Corrupt Economy contributing to Mass Shootings?

Why don't they just get a Union Job? Our has had the best 2 year run Ever since its inception almost 120 yrs ago

PA.. They can move, free country..

I just got back from bucks county last week.
nice area.

you need to look into how poverty affects people,and one of the first things to go bye bye is mobility.

most americans are completely unaware of the actual state of our union.
hint: it is bad.

there are entire communities that are labeled "sacrifice zones".

Bucks is nice, i am 1 hr away.

Mobility today? I will disagree with you on that one. My great grand parents came here from Italy with absolutely nothing as teens, no parents, no other family, no job just will.
Today you have the net, You can get a job interview online. We have paved roads and many ways to travel.There are plenty of jobs now. Our local was full of guys needing work over 2 years ago but now we are in the best 2 yr period ever. (we have had some legal probs in the local news too) but that didnt hurt us (much)
We work in bad places sometimes. the guys always talk with he kids etc. ask them if they want to make a buck grabbing sodas etc, Nope (most of them ) The jobs are there but nobody wants to start at the bottom anymore.

I understand the appeal of anecdotal evidence,but taken in aggregate,it always fails to reveal the larger picture.

I just sold my house down south.
rampant opiate addictions,massive dropout rate.
a total disconnect to the local community,and the local government was deaf and blind to the issues,and in typical southern fashion.they just made it a criminal justice issue.

prison is big business down south.

it cost me 10 grand to move.

the average household income where I left?
24,000 for a single person.
average rent?
900.00

I could go on,but your comment just reflects the disconnect that americans have when it comes to the poor.

I know you are not a heartless or callous person,and I do not mean to imply that you are,but the situation is far worse than we see on the news.

I am not disconnected to the poor, I deal with family members everyday who are very poor.
I try to get my family member help daily. she is on/off drugs (heroin) early 50's victim of severe molestation as a child , abt a decade in jail for trying to run over a female officer, shot 7 times, lived, health probs. was good for a decade till her wife left her a yr ago because she was back on H, wife was recovering addict too and wanted to stay clean. I dont blame her. When my family member was ok, tried to get her jobs, she would quit in a week. ssi pays 783 a month. point being she is her own worst enemy now. Wants to go on Vaca, wants a car , wasted 1200$ on a clunker and she is banned from driving for life.Attempted vehicular homicide of cop will do that..She is NOT responsible for the things that happened to her as a child but she is responsible for her adult life. I wont give her money but will give her food, clothes etc.But what i am getting at is, what little money she gets, she spends it on stupid things
I have another family member who is 30, special needs from birth, semi handi capped but handicapible if you asked me. He wastes money like crazy. I did his monthly bills for him, checking everything and he spends 20%-25% of his income (ssi, sec 8) on cigarettes and regular soda (and he is diabetic). he had a reoccurring bill of almost 20$ a month for some video game subscription (like xbox live) and he sold the x box almost a yr b4 but never cancelled the subscription. His family member (not related to me) owns a huge business and offered him a cash job, learning the fam busn (they are well to do) He wont go. Its his fault he is poor.
Some people have bad things happen to them and get stuck in a rut and I feel for them
But some others are in a rut, have a way out and wont do it.

Think of our greatest potus, at least the most eloquent one. for me its Abe Lincoln.
Lincoln was literally dirt poor. He did his lessons on the back of a coal shovel and used burnt ash as a pencil.You do not need fancy$$$ education to get by. You do however need Guidance(some ppl dont get that and thats sad) and you need determination .
The day I graduated HS, I watched all my friends drive off to their "senior week parties" down the local NJ shores. I walked home, got undressed from my good clothes, put on my work clothes and went to work. I didn't go to college , no money for it.I was an honor role student (30+ yrs ago) went to trade school on my dime, worked 80 hrs wk

you just confirmed what I suspected:
you are a decent guy.

I donate my time to counsel addicts looking to get clean.(I volunteer a lot)
I fail far more than I succeed.
my past is a tad more..colorful..so let's just say I understand addiction.

best weapon I have to help addicts is hope,some people don't handle hardships well,trauma well..and they don't have the tools to deal with some things.

some people are lazy.
some people want to just jump to the head of the line.
some people don't understand what 'work" entails,and struggle.

family is so important.it is vital.

and even then,no guaruntees.

too many people want complicated issues reduced to these easily digestible nuggets,and life simply doesn't work that way.

shit is complicated.

chris hedges wrote a book "days of destruction,days of revolt".
it is a heartbreaker.

my brother in law is a lot like you.
great guy,love him to pieces and have mad respect for him.
but people making poor decisions that nuke their life leave him baffled.

to him it is easy.
get a job and start working your way out of the hole you dug for yourself.
done.

but he is applying HIS subjective understanding on another (understandable,this is what we do as humans).

I never judge,but I also do not allow any form of:lying,cheating,stealing or taking advantage.

down south I ran a recovery house.i rented my two back rooms out for junkies trying to get clean (my brother thought I was nuts),and for the most part,things worked for the better,but...junkies gonna be junkies.

I am of the mind that I don't care how big you are,how badass.
I am ex military,you aint gonna impress me.
real strength in my opinion,is doing the right thing,even when it is hard to do.
sticking by your principles,even if it costs you.
protecting the weaker,even if you pay a price.

so a man who steals,or cheats,or lies.
is weak.

and I will walk away (or kick you out of my house) in a second.

but how do we do that as a community?
or a nation?

maybe we could start by not marginalizing people who are less off then we are?
stop punching down,and lifting people up?

which sounds like that is exactly what you try to do.

I am liking the cut of your jib red.
you are alright in my book.

now I GOT to get to packing,(wasted a bunch of time on gumbey).

ill ttyl bud.