Drinking in the US vs. Europe

Some might think that the US would have a lower drinking problem then western europe.  Some might think that Europe would have less of a drinking problem then the US.

They’re both wrong.  Alcoholism and alcohol dependency generally affect about 1 out of 20 people.  Sometimes a little higher, sometimes a little lower, but it never varies much from the 1 in 20 ratio.

After thorough research I’ve found that the US & Europe have about the same problem with alcohol.  The difference is the US has draconian laws & nationalized state control of it in most areas of the country.  The other irony is that in some of the strictist states they have a higher ratio of alcoholism and in others that have less strict rules they have a lower ratio of alcoholism.  Then in other states they have the complete opposite ratio!

The logical deduction, is that the US laws and draconian regulations around alcohol amount to nothing more than wasted effort, time, and economic activity.  All those laws & regulations do is steal more money from the hands of the taxpayers – for no more or no less effect than the freedoms that Europeans enjoy every single day in their nations!

…and we call ourselves free.  Americans, at least those that support the liqueur laws as they exist, should be ashamed and embarrassed of the stupidity that they perpetuate.  I suppose the world is still flat to some people too.

Just in case your too lazy to Google for the information yourself, click here.  Cheers!  …oh, and bottoms up!

Revolution

It seems on the tip of every inch of the Middle East.  Yet it has to be fought for even in supposedly free lands.  The lyrics to this, simple, yet they struck a thought or three.

Revolution by Arch Enemy

Since the day that you were born the wheels are in motion
Turning ever faster – Play your part in the big machine
The stage is set, the road is chosen
Your fate preordained
We are watching you – every step of the way

Never too late to stand your ground – Revolution begins
In you – In me – Revolution!

Once lost – lost in their game
Mental chains breaking now
Set yourself free
Who are they to tell you what to do?
The stage is not set, the road is not chosen
Your fate not preordained
They are losing control – every step of your way

Never too late to stand your ground – Revolution begins
In you – In me – Revolution!

Lead – Michael Amott

Harmony – Michael & Christopher Amott

Never too late to stand your ground – Revolution begins
In you – In me – This is revolution!

The Solutions Are Easy

I’ve really got no fix here.

I watch the traffic lined up after a concert.  Humanity has more than a few solutions to traffic problems, but we insist on consuming 25+ square feet each and making traffic jams.  Screw the solutions, we’ll be idiots instead.

I’ve seen someone mainline heroin and OD, only to know they lay dead a short time later.  There’s a solution for that too.  It starts well before the simple idea of don’t do drugs and strangely it has nothing to do with drugs.  Again, humanity throws band aids at the severe laceration when the solution is right before our eyes.  Again, humanity chooses to move forward in ignorance, using excuses like the “drug war”.

We’ve seen poverty of untold degrees right amidst our civil and developed nations.  Just take the Mississippi Delta as an example.  We have untold number of solutions to this problem, yet we can’t seem to truly implement any of them.  Again, refusal to deal with the root of the problem persists the problem itself, often in even more intense ways.

Starvation, a problem that again, so many solutions exist.  But the root isn’t resolved, instead we throw a few fish here or there, but heaven forbid we teach anyone to actually fish.

All these metaphors.  But if I actually stated easy solutions to these problems, people would just argue endlessly about their validity.  As is reality.

Oh well.  Cheers.