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President Joe Biden's approval rating is lower than Donald Trump's was at the same stage of his presidency, as the Democrats are bracing for potential major losses in this year's midterm elections.
Biden's approval rating was 39 percent as of June 30, according to analysis by poll tracker FiveThirtyEight, while 56.2 percent of Americans disapproved of the way the president is handling his job.
Trump's approval rating on July 1, 2018, was 41.8 percent, while 52.3 percent of Americans disapproved of him, figures from FiveThirtyEight show.
In 2018, Republicans suffered a major defeat in the midterm elections and lost 40 seats in the House of Representatives, handing control to the Democrats and allowing Nancy Pelosi to return as speaker.
The midterms that year took place on November 6. By that point, Trump's approval rating was 41.9 percent, compared to disapproval level of 52.8 percent.
However, the president's approval rating is only one factor in the midterms and though it plays a role in voters' choices, other issues are likely to influence the outcome of the 2022 elections, including high inflation, the state of the economy and the recent landmark Supreme Court ruling on abortion.
The prospects for Democrats look bleak in FiveThirtyEight's generic congressional ballot, which shows Republicans enjoying 44.8 percent support to the Democrats' 42.7 percent - a narrow, but potentially crucial lead of 2.1 percent.
Republicans are likely to focus on issues such as the cost of living crisis in their midterm campaigns and take aim at Biden's handling of the economy. The president's unpopularity could give Republican candidates a boost in close races.
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@Double_R
I give him credit for selling oil from the strategic reserves to China. 20 million barrels worth. During an emergency crisis.
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@ILikePie5
Yellen is now redefining a recession to be something other than 2 consecutive quarters of GDP decline.
Full Gaslight.
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@3RU7AL
This is the result of a Biden victory in 2020.
Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump last November, but the highly anticipated “Blue Wave” never came. For some, Biden’s march to Washington beckons a return to normalcy, but it is clear that our national nightmare is far from over. The seemingly endless election campaign had a two-month extension, with dual Senate run-offs in Georgia that the Democrats swept. Biden’s victory is certainly important, and the wins in Georgia will give his administration more room to implement its legislative program. But the task ahead is far greater than defeating Trump. Throughout Biden’s campaign – never more blatantly than when he promised his donors “nothing would fundamentally change” – calls for a return to normalcy have threatened to drown out the cries of millions who are drowning in debt, wallowing in hunger, and, now more than ever, dying in desperation. While Biden and the Democrats have stuck by the status quo, Medicare for All enjoys widespread popularity, and the demand for a $15 minimum wage won more votes than either Trump or Biden in Florida. Another round of drug legalization swept through four states. A large constituency wants to transform this country into a healthier, more humane society.
The Democratic Party establishment is the problem. Much worse than either Trump or DeSantis.
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Funny thing is none of this would have happened if Trump won the election in 2020. Trump losing in 2020 made the forecasted civil war inevitable.
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What if government needs to be taken down a peg or 2?
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@Danielle
It genuinely and truly boggles my mind that the government telling someone they can't grow wheat is somehow more egregious to you than the government telling someone they can't make decisions about their OWN BODIES. Wild.
Where do you think it starts? Give an inch, take a mile. It's not about wheat, it's about centrally planned power and control over individuals. It's not just your body the government is after, or your wheat.
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eliminating all federal agencies is to tell them we should start with ICE lol.
I'm ok with this. States can manage their own border and immigrant security. ICE is more likely under the current administration to prevent states from doing this than helping.
If California wants to shelter and house the globe, at least it's localized to that state instead of a sweeping federal policy that hurts all states.
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A right to Privacy should make the commerce clause illegal.Just wrong, sorry.
Well this is one of the things both coal and I disagree fundamentally on. Especially regarding post 172.
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I just gave you two examples where the dormant commerce clause was used to protect citizens and businesses from excessive regulation, and there are plenty more examples. Just because you aren't familiar with them doesn't mean they don't exist. Google it.
The problem is with the language. When the Commerce clause was written, regulation then meant deregulation today. 1984 hijacking of the language happened in FDR's time.
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Pollution is one of the things I've always thought libertarians and especially an-caps didn't have a sufficient remedy for.
