Memorial Day

Is this a place to debate things without getting downvoted a lot?

That's my intent.

There hasn't been a whole lot of debate yet, but yeah, hopefully.

lol

do you want to debate me right now? also when im going to be off right now but ill be back in like 3-4 hours

Yeah. Sorry it took a bit to get back to you. Anyway, here are my stances on a few issues(in no particular order), take your pick:

1. My favorite 2020 presidential candidate was Bernie Sanders. By no means do I think full-on socialism is a viable system(neither did Sanders), as I'm a strong proponent of a free market, however I think the American economy could do well to expand on some of its more socialistic policies. Corporations require regulation for a true free market, but free enterprise is vital for a thriving economy.

2. Gun control: I strongly support the 2nd Amendment, I believe the right to keep and bear arms by law-abiding citizens is an important freedom that should not be infringed. That being said, I also believe some kind of gun control is necessary. Mental illness is the real root of the problem, not 'assault weapons' as liberals will say, or the 'violent' video games conservatives like to blame. To be effective, gun control needs take mental health into account more than it currently does, as well as other changes to fix a broken system.

3. Health care: I think universal healthcare is important, however a system like Obamacare has its shortcomings. Rather than tossing this system out the window, I believe it needs to be fixed. It's a decent foundation, but needs more work.

4. LGBT+ rights: I strongly support LGBT+ rights. There are many laws still in place that discriminate against people of the LGBT+ community and perpetuate harm against them. Conversion therapy needs to be banned on a federal level, it is a blatant human rights violation and must end now. Gay couples should not be excluded from child adoption, they are just as capable of parenting and raising a child as any straight couple.

5. I don't support Trump in the least, he's proven that he's not up to the job of leading this country. That being said, partisanship from both parties is gonna screw the American people over big time if things keep going the way they're going.

My position on the political spectrum is around 3 units down, 1 unit left, I'm a moderate Left-Libertarian.

Not much of a debater, but i'll try.

"To be effective, gun control needs take mental health into account more than it currently does, as well as other changes to fix a broken system. "

I agree mental illness is a root cause of mass shootings, however, you have to realize that this system can be easily abused. The definition of mental illness is too loose. If the government chooses so, they can be like: "you don't support us, No gun for you!"

In my opinion, we have to weigh the costs and benefits. For example, we shouldn't have to spend billionaires of dollars to just fix a tiny blemish. (This is oversimplified.)

Gun control isn't exactly like that. What are the costs? What are the benefits?

In my opinion, the benefits is that it could reduce the amount of mass shootings by a lot (that being said, some people show no mental illness before they buy guns). The cost is that some people may not get access to guns as this system could be easily abused.

I think having guns is a benefit, but with any benefits, there will always be drawbacks. Mass shootings and the like are the drawbacks of this privilege.

"[trump]'s proven that he's not up to the job of leading this country"

He may not have been what we needed, but he certainly was what we deserved. Becoming President of a global power is no easy feat, only the best of the best can accomplish this.

Trump was handed a good economy, and he handled it well. The trade war was (I think) necessary, as China was getting a bit out of hand. However, with the Coronavirus debacle, he did a poor job handling it. He should at least be responsible (in part) for the deaths, as he was the President when this happened.

Though I think the Coronavirus situation was mainly due to bipartisanship of our country.

"you have to realize that this system can be easily abused. The definition of mental illness is too loose. If the government chooses so, they can be like: 'you don't support us, No gun for you!' "

This is an important point. Better defined policy surrounding mental health care and healthcare in general would be necessary for a system like this. But would that mitigate the issue of unjustified seizure, or only amplify it?

Could stronger universal healthcare, including better mental health care, be effective in countering the threat of mass shootings? That's where the financial aspect comes in, how expensive would an expanded system be, and does the expense yield concrete results?

And even if it does, there will still be benefits and drawbacks. Possibly less mass shootings, but the potential for the system to be abused.

"Trump was handed a good economy, and he handled it well. The trade war was (I think) necessary, as China was getting a bit out of hand."

While I haven't agreed with most of Trump's decisions, that is one I thought he handled decently. I agree that "with the Coronavirus debacle, he did a poor job handling it. He should at least be responsible (in part) for the deaths, as he was the President when this happened."

Foreign policy with China is difficult, considering their massive role in the world economy. The trade war had a mix of implications, I don't know if it was necessarily the best approach, but it was certainly not the worst.

"Could stronger universal healthcare, including better mental health care, be effective in countering the threat of mass shootings?"

I don't know. We could test it on smaller scales before we see if it works or not. But I believe that better mental health care isn't just to combat mass shootings, it is also to help the patient, and I think it helps. So no matter what, I think we need healthcare (or at least health insurance).

Also, who are you voting for in the election?

Well, uh...

I'm not old enough to vote.

well, who would you vote for if you could?

Also, i can't vote either (not 18 yet). I guess there are too many adults on imgflip that you forget there are kids too lol.

Biden. I would be very reluctant to do it, but if I was old enough to vote then that's who I would vote for. Better than the alternative, but not by much IMO.

If I could vote I doubt I would vote at all, IMO both choices are poor choices.

Shame we get on at different times, I think it would be better if we were on at the same time lol.

But time zones, I guess :(

Thanks, glad you're enjoying the debate.

imma leave imgfip for a while in the summer starting june 9th, just wanted you to know

bot556, I hate to say this but I'm leaving ImgFlip maybe for good.

imgflip.com/gif/42tnyl

It was a pleasure getting to know you and I deeply appreciate your founding this stream for all the same reasons I told you the other day.

Of all the streams I am leaving behind, this one may be the hardest to walk away from. I poured my heart and soul into these memes. Every single one of which in its own way expresses my deep concern for our country and how it has lost its way.

Keep shining a light.

If you see this before you leave, I want to say a thanks of my own.

First off, thank you for sticking by politics_redux and believing in its mission. I was ready to pull the plug and kill it. But I was not alone. You rekindled my belief in the stream's mission. The fact that even one person appreciated it made me realize that it was worth it. I'm keeping it around, thanks to you.

When I founded the History_Memes stream, I was the only follower, barely posting, uncommitted and unmotivated, convinced that my stream would never grow. When you took notice and started using it, it grew like never before, connecting others who shared a passion for history. For that I thank you as well.

I deeply appreciate your friendship and your commitment not only to poltics_redux and History_Memes, but all the other streams that make this site so great. Again, thank you. I am sorry to see you go.

Don't worry. I'll keep that light shining.

I'm glad I came back to read the supportive comments.

Those are two of my favorite streams, man. Definitely a lot of meaty intellectual content that you won't find many other places on ImgFlip. But at the same time, I also dig how History_Memes is funny and welcoming to reposts. Thanks to OlympianProduct's rude unfeaturings that day, I found it, lol.

I'll be sad to leave those streams behind. But I came back to ImgFlip today to comment on an example of Trump's hypocrisy that I just couldn't ignore -- and if patterns hold true, in the run-up to the 2020 election, as Al Pacino says...