A firearm is not a good solution to anything. It’s a tool of last resort. If i believe I, or some one I love is going to die. At that point, i don’t care if i can beat the military, or if im labeled a cop killer because the alternative is Im dead. This isn’t about being a hero, this isn’t about saving my neighborhood or my country, this isn’t about beating the military. Owning and carrying a firearm is about giving yourself one last option when all else fails. When you know you will die without it, may as well have the chance to do something.

Firearms also work as a deterrent. They are a show of force. Without it, the government has a monopoly on violence. Cops, ICE, the military, whoever. When they are they only ones with the ability to do that, we will always be under their thumb.

I’m not saying we should be resorting to violence unless there is absolutely no other choice. The very last thing i want is a shootout or fight with any government agency. I will not win that fight. But I would rather die standing and fighting then die on my knees.

I strongly believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to do their best to protect themselves and those they love. Go exercise. Go learn martial arts. go learn how to shoot. Not because you plan to use violence, but so when violence is used on you, you are not helpless.

I’m not going to point out the flaws in your statistics. Someone else already did that.

As a resident of illinois, I am honored to be included.

Earlier I was intentionally simplifying things. You’re right that the old “simple chemical imbalance” explanation of ADHD is outdated. But completely discarding biology in response goes too far in the other direction. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder involving dysregulation across multiple systems. It isn’t just a neutral difference in brain wiring.

Dopamine and norepinephrine still matter here. The fact that stimulant and non-stimulant medications targeting these systems consistently reduce symptoms is not a coincidence. That clinical effectiveness reflects real underlying biology, even if no single neurotransmitter abnormality fully explains ADHD on its own. In medicine and psychology, we don’t define disorders based on imaging findings. We define them based on persistent impairment and dysfunction, and ADHD clearly meets that bar. That’s why it has a diagnosis in the DSM. The impairments are real, measurable, and reproducible.

It’s also true that structural and functional differences in areas like the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and limbic system tend to be subtle and overlap with neurotypical populations. But subtle doesn’t mean irrelevant. These differences are consistently linked to problems with executive function, reward processing, impulse control, and emotional regulation. More importantly, they show up in real-world outcomes: academic difficulties, unstable employment, higher injury rates, and increased risk of comorbid psychiatric conditions.

The idea that ADHD is primarily an evolutionary adaptation rather than a disorder is, at this point, speculative. Models like the “hunter versus farmer” hypothesis haven’t been supported by evolutionary genetics or population-level data. Current evidence doesn’t show clear positive selection for ADHD-associated alleles, and some data actually suggest reduced reproductive fitness over time. There’s a meaningful difference between metaphors that help people feel better about themselves and explanations that are supported by solid evidence.

Acknowledging strengths commonly seen in people with ADHD—creativity, energy, novel problem-solving—is important and appropriate. But recognizing strengths doesn’t cancel out pathology. Many medical and neurodevelopmental conditions come with areas of resilience or advantage. That doesn’t turn them into adaptations instead of disorders.

ADHD is considered a disorder because, across cultures and contexts, it reliably causes clinically significant impairment without treatment or accommodation. Minimizing that reality in the name of reducing stigma ends up doing people with ADHD a disservice. ADHD is a legitimate disorder with real, measurable impairments. At the same time, people with ADHD are not broken, deficient, or without meaningful strengths. Both of those things can be true at once.

You are looking at ADHD as what the signs are and even there, you are missing most of them. There are a lot more symptoms than signs in ADHD the inability to focus is just one of many.

But more important than that is what ADHD is neurologicaly. I simplified it a ton to make it easier.

An imbalance is an incorrect amount. There are normal ranges that humans fall into. Some more, some less , that’s why it’s a range. The body works properly when it falls in that range. When we don’t have enough or too much of something our bodies stop working they way they should and results in disorders. That’s why hospitals will draw labs and see what is elevated, or depressed. We know what the general range should be, so we know when something is too high or to low.

This has nothing to do with sitting behind a keyboard and everything to do with faulty wiring and suboptimal amounts of norepinephrine. Not to mention that the brains of people with ADHD have a smaller frontal lobe and noteable differences in the limbic regions and basically ganglia.

You are being downvoted because you are wrong. Just because you saw some Facebook posts about how ADHD was more useful back in the day doesn’t mean it was correct or that you are right. It’s not a trait, it’s a difference in brain structure along with an imbalances in neurotransmitters.

The biggest issue is that America is built on the concept that taxes are bad. The whole founding of the country is built on not paying taxes. It’s something kids are taught from a very very young age and even though they are not being directly told that taxes are bad, they are being told how great and important it was to break away from English because they made us pay taxes.

Additionally the taxes that are paid in the USand used terribly. Pretty much no one is happy with how they are allocated. Right wing or left wing. So more taxes just feels like having more blood drained from us while getting nothing good in return.