When you gave central planners under Democratic Socialism that power, they can label anything as pollution to justify the taking from the minority and giving to the majority. Including Co2. We don't need that kind of "murkiness"
What makes you say that? Look at Monsanto.
Explain please?
And you've ignored the fact that the Commerce Clause is what allows the DOJ, FBI and other federal agencies to go after crimes like wire fraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling, etc.
So what? We can live without things like the Patriot Act. A right to Privacy should make the commerce clause illegal.
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I don't see what this has to do with the commerce clause but yes I oppose socialism and democratic socialism.
Wickard v Filburn via the Commerce clause is the reason why the government has the authority to use the full force of the federal government to take from the minority and give to the majority in countless instances today.
At least the government apologized for Japanese internment and Trail of Tears.
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@Danielle
It protects the free market by not allowing states to punish or create barriers from out of state businesses.
Look up Wickard v Filburn. This is clearly not what the government is using the clause for.
The clause does not say the federal government has the power to deregulate. If it did, then I would be all for such a clause.
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@Danielle
All politicians do
I was referring to regulatory agencies. The constitution limits what the government can regulate.
Yes but I do like the Clean Water Act lol
I'm sure most people do just like every state has a law against rape. Let the states manage it where the regulatory agencies are not easily purchased.
A lot more lawsuits and a lot more monopolies.
Lol, more lawsuits mean less monopolies. More regulations, lawsuit protections, and barriers to the market mean more monopolies, but you already know this.
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There should be no market barriers that can be bought and sold by the highest bidders
Let me expand on that. There should never be a system where central planners have the right and the authority to take with brutal force from the minority and give to the majority under Democratic Socialism.
Wickard V Filburn should be considered the most heinous policy in all of American Government up there with the Japanese internment and trail of tears.
All of which were the result of "Democratic Socialism."
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It would not be a good thing to repeal the Commerce Clause.
What exactly do you think would happen in todays global economy if the commerce clause were repealed?
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@Danielle
You don't have to worry about the EPA and other regulatory agencies anymore since the SCOTUS has rendered them impotent.
They will always have some power to decide between the haves and have nots.
There should be no market barriers that can be bought and sold by the highest bidders.
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@TheUnderdog
Border areas lean blue because they know firsthand the undocumented aren’t bad for America. Same with cities and the suburbs.
Didn't the DC mayor say illegals were bad? I can't imagine a bluer place in America than DC.
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I want to personally thank Putin for lowering gas prices in America.
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@ILikePie5
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@ILikePie5
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@ILikePie5
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@ILikePie5
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@RationalMadman
Lol, it was founded by religious refugees. pillagers came after.
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@Danielle
True but fossil fuel companies have been some of the biggest opponents to nuclear for obvious reasons.
All the more reason to eliminate the EPA, all regulatory agencies, and have the states govern them by repealing the commerce clause.
There should be no market barriers that can be bought and sold by the highest bidder.
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@Danielle
The EU just voted
Lol, 20 years too late. This is why you can't depend on the central planners to preserve anything much less a planet.
When I was a lot younger, I was trained and certified to work on NAVY nuclear reactors. The disconnect from educated people and the masses on nuclear energy is astounding.
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Germany will significantly increase its use of highly polluting coal to preserve energy supplies ahead of the winter as Russian cuts to gas exports threaten shortfalls in Europe’s largest economy.
The German government said on Sunday it would pass emergency laws to reopen mothballed coal plants for electricity generation and auction gas supplies to industry to incentivise businesses to curb consumption. The move illustrated the depth of concern in Berlin over possible gas shortages in the winter months.
“This is bitter but in this situation essential to lower the use of gas,” said German economic minister Robert Habeck, a member of the Green party.
Russia cut capacity on the main gas export pipeline to Germany this week by 60 per cent, sending ripples across the continent as western officials became convinced that Moscow is weaponising its gas exports in response to EU sanctions following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Italy, which has also seen gas supplies from Russia fall, is expected to announce emergency measures in the coming days if supplies are not restored.
Habeck said Berlin was working on a new law to temporarily bring back up to 10 gigawatts of idle coal-fired power plants for up to two years; that would increase Germany’s dependence on coal for electricity generation by up to a third.
“The situation is serious,” said Habeck. “It is obviously [Vladimir] Putin’s strategy to upset us, to drive prices upwards, and to divide us . . . We won’t allow this to happen.”
