Daily Clips: October 2nd, 2015
More Americans have died in the last year from gun violence than in the last 40 years from terrorist attacks: This statistic, right here, outlines the absurdity of our current situation: we are so fearful of “others” attacking us that we are completely forgetting that the greatest violence in our nation comes from within. In a similar vein, LOLGOP had this incredible tweet that sums up our inability to focus on what’s important:
31 cases of voter impersonation since 2000. 10,000 gun deaths in America THIS YEAR. Guess which problem the GOP is trying to fix.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) October 2, 2015
Why conservatives mistrust even modest efforts at gun control: David Graham has a thoughtful article on the psychological nature of the gun control debate. He warns gun control supporters that we cannot ignore the deep levels of distrust gun owners have towards the federal government. While these feelings about the intentions of government are inherent within the American political psyche, Graham doesn’t completely absolve the gun lobby. He notes that gun lobbyists “of course” work to encourage and exploit this fear. He closes by saying, “any attempt to reform gun laws will have to grapple with this fear of government.”
Nick Hanauer to tech community: Step up your social and civic engagement: Our Supreme Troublemaker spoke at GeekWire’s summit yesterday and he touched on many subjects, including the $15 minimum wage, the civic engagement of Amazon, and the future of the gig economy. He decried the current state of wages, claiming “there is also no earthly reason why giant corporations can’t pay workers enough to participate in the economy.”
Cartoon of the day:
