[IAmBroom]

What sibling comment? I couldn't find any such.

I'd like to point out that any country providing universal healthcare is going to be a big improvement in standard of living for many of my friends. The sometimes hellish nature of the USA's for-profit healthcare system is very real.

Then there's crippling student debt following you nearly to the grave, gun violence, etc.

We grew up being told we had more freedom than anybody else, only to learn as adults that not only does freedom carry a heavy price, but so does every flu and broken bone.

[dustbunny]

Freedom is ridiculous. It's not what Americans have nor want. It's free in a warzone. True freedom is total chaos. Americans do not have nor want real freedom.

[refurb]

That's a bit of a navel gazing perspective, no?

I mean, if you value other things, that fine, but to claim something doesn't exist when it clearly does is rather narrow in vision.

It doesn't take much googling to find examples of speech laws in Europe (for one example) that would have Americans gasping.

[dustbunny]

As an immigrant to America, I do not feel like I have free speech. I think I would have more free speech in Europe. Even writing this comment is scary. What if a border patrol agent finds this? Will I be refused entry? The fact that this is now possible is abhorrent.

[fellowmartian]

Free Trade is the only freedom you should want or need. /s obviously.

[nradov]

Concerns over gun violence (or violence in general) are largely misplaced. Almost all of the violent crime happens in a handful of cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington DC that have been wrecked by decades of failed progressive policies. And even in those cities the violence is concentrated in few bad neighborhoods. We need to fix those places: the residents shouldn't have to live in gang war zones. But at the same time those aren't the same neighborhoods that HN users would live anyway. The rest of the USA is no more violent than most other developed countries.

[qwytw]

> decades of failed progressive policies

Birmingham, St. Louis & Memphis have the highest levels of gun violence, though? Not sure if those are the most "progressive" places.

Also Mississippi (more than 10x worse than e.g. Massachusetts), Louisiana, Alabama are the top 3 states by gun homicide rate.

If Mississippi was a country it would be in the top 10 (between Mexico and Columbia) by gun related murder rate which is quite an achievement..

Massachusetts

[nradov]

The state statistics are meaningless. As I already explained above, almost all of the murders in every state are concentrated in a handful of neighborhoods. It's a very localized problem.

As for the specific cities you mentioned, policies enacted by local governments over decades generally fall into the progressive category. State and federal governments certainly share some blame for the problem but because the causes are mostly local any solutions will also have to be local.

[nielsbot]

If gun violence is concentrated in a few neighborhoods and all states contain such neighborhoods, then state statistics do matter, don't they?

We can all agree that taking away peoples' guns would lead to less gun violence. (This is the part where you say "but that's impossible anyway" or "but the 2nd amendment" which doesn't really refute my point)

[tharmas]

It didn't work in Canada. The criminals still have guns. Mind you when you share a large border with a nation that has lots of guns how effective could it possibly be? I'm not blaming the USA, I'm blaming the Canadian politicians for failing to take this into account.

[dfee]

I know many people who would disagree with this.

[timeon]

> It's a very localized problem.

Yeah schools are pretty local.

Not sure what is progressive about the fact that one can easily obtain a gun. Pool with many legal guns makes it easier to obtain it illegal one as well.

There would be even less violence in Mexico if they were not bordering USA.

[tharmas]

Lead poisoning from gasoline near freeways and then crack cocaine played roles in boosting the crime rates too.

[k7d]

That’s just not true. I’m from Europe but lived in Boulder for several years. For example this shooting (1) happened 5 min walking distance from my home. My kids’ school had several lockdowns due to gun-related stuff in the neighborhood. Something like that is unimaginable in Europe, and big part of why we moved back.

1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Boulder_shooting

[AngryData]

What progressive policies do you think these places were wrecked by?

[dgfitz]

I can’t name any polices per se, but it is very well documented how corrupt the city governments of Baltimore and Chicago are, and have been for decades and decades.

Hard to serve in the best interest of the people what that was never the goal to begin with.

[AngryData]

Well I would agree those places are full of corruption, but I wouldn't call them progressive places or politicians, and I certainly wouldn't blame their corruption on anything to do with progressive policies.

[dgfitz]

They were elected in part because of the coffers of the national Democratic Party, along with the rhetoric of the national Democratic Party. The same Democratic Party that shapes policies.