The plan is at odds with Germany’s climate policy; it aims to phase out coal by 2030 as it is much more carbon-intensive than gas.
Germany’s three remaining active nuclear power plants have a capacity of 4Gw and are scheduled to go off the grid by the end of this year. Their lifespan will not be extended as the government has concluded the technical and safety hurdles are too high. (but green energy isn't???)
Prior to Russia’s invasion in February, Germany imported 55 per cent of its gas from Russia.
In recent days, Russia’s state-controlled gas exporter Gazprom has reduced supply volumes through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that runs through the Baltic Sea to Germany, blaming Canadian sanctions that left pumping equipment maintained by Siemens Energy stranded in Montreal.
Germany and its allies in Europe have rejected Gazprom’s claims, arguing any technical issue was a pretext for Moscow’s retaliation against EU sanctions. Gazprom has not utilised alternative pipeline routes to make up for the supply shortfall through NS1.
European gas prices, already running close to record levels, soared further last week in response to the latest supply cuts.
Rising energy prices are stoking inflation and a cost of living crisis across Europe, which central banks are struggling to address without tipping the region’s economy into recession.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz called the country’s dependence on Russian energy “a mistake of Germany’s economic policy” and told newswire DPA that previous governments missed out on creating alternative gas supply routes.
Germany plans to install four floating liquefied natural gas terminals and has prioritised refilling gas storage tanks that can be used in winter. Currently they are 56 per cent full, and Habeck wants to reach 90 per cent by December.
“We need and we will to do everything to store as much gas as possible,” said Habeck, calling it the “highest priority” and adding that “it would really be a tight squeeze in winter otherwise”.
Germany aims to reduce normal consumption by about a fifth without resorting to rationing, while increasing Norwegian pipeline supplies and LNG imports.
Germany literally destroys green energy sources like nuclear and replaces it with coal, and is still considered the world leader. HA!
Some serious propaganda for idiots.
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Of the world's largest economies, none have tried harder to fight climate change than Germany. In 2011, former Chancellor Angela Merkel announced an unprecedented Energiewende ("energy transition") plan to slash her country's greenhouse gas emissions and usher in a new green economy. A decade later, electricity prices are skyrocketing while Germany is finalizing a new natural gas pipeline with Russia. With the news that Germany will miss its emissions reduction targets for 2022 and 2023, the Energiwende can officially be declared a self-imposed climate disaster.
Turning the world's fourth-largest economy—one that emerged from the ashes of World War II on the back of its coal, steel, and auto manufacturing industries—green required radical transformation. In a sense, Germany's proposed 21st century economic transformation would require undoing its 20th century economic miracle.
Germany was already reducing its greenhouse gas emissions before 2011, so it came as a surprise when Merkel announced that her government would "end the use of nuclear energy and reach the age of renewable energy as fast as possible." The Energiewende's goal of reducing emissions 80 to 95 percent by 2050 was ambitious, but it was the prospect of achieving this goal without nuclear energy that truly turned heads. By shuttering nuclear plants and scaling wind and solar, Merkel made a poor bet that a green economy could run on wind and sunshine alone.
After a swath of decrees and guidelines, as well as tens of billions of euros in subsidies for, and investment in, renewable projects, Merkel boasted about creating hundreds of thousands of green-collar jobs. Many Germans embraced this vision for the future, taking pride in their nation's turn toward an economy powered by nature. Yet it quickly became apparent that while the Energiewende plan offered vision, it lacked sound strategy.
Bureaucracy slowed the construction of necessary infrastructure for storing and transporting new renewable forms of energy. And suddenly Dunkelflaute—a term used to describe periods of low energy production when the sun failed to shine or the wind didn't blow—entered the German vernacular. By 2019, the Federal Court of Auditors declared that the 160 billion euros ($180 billion) spent over the last five years were "in extreme disproportion to the results."
By the tenth anniversary of the Energiewende, the scope of the project's failure became clear. The year before, German leaders had celebrated renewables reaching 46.2 percent of national electricity consumption due to favorable weather conditions and lower demand. But in 2021, this trend reversed. During the COVID economic bounce back, energy demand exploded while wind power production decreased by 25 percent—leaving coal and natural gas generation to fill in the gaps.
