TOPIC:

splitdog wrote:
The first person a gun control advocate calls when there is a shooting? A cop. Why? He has a gun.
Do I still have any friends left?

Ditto to everything Mike just said. I have cancelled more posts than what has been submitted.
Sometimes one needs to wait an hour or even the next day to submit a post, especially an emotional
one. Think about the reaction and consequences. If one does not care, then do it.

Regarding firearms.....I live in the wild west. Enough said. My internet third sense is tingling now. This
subject is like politics and religion. My main complaint is weaponry that can hold many rounds with rapid
fire trigger settings.....unnecessary for the public IMO. I have friends who agree with my opinion. As a
matter of fact, they are hunters who hunt with bow and arrow. Now, that is challenging.

Anyhow, you helped me on this site and I am thankful. Try to temper your posts a little bit....just saying.

Assault rifles, like the M4A3 Bushmaster in my gun safe, are made for one purpose: to kill people as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If the government has to ban the sale of them to reduce the number of nuts that can get their hands on one, I am all for it. The prices for them would skyrocket. Criminals would be scrambling to get them. But the number of mass killings by crazies who went to a gunshow or pawnshop, bought one and opened up on people would go down. If you have to make it harder for everyone to get them in order to make it harder for the nut jobs to get them, so be it.

One way to deal with this problem would be to treat assault rifles like they do machine guns:

smartgunlaws.org/federal-law-on-machine-...-automatic-firearms/

This was a common sense law restricting ownership of fully automatic weapons.
It was passed in the middle of, you guessed it, Ronald Reagan's presidency.

Thanks guys, nice to hear. Sometimes I am like Donald in one aspect; I blurt stuff out brashly without regard, as long as I feel I'm right. But there is a better, more tempered way. After all, I am among friends here, not political adversaries.

Gun control is a touchy subject. It's just that guns will never go away. No amount of laws will work against a criminal whose intent is to hurt others. Like drugs. Every law known to man has been passed, yet drugs remain relatively easy to obtain. Anyway, thanks for the great start to my day.

You have more deaths by guns in the US then any other western society if you don't see the correlation
between the amount of weapons available to purchase and the death rate regardless of who shoots then
you fail too see the bigger picture and are probably hanging onto the right to bear arms.

Sure. Local Law enforcement in the US is now as close to military as you can get full of thugs who should
have never being allowed to join a bus line never mind allowed to serve and protect.

The 2nd Amendment, gotta love it or hate it.
I don't even hunt.
But there's something about guns.
I think it's genetic.

re_roll wrote:
Sometimes one needs to wait an hour or even the next day to submit a post, especially an emotional
one. Think about the reaction and consequences. If one does not care, then do it.

Yeah, well said mate!

We are here for HCV, how to get cured, and even how to help other people get cured. Maybe even to have some fun while we're at it. The way I see it, this forum is our temple to that, and I really hope it can stay that way.

And for anyone in need of something else..... happy hunting!

Well said!!
I second that emotion.

I don't see the relationship between guns and HCV or "What is the perfect medical treatment system".

"It's just another town along the road"
- Danny O'Keefe

"Happiness is a warm gun!"
I dunno, maybe thats the connection.
I have no problems if Americans want to shoot each other.
Happy to live in a relatively gun free country instead.

Thats the thing I think many Americans don't understand. Most people who live in countries with gun control and healthcare are more than happy to do so.

I never take arguments personally, so whatever the differences of opinion we are all still united by a common goal. I do think its important not to try and lay guilt trips on people for using socialised medicine whatever your personal beliefs...its not conducive to their healing.

Here we are, posting on a site that was founded because the health care systems where we all live are broken. So, "What is the perfect medical treatment system?" That is a good question.
The answer can be different for each person who is asked. Maybe one group from one country like theirs and another, from the same country, hates it. Could be what works well in a densely populated nation would suck in a place less crowded.
Defining the qualities of a good system are easy: Accessible, affordable, fair, cost-effective, quality medicines, skilled and compassionate doctors, etc. But different countries have to adapt to their unique conditions.
So, in short, it's like asking what came first, the chicken or the egg? But, maybe you live in a place where that isn't a relevant question, because the government tells you which came first. Perhaps there are no chickens where you live, so you really could care less.
I think I will focus my limited intellect elsewhere, as this discussion seems to be an argument waiting to happen.
If I have offended anyone, I am truly sorry.

Next time I'll post one of these first:

Well, it has been a long and winding road as I indicated above.

I have to put my hand up here and plead a little guilty as I started this thread. The original intent was to create somewhere to discuss the nature of the differing medical systems and maybe get some thoughts on how they could be improved. While starting the thread I was deliberately provocative towards one of our members and apologise for that. Split, sorry, while I don't agree with all your ideas (though possibly more than you suspect) I do value many of your contributions and support for other members, here and elsewhere.

Anyway, when the thread started to career off track I wasn't too fussed and left it be as I figured it gave everyone a place to blow off a bit of steam without interfering with the main purpose of this site which is helping and supporting those with HCV whether seeking, on Tx with or just curious about DAAs.

But like Mike, I suspect that there are no perfect medical systems out there (or firearms systems for that matter). It really depends on where you live and how you view the political process. Pointing out how the system you currently have first hand experience of can be improved is important but criticising other's systems, beliefs and politics doesn't add much value to the topic of DAAs for HCV and is likely to discourage guests and potential new members from joining us and participating to share their experiences and knowledge.

So perhaps it is time to let this thread die a natural death?

Thank you.
True, and I suspect that the powers that be are okay with the way things are. Or they would change them. I wanted to get the idea out there about the personal medical saving account, of which there are several incarnations. I'm good with putting a 'do not resuscitate' on this thread. It does more dividing than unifying.

As in life, we should treat each others ideas and recommendations with respect and genuinely discuss them without prejudice or disdain for the individual putting these ideas out there. i.e.; "Only a loser would think that way!' vs. " I have to disagree based on......" Or, "I don't care if all Americans........" But, alas, such is the very nature of 'internet discussions'.