We try to fix being broke by spending.

We plan to spend more in the future although we lack the money to deal with the present.

We deplore the personal borrowing that got us this economic mess while the government takes us all into huge debt.
 
We try to stimulate the economy by buying things that we don't need right now.  People defer such purchases, but not our government.

We try to fathom a democratic administration that is like a 5-year-old in a candy store and wants some of everything right now or will throw a tantrum.

We tolerate a government that operates behind closed doors when we were promised transparency.

We countenance a government where our representatives do not do each other the courtesy, and us the proper service, of hearing each others' views, and recognizing the importance in a democratic republic of doing so.  What do they get paid for if not for debating on our behalf?

We try to increase American stature in the world by giving away power.

We let non-citizen minorities who shouldn't be here dictate how we should live because some think they "deserve" the rights of citizens.

We make it possible for non-citizen minorities to vote for our leaders while at the same time establishing their own national and ethnic closed societies and not speaking the language of our sovereign nation.

We accommodate minorities by speaking their language when they should learn to speak ours.

We clamor for rights but do not recognize that there are commensurate responsibilities.

We give more power to minorities than to the majority, unless the minority is 60 million American citizens who wanted a different president and the preservation of free enterprise.

We think that having money is institutionalized and that people who got it wrongly or by stupidity should be kept wealthy.

We think failure should be rewarded.

We think that people who make money by creating value and jobs for society should be taxed heavily so they can contribute more to society and pay for the keep of those who create no value.

We consider denying 2nd Amendment rights to law-abiding American citizens because Mexicans who shouldn't cross our borders shoot each other.

We think another gun law will make us safe.

We think guns pull their own triggers.

The Second Amendment gives the American public the right to be armed. This has been interpreted to mean as individual citizens.

That seems to make gun ownership a matter of personal choice. Yet we have anti-gun people who think no one should have this choice. So let’s make them happy and take that choice away.

That famous negotiator, Al Capone, once said that you can get more cooperation with kind words and a gun than you can with kind words alone.

A less well known quotation from Al was to the effect that “an armed society is a polite society.”

It would be wrong to instinctively dismiss such statements simply because the person who said them is from Chicago and has a murky past and associates. We don’t know how eloquently Big Al said these things. Like many leaders he may have been a fine speaker.

Here’s a solution to the gun problem. Let’s make the gun ownership choice by legislation.

Let’s pass a law that requires all adult citizens to pass a background check to purchase a firearm. Those passing would have to pass a written safety test. Those passing the safety test would be required to purchase a firearm and receive training with it. There would be a time limit on this.

Firearm owners would be required to keep the firearm in their home in safe storage so children couldn’t get it, but adequately accessible so that if it were ever needed for home defense they could get to it and use it. This would take some thought and effort, but – a law is a law. And there is training that is available.

In short, everyone who was qualified would become a responsible firearm owner. There would be nothing haphazard about it. Some criminals would probably still own guns illegally but they would certainly recognize the danger from an armed populace and would think twice about breaking and entering.

Those qualified citizens who wanted to take the next step and qualify for concealed carry could do so. An alternative here might be to dictate open carry. Anyone who wanted to carry a handgun would strap on a clearly visible holster.

Citizens who did not pass the background check and the safety test, and were not qualified with a firearm could not own a firearm. Non-citizens could not own one.

Persons under the age of 21 could not own a handgun but those 18 and older would be allowed to qualify to own a long gun – strictly a hunting weapon. Exceptions to these requirements would be made for those who had served in the military.

There would be stiff penalties for ownership of a firearm by an unqualified person. There would also be stiff penalties for non-compliance with the law requiring firearm purchase and ownership.

There now. That solves it. No one should be allowed to make a personal choice about gun ownership. Everybody should have to own a gun whether they want it or not.

Got a problem with losing your choice in the matter? I understand. As an alternative we could simply leave gun ownership a matter of personal choice as it is at present. But if we do that then don’t tell me you have decided I shouldn’t own a gun.