One Vote in 2020

The CDC has the 2017 statistics for death-by-injury posted on the internet.  Here are some quick statistics from 2017: Death by injury:                                             243,039 (74.6 per 100,000 people) Death by injury due to a firearm:          39,773 (16.3% of deaths by injury) Death by automobile:                            38,659 (11.9 per 100,000 people) Death by poisoning or overdose:           75,354 (23.1 per 100,000 poeple) Death due to a firearm:                                    39,773 (12.2 per 100,000 people) Death by suicide using a firearm:          23,854 (60% of deaths by firearm) Death by ho...

John Hickenlooper withdrew from the presidential race today.  Too bad.  He is a moderate with good ideas.  I might have voted for him. I can tell you, that as of today, I have no plans to vote for a non-centrist candidate.  As far as I can tell at this point, that means I won't be voting for a Democrat.  That leaves me to vote for President Trump.  I don't see that happening either for many reasons.  I will get those reasons written here soon.  For now, I will say that his moral character and deceitful behavior are not befitting the leader of our country.  I'll put it in Nuclear Navy-speak, for those of you that can interpret this:  He is demonstrably unreliable.  That is a fail for me. I sure hope a real candidate shows up soon.

Politicians live on a microscope slide.  The higher their profile, the higher the magnification.  For example, every time Joe Biden opens his mouth, we get to read about any misspoken word.  Here is the Wall Street Journal's latest summary of Candidate Biden's gaffs over the last few days.  That is a very high standard to live up to.  We all make mistakes.  Making a mistake should not overshadow everything else you do.  Of course, not everyone is affected.  President Trump produces a constant stream of half-truths and questionable policies and positions.  The media piles on him too, without effect.  I wish I understood that phenomena better. BTW, I'm not planning to vote for Candidate Biden because I have concerns about his mental acuity.  I just find the media machine to be shockingly self-righteous, opinionated, and out of balance.  It's good to be able to add my two cents.  😇

The Wall Street Journal is reporting  that Democratic candidates are calling for us to boycott Walmart until they stop selling guns.  I don't see the link between Walmart selling guns and unstable young men killing people. Suggesting that boycotting Walmart is going to help solve the problem is going to be about as effective as doing nothing.  I guess it is just about getting headlines by attacking one of the most successful retailers in the United States.  The initiative is a great example of these "elite" candidates not understanding our country.  The WSJ story quotes Elizabeth Warren as saying:  “It is up to every Walmart customer who worries about the safety of her children, of her neighbors, of her friends, of people across this country to say, ‘I’ve got choices on where I spend my money.'"    I wonder, when was the last time any of these candidates made the choice to shop at Walmart.  They don't need to:  They are wealthy...

I didn't think that my first post would be about gun control or mass shootings.  The tragic events over the last week, with the shootings in Gilroy, CA, El Paso, TX, and Dayton, OH make it essential. Politicians Will Be Politicians In response to these recent events, our politicians, particularly democrats, are clamoring for passing improved background checks.  All three of these recent shooters, and as far as I know, all of the shooters over the last couple of years, have been given background checks and legally purchased their firearms.  So, what logic are these politicians applying here?  The only conclusion I can come up with is that they see these tragedies as a political opportunity to implement their agenda.   Disgusting and disheartening.  That said, I agree, we need better background checks.  I don't think it will keep the lawless from having guns, but it will make it more difficult for potentially dangerous individuals (felons, mentally...