, the freedom to travel or move to another country at will…

            Living in the US has literally no upside.

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              5
              edit-2
              2 months ago

              Haha and how much are you getting taxed up your arse for all the ‘free’ stuff exactly? Good luck with the third mortgage so you can keep up with tax payments while you freeze your arse off this winter and half your children die due to malnourishment.

              • Something Burger 🍔
                link
                fedilink
                11
                edit-2
                2 months ago

                Ameritards pay more per capita for far worse healthcare. Enjoy getting taxed to bomb kids in the Middle East!

                • @[email protected]
                  link
                  fedilink
                  32 months ago

                  taxed to bomb kids in the Middle East

                  That’s literally any Western country dude, stop already. Enjoy being nuked by Russia to ensure continued American hegemony.

                • @[email protected]
                  link
                  fedilink
                  42 months ago

                  What do you think guarantees all the other rights? A strongly worded letter to the local newspaper?

                  • @[email protected]
                    link
                    fedilink
                    12 months ago

                    So you think the government in the United States of America is so afraid of its constituents that they are not raising the taxes.

                    What about all the other countries in the world that have less or similar taxes like the states but no 2. amendment? Are they completely reliant on sending strongly worded letters to the newspapers? Or do you think in a functional democracy there might be other ways for constituents to wield power?

              • @[email protected]
                link
                fedilink
                92 months ago

                We keep up with the mortgage because the minimum wage here is $16USD.

                The average Australian citizen pays $17,000 in taxes as opposed to $14,000 for seppos.

                For that, I know myself and all my fellow Australians will never be crippled with medical debt, as going to the hospital is always free. We have the second best health care in the world, right next to the UK.

                Us Aussies like to look out for each other, rather than you individualistic, seemingly selfish yanks.

                • @[email protected]
                  link
                  fedilink
                  12 months ago

                  Ahhh an Aussie, your state mandated levels of Stockholm syndrome towards your nanny state will never allow you to open your eyes to any other possibilities. Again with the word ‘free’, I don’t think you quite understand how much you pay through your arse for so little. If you think the UK has good healthcare or is something to brag about, you truly are lost my friend.

                  • @[email protected]
                    link
                    fedilink
                    12 months ago

                    Key word is “state mandated”, only the state of Victoria was locked down, I think COVID barely scratched the other states. I also lived in NZ at the time, and as you recall, we barely got COVID and I spent 2020 and 2021 skiing and partying. Thanks to clever leadership, not seen in the US at the time.

                    As for UK healthcare, I quickly researched where Australia stacked up in the world and by most metrics, the UK was overwhelmingly the best. Unlike the weirdly propagandized Americans, I don’t have to do weird mental gymnastics to try and force my country at the top. I can accept facts.

              • @[email protected]
                link
                fedilink
                7
                edit-2
                2 months ago

                Dude, I’m American and even I know they get more time off, get paternity and maternity leave, can take more vacations, have better transit, pay less in health insurance. They have enough disposable income to do the things we do, but don’t have to worry about the other bullshit as much. Nothing they get is “free”, and they know this, but they don’t have to think twice about using the services.

                • @[email protected]
                  link
                  fedilink
                  32 months ago

                  Have you actually lived anywhere in Europe or are you just guessing from the other side of the fence? Do you have any idea how much we have to pay through our noses for useless medical insurance that leaves you waiting 3-4 weeks to see a mf GP when it is your turn and has people dying on waiting lists.

                  I’m not advocating for a USA style system, but the momo above you makes it sound like Europe (western part anyway) is some sort of utopia.

                  • @[email protected]
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    92 months ago

                    You literally just described American healthcare. I don’t know where people get this idea that you don’t have to wait to see a doctor here. I’ve had to book doctors appointments months out. And specialists can be 6+ months of waiting.

                    I think the Americans that say otherwise actually don’t try to go to the doctor on a regular basis. And if you press them on why, they’ll admit it is a fucking hassle and worried about the bill if they need to actually get something done.

