Alcohol Kills 3 times more Americans than Gun Violence

I appreciate the protests for reducing gun violence. I wrote a blog last month about common-sense ways to keep guns from getting into the hands of criminals and mentally unstable people.

However, there are many ills plaguing our society far more deadly than gun violence.

Last year alone nearly 88,000 people died in America as a direct result of excess alcohol abuse. 

In comparison only 33,000 Americans died last year from gun related violence, including terrorism: http://www.businessinsider.com/more-americans-have-die-from-gun-violence-than-terror-attacks-2015-10

These statistics are no anomaly. If you do your own research a quick online search will show you that alcohol kills nearly 3 times more Americans each year then guns. Still not convinced? Did you know that alcohol is the number 1 underlying cause/factor behind crime in the United States: https://ncadd.org/about-addiction/alcohol-drugs-and-crime

Similarly a study conducted by drug experts shows that alcohol alone causes more harm to society than heroine, cocaine and marijuana combined:http://anonhq.com/alcohol-still-legal/. In 2010, alcohol misuse cost the United States $249.0 billion.

So where is societies outrage? Where are all the millions of dollars in campaign contributions and television ads trying to save peoples lives from the dangers of alcohol? If people like Hillary Clinton are so concerned about saving American lives why does no one talk about this issue?

It might have something to do with the fact the alcohol tax reveue nets the Unted States government 9.6 billion dollars:http://www.statista.com/statistics/248952/revenues-from-alcohol-tax-and-forecast-in-the-us/

Where as firearm tax revenue only nets the government 123 million dollars:http://www.statisticbrain.com/firearm-industry-statistics/

So there you have it, morality in politics is quite literally bought. The more money something makes, the more its dangers can be ignored and swept under the rug. I am using alcohol as and example to show people how society can be brainwashed into following a false narrative by manipulative political tactics. America needs to open its eyes and wake up from the stupor. If you do not want to ban alcohol, but you support banning guns you have to seriously ask yourself why people feel so strongly about this in the first place? It is nothing more then misplaced morality instilled in society by corrupt and manipulative political campaigns.

The USA Immigration Problem - Not Enough Immigration

One of the bigger complaints we hear on immigration, is that the USA lets in more immigrants than any country in the world (oftentimes illegally), and therefore need to 'control' the volume of immigrants coming to our country. Or sometimes the argument is that we have too many 'illegal' immigrants already in our country and need to 'control' them further.

Senator Robert Bennett summarizes our challenge very well: "America's current immigration laws have been a failure. They have had the effect of either keeping out or disrupting the lives of people whom we want in our country. At the same time, they have been ineffective if not unenforceable with respect to those we don't want, such as criminals and those with no job prospects".

Let's take a look at some facts and history. 

Motivating Our Youth to Marry

With four daughters and one son about to exit their teen years - I have a big word always on my mind - MARRIAGE. I know that my kids have a built-in desire to marry; that doesn't concern me. What I find disturbing are the societal trends that are compelling more and more of our youth not to marry, or delay marriage until later in life - or worse yet, choose relationship alternatives to traditional church-sanctioned marriage.

If you don't believe me look around and see the massive demographic shift is happening before our eyes that is, by almost all accounts, unprecedented and unsustainable. Young people are postponing marriage and parenthood in such large numbers that our whole society is feeling the effects. Watch these videos to see how chronic the problem is.

Lesson in Honesty Worth $50,000

I missed this story when it came out last year, but it's worth repeating. It's remarkable because only the family new about this when it happened, and is an amazing example of how a small and simple decision to be honest can have great consequences.

Can you put a price on telling the truth?

For a hockey family in Minnesota, the cost turned out to be $50,000. After 11-year-old Nate Smith made an incredible, $50,000-winning shot in a hockey contest, his dad, Pat, admitted that his twins had made a switcheroo: Nick was supposed to take the ice.

They won't get the prize money, said the company that insured the event on Wednesday, but Thursday on TODAY Pat Smith said teaching his twin sons the right thing to do was priceless.

Don't forget the Small and Simple Things

I love and have great respect for Elder Russell M. Ballard. I met him while serving my mission in Texas in 1990. Ever since then I have benefited from his wise counsel in General Conference addresses. This is one of my favorites, and provides the theme for my blog. Coincidentally, he gave this address in April 1990, about the time I met him for the first time. It puts in perspective how small and apparently simple events have the largest impact on our lives.