German households have the highest electricity prices in the world, but many Germans are still committed to their utopian vision. Last fall, voters pushed out Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats in favor of a coalition led by the center-left Social Democrats. This wasn't a refutation of the Energiewende though, since it appears that Chancellor Olaf Scholz will double down as he has expressed interest in being known as the "climate chancellor" and supports policies including an EU-wide carbon price.
The Energiewende has consequences beyond German borders too. The country can't meet its energy needs with domestic wind, solar, and coal production. So Germans are eagerly awaiting the completion of Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that will deliver natural gas from Russia. It will pump fossil fuel into Germany while lining the pockets of Russian oligarchs with cash. Those excommunicated nuclear plants would have provided emissions-free energy without any reliance on Russia.
Meanwhile in Brussels, Germany's new Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck wants to force the Energiewende plan on the rest of Europe. He recently rejected the European Commission's plan to label nuclear energy "green," saying the move "waters down the good label for sustainability." As long as Germany is miscategorized as the global climate leader, other nations will follow its mindless model.
German technocrats' hubris has produced a coal renaissance and a dangerous dependence on Russian natural gas. The rest of the world should not take advice from them.
Out of the trillions of dollars squandered through this wealth shuffle, not a single molecule of China's and Africa's increases in yearly CO2 were even considered as an "offset"
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@ILikePie5
His policies put us in this predicament making a global problem exponentially worse for Americans, I do not understand why he just does not reverse his policies. let Alaska increase the oil coming from the pipeline, we can return to energy independence and all of this inflation will reduce dramatically with increased supply.
All of the selling off of the strategic reserves plus demanding oil to be produced in dirty nations isn't helping America or the planet.
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@coal
Fantasies for me, at the expense of facts for thee.
I am not looking forward to the political pendulum shift where the Right will be airing shows on primetime to tell Americans what to be upset about.
Why is this trend acceptable at all?
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When the government disincentified and discouraged oil production along with Increased royalty rates it caused the price of gas to go up. And I know for a fact that the people who lost their jobs in the energy sector because of him never got a good paying green job like he promised he would provide. And you can't solely blame this on the Russian conflict because gas prices have been going up before that.
Now he claims none of the high American gas prices are his fault. It's the Putin tax, remember everyone.
He now claims that he did nothing to lower U.S. oil production
Yep Joe, Nothing you did has caused gas prices to climb to record levels in March 22.
Killing more jobs, really feeling that 'unity' he spoke of.
I cant believe this guy is our president
I’m all about going green but if there’s no replacement for oil or gas then it’s ridiculous
and now we get these ridiculously high gas prices and he blames everyone else but him. who does this guy really work for?
OK go electric vehicles they say... but yet when you ride an electric bicycle or scooter or things as such as the onewheel or electric unicycle (euc for short) or in many cases any personal electric vehicle (pev for short) you get pulled over by cops and told you can't ride them too many laws and regulations not looked into and changed/adjusted for the use of electric vehicles especially pev's which if you live and work in a small city with a short commute to work a pev is great or a congested big city a pev works great saves gas not putting a big vehicle on the road when it's not necessary less pollution less congestion but yet cops stop you because laws are not changed/adjusted to accommodate for such things less laws regarding pev's would be great
The most callous President, the most uncharismatic, the most demented, He knows that our European allies are craving for oil, and gas prices are sky high and yet he just doing the opposite. He release our oil national oil emergency supply only to buy it at a higher price. This guy is a real joke. Even my dog is a lot smarter.
His policies put us in this predicament, i do not understand why he just does not reverse his policies. let Alaska increase the oil coming from the pipeline, we can return to energy independence and all of this inflation will reduce dramatically. For those of you out there who believe in "green new deal" or clean energy, think of this, our consumption has not reduced only the supply has become harder to come by and now we are buying the same amount of oil from countries who produce it in a "dirty" way not as clean as we can produce it here, so actually his policies are hurting the environment not helping it, and the by product is an expense to the American people, he should change his policies to help the American people and in the mean time offer benefits to develop clean energy. I am sorry but the policies make no sense at all, it only hurts us.
The Twilight Zone couldn't have written a better nightmare story than Joe and his Eco Team that doesn't mind putting the cart before the horse and watching us suffer. Notice how they aren't suffering. Easier said than suffered I suppose.