                  • @[email protected]
                    link
                    fedilink
                    5
                    edit-2
                    2 months ago

                    Everyone has problems man. Nothing is a Utopia, but there are better systems. And I get my opinions from articles that I’ve read. They are readily available on search engines and compare and contrast US vs Western Europe, which is what we’re objectively talking about when comparing.

                    No, I’ve not lived in Europe but my mother’s side of the family is German so I do talk to actual people who live there.

                    Edit: You only have to wait 3-4 weeks?! Try waiting 7-8 months, bud. That’s to see a general fucking practitioner! Then pay over $100/visit until you meet your deductible with good insurance.

                  • @iknowitwheniseeit
                    link
                    32 months ago

                    Where do you live? That’s certainly not my experience in the Netherlands. Of course we have expensive health care because our center right government believed in privatizing everything, but it’s still way better than the US. Source: born American, currently Dutch.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            72 months ago

            Only on about every independent freedom index ever made. Although, im sure you’ll just declare the USA to be more free regardless.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        5
        edit-2
        2 months ago

        Do you think private individuals should also be able to own tanks, ground to air missiles, fighter jets, aircraft carriers and nukes? Why stop at rifles? What do you think rifles will do against a fighter jet?

        If you think the people should be able to violently overthrow the government, then the people need to have appropriate armament for something like that. Yet i dont see many people advocating for the right to have tanks.

        If more guns means more democracy, why all the places that have tons of guns are so undemocratic? The only exception to this is Switzerland but there people dont actually have guns. Technically they have guns but they have no ammo and their guns are locked and arent allowed to openly carry rifles around.

        Everything has a price. And the price for your unrealistic “the government should be afraid of the people because the people have guns” position is the dead children. It’s the every time someone gets angry over something, they have a weapon that can easily end the life of someone else. Do you honestly trust the general public with that power?

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          4
          edit-2
          2 months ago

          Animals I’ve seen on my property: law enforcement, moose, elk, bison, cow, brown bear, black bear, wolf, wild dog

          Number of times law enforcement has engaged me for existing while brown since I began to open carry: 0

          Bonus: boomers, MAGA, and neolibs are all afraid to engage.

          They’ll take my rifle and pistol when they pry them from my cold, dead hands.

      • atro_city
        link
        fedilink
        32 months ago

        Yes, every country with gun laws has turned into a dictatorship. Such is how things go when your freedom to have an assault rifle for defense is restricted. France, Spain, Australia, Norway, Sweden, etc. all currently have totalitarian governments suppressing their citizens more than the USA. Without a gun, every freedom is lost.

        /s (obviously)

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        32 months ago

        Russians absolutely have guns. And their laws aren’t very strict. And you seriously think the majority of developed countries where gun laws are stricter than the US’s are in imminent danger of tyranny?

        Sheesh. Tyranny absolutely doesn’t care about guns, and even appreciates them in some ways. Because before things are bad enough that government weaponry (which citizens can never hope to match if the government is serious enough) is used to enforce it, militias of extremists will absolutely start the process of turning the country to shit. And will not prevent actual tyrannical behaviour by the government.

        Proud Boys standing at polling stations with military weapons to intimidate voters for “safety”. Extremist anti-abortion nutheads enforcing their point of view regardless of laws or basic logic. Police murdering citizens for minor offenses or unfounded suspicions, where a gun on the citizen’s person couldn’t possibly do anything but make the cops more afraid and more violent. (What you gonna do with your guns? Start a frickin’ war with the police? You know they’ll call for reinforcements and now have a perfectly valid reason to shoot, right?)

        Those are all happening in the US. Guns aren’t helping with any of this tyrannical behaviour, and while I’m not willing to put my hand over the fire over this take, it would be reasonable to consider whether the popularity of gun laws and lax gun regulation have made things worse.