Another school shooting- just outside Seattle

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Originally Posted by gstelmack

I am all for getting help to people who actually need it. I think we do a horrible job of that. We often spend the money on programs that won't work, instead of programs that help people get back on their feet.

Well, your first point we can agree on. My issue is defining what does and doesn't "work" and I guess that's where it all falls apart doesn't it? For example, if you define "working program" as one that is never abused (I'm not saying you are arguing that, but many with this viewpoint do) then you are chasing a sparkly unicorn because there will always be a few awful people who will game the system.

I dunno. I don't dive into issue debates much because the next time I see somebody's mind changed by an internet debate will be the first, and because we are all guided by our own experiences; so I'm not going to get too far into this.

My own personal ethos on issues comes down to this: I believe that a society is measured by how it treats it's least fortunate members and the innocent. So my viewpoint on any topic is going to refer to that. So then with that as my ethos, on this particular issue, I believe that an additional layer of paperwork (say background checks on all gun transactions) that may prevent a percentage of people not getting shot and killed is just common sense.

Would that have prevented this particular tragedy? Maybe, maybe not, but even if I conceded the point here it is still my opinion that it is the right thing to do for society as a whole. The aftermath of Sandy Hook tells me we are not in a place in our society where this can happen and that we will be dealing with horrible things like this for awhile yet. And I think that is sad.