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@Double_R
The fact that your best example of how Biden messed up the entire global gas supply are remarks he made as a candidate says a lot. The least you could do is repeat ILP5 and coals talking points, but you’re not even serious enough to do that.
You misspelled local American. Par for the course for a habitual gaslighter. Such nuance, such wow.
But keep thinking Trump would have ended local American oil like Biden did. Keep pushing that narrative. I am sure some idiot will listen.
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@Double_R
no reason to believe Trump would have made any significant difference in anything you’re claiming.
Trump never made a campaign promise to end oil.
Gas prices is a global phenomenon. That’s a fact.
Ending oil is a local phenomenon with Biden's administration at the helm.
Fact checked TRUE. Mexico has cheaper gas in 2022 and more expensive gas than the USA in 2020.
Someone fucked up.
it’s the result of economic displacement resulting from COVID.
It's from the lockdowns and then made worse with ridiculous EPA and CDC regulations. The virus itself did practically nothing. The government injected trillions of dollars without lifting hardly any of the federal regulations on supply, especially oil. Now we have too many dollars chasing too little supply. That is the reason for higher inflation in the USA than most other countries that did not wage a war on oil or independent suppliers. But you already knew this. You are just trying to do your spin thing as usual. Tumpmanbad, Bidenmangood. Same old tired song and dance.
which no president is responsible for or could have prevented.
The Buck has to stop somewhere even if you think it can't. Otherwise, people would just live life on their own terms instead of what DC says.
Understanding the real world is a nuanced task.
Gaslighting and lying definitely takes a nuanced approach. But keep thinking Trump would have ended oil like Biden did. Keep pushing that narrative. I am sure some idiot will listen.
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@badger
It's a very obvious prisoner's dilemma.
Deg eat dog only works in a world with no consequences. Such as Chicago.
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@badger
It really isn't.
Most of the adults blowing children away with guns in Chicago have no reason to stop. In other countries, there are consequences for acting out a prisoner's dilemma.
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@badger
Your whole shtick is America first.
Family first, neighbors first, town first, its just layers of the herd.
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@badger
but if it's kill or be killed consequences down the road don't matter.
Even enemies in WW1 cooperated with informal cease fire agreements against the orders of their superiors in the trenches. That's literally cooperation in a kill or be killed environment.
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@badger
It's the prisoner's dilemma.
You keep saying this, but most people cooperate for the long term. Outside of your thought bubble, rats don't live long outside of prison.
Only a person that believes all humans are fated to be evil believes in this. We are herd animals at the core. Cooperation is in our blood.
The reason why we don't rat on each other is because we don't want to pay the consequences for doing that 8 years down the road.
But in places like Chicago where grown men are mowing children down with guns and there ARE no consequences, that is where the game ends.
In liberal suburbia where neglectful single parent homes spawn psychotic children void of all purpose in life, that is also where the game ends.
That game is America's problem, not guns. Guns are just the infection that comes after the self inflicted societal wounds.
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@badger
Swiss are not mowing kids down like the grown men are on the streets of Chicago. America has bigger problems.
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@badger
You just don't hear the stories about the many more kids being killed by grown men with guns in Chicago. That's the hole I was referring to.
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@badger
The point is without fences keeping people well behaved, guns will always bring out the worst in us.
Maybe the USA should ban guns until they can figure that out.
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@badger
Because you don't cry about a dramatically exploding boiler on the Titanic when there is a huge hole tin the ship that indirectly caused it.
Well I guess you can if it makes you feel better.
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@badger
the US and Switzerland are very high on the list of burglaries per capita.
They really are not that comparable lol.
Omg Australia...no guns and double the USA rate lol. Where are the Aussie fences?
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@FLRW
Sorry, I didn't want to mess up your argument with GP.
Badger doesn't argue. He discusses.
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@badger
Did you even look at the graphs?
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@badger
Guns are more of a protection from sociopaths than a driver of sociopaths. By far.
USA creates more sociopaths through tribal politics and enforced diversity than guns do. The Swiss don't have nearly so much conflict despite all the guns.
Swiss have VERY good fences.
This has been heavily researched by sociologists.
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@badger
I got zero doubt the presence of so many guns inspires a sociopathy and worse.
That's like saying fences inspire home invasions lol!
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