The government, ironically, is supposed to be a government for the people, in the USA at least. Yet we have constantly seen that people are being controlled by the government, and our freedoms being taken away slowly, and slowly, and slowly, yet we have allowed this to happen.
Let me list some things:
1. Tobacco Tax
2. Banning smoking in public places
3. Plastic bag ban
4. Ban on drugs (Looks bad, but there is no reason for marijuana to really even be banned)
5. Closure of coal plants (30 closed across the nation, decreasing our electricity generation capacity)
And more...
Unfortunately for me to make things worse, I live in a liberal city full of liberals that want things only their way. They're increasing electric rates, banning plastic bags soon and making a big stir...
Electric used to be much cheaper $0.03-0.04 and now it's going up to rates such as $0.15/KWh. They decided to close down a ton of power plants in the city while demand is rising, and decided that stealing more money from our pockets is a viable solution to lower demand and rolling blackouts.
So why don't people stand up to the government? Our freedoms are slowly being taken away. The majority politicians only go into government to control people and have power. Of course that is human nature but we still can limit that from having such slow and devastating impacts on our freedoms.
I'd bet 100 bitcoins that we live in the same city. And that is why after this July I'm moving across the the big body of water on the edge of our city. The land over there is much cheaper and your average home is more than 15 feet from the neighbors. The air is cleaner and as a major plus, gang activity is almost nonexistent. Work is just a 30 minute ferry ride away! Also the price of electricity isn't going to rise 60% over the next 3 years.
Sales tax is also not at a crippling 10%. I always laugh at the self righteous hipster douchebags championing the rights of the poor, while simultaneously proposing sales tax increases for more bike lanes. What a slap in the face for people living paycheck to paycheck.
What most angers me about this place is the handling of the recent spate in gun violence. I am a gun owner and respect the right of people to own and carry them. I also understand the need for reasonable restrictions, such as a background check. However, the police chief comes out and says that guns are the problem and not the people who use them. He said something to the effect that someone who has a gun is more likely to use it. While he is absolutely correct, someone without a gun can never use one, it is a gross oversimplification. It is the same as saying someone with a car is more likely to get a DUI. He simply does not understand the mentality of the shooters. The guys willing to pull weapons and start firing at each other often are using illegally obtained guns. No amount of restrictions will solve that, as by definition, criminals ignore the law. Furthermore, these individuals display a wanton disregard for bystanders. In the past few months, there have been a number of rolling gun battles, in which to cars fly down a street trading gunfire. Many of the victims in this recent outburst in violence have been bystanders. I live a few blocks from the intersection where a father was hit by a stray bullet and killed. His only crime was driving his kids to an area park. The people perpetrating the majority of the violence are gang members. Unless we find a way to curb their activity, I have a feeling this year will turn from a statistical blip to a more worrisome trend.