We need a major tax reform not just an increase or a decrease. I would be happy to pay much higher taxes if I felt the benefits of it. Both for myself and for the people in this country. Instead I know most of what I pay gets wated or lines the pockets of the wealthy.

Therapy never fixes you problems. It’s there to provide you with the tools to handle and navigate those problems and teach you how to use them.

You can’t control the world or society or how other people will feel or react. All you can do is controle your actions and reactions. That’s a simple fact of life for everyone. I’m not saying your situation isn’t different from most other peoples but that won’t angry that the world isn’t better won’t help you in any way. Figuring out ways to navigate that shitty world on the other hand will.

There is nothing special about him. Assholes like him are a dime a dozen.

The real issue is generations of brainwashing and propaganda. On a micro scale we are individuals with free will and personal responsibility. But on a macro scale, when we are looking at the population as a whole, it’s so compleatly beyond people just being bad. They are like this because they have been conditioned to be like this. Taught to be like this. Turned into this.

I’m not saying that people are not responsible for their choices and actions. I am saying that the problem is so widespread that the we need to address the cause and not get stuck at just being mad at and blaming the individual.

American society now is the result of a fuck ton of social engineering by the wealthy elite trying to extract as much work and money out of the world as possible. We are living in the capitalist dream right now.

Problem is, these businesses are closing because they are not making money there. If a bunch of business we are closing, it means that the mall is dying. Opening up new store is just a bad idea as they will have the same issues. Rent is likely way too high, and mall attendance is way too low.

Unless you have something that will be a big draw for people, it is likely a bad bet. Cofee shops and such are there to serve people shopping in other stores. If foot traffic is down, it won’t work out well.

The simple fact that the governments website is being used as a platform rather then a bipartisan utility is fucking disgusting. Our government makes me ashamed to be an American.

The problem with this simple life is that it’s notthat simple.

The first time they need to repair something or someone has a medical problem reality hits. The little trailer home falls apart more and more every month but they can’t afford the repairs. Food keeps getting more and more expensive. Medical conditions become chronic problems and soon every day is difficult. If they didn’t have a drug problem before they do now. Just to cope with the hardship of being chronicle Ill. Theft and crime are common around you. What little you have is always vulnerable to being taken from you. Life is stressful and difficult. This kind of life is an endless downward slide, and the only way to get out is to claw your way out.

The only way this life is truly simple is if you have money and a lot of it. You can live a simple unemployed life as a trust fund baby. Or if your spouse has a good job and you just stay home and chill.

I want everyone to get what they want. I want people who voted for evil shit to get evil shit done to them. I want people who voted for good shit to have good shit done to them.

I don’t get to decide what’s good and what evil. All I get is to see how it all plays out. If these people keep voting for the right and now their life sucks because of the politicians they voted for then they are just getting what they asked for. The only sad part is everyone else who didn’t vote that way is also dealing with it.

Some are. But unless they are in a truly rural area, that is just not true. According to recent numbers 80% of people in America live in urban areas.

Those urban areas, while often not designed for bicycles are a lot more frindly to bicycles then true rural areas. Saying kids are trapped untill they have a car wrong most of the time. Yeah they may have to bike or walk a few miles to get anywhere but that’s not a big deal.

The people living in true rural America truly do not have the ability to do so. But again, that’s less then a quarter of the populations and likely far less then a quarter of all kids.

We have a culture that prioritizes physical comfort above most other things. A car is more comfortable so that is what most people what to do.

Pebbles and rock get stuck into the tread and scratch up hard wood floors. Even without that it’s a lot more wear and tear on your floor not to mention the dirt.

If you wear shoes at home you where not raised right. If you HAVE to have something on your feet get some house shoes or slippers

Boots are hot and all. But if you are wearing your outside boots/shoes all over the house then you are an asshole. They Fuck up your floors and makes everything dirty. Even if there isn’t visible mud we walk through all sorts of nasty stuff and not even know about it.

You want fuck me boots? Don’t wear them outside. Or at least clean them well before walking around inside.

Did you talk to the insurance adjuster to increase their payout?

What they first offer you is just that, an offer. You can absolutely come back and say fuck off the car is worth more you just need to be able to provide proof.

They try and pay as little as possible. Never take their first offer.

My car was totaled recently. Fucking loved that car. They first offered me 19k for it. I found similar cars for sale for 24k. Same year. Same trim, close miles. They argued that what I see is the listing price not what they actually sold for.

I told them to fuck off 19k will not buy me a replacement and if they can find me a similar car that a dealer will actually sell for 19k locally I will take the 19k. Took them a week to come back to me and they offered me 22k. I told them I just put new tires on the car and gave receipts from a month ago. They upped it to 23k. +Tax and title.

Point is, it’s a nagitiation. They will try and screw you if they can. Don’t let them

Also. They owe you for taxes. That’s IN ADDITION to the value of the car. So if they say the car is 20k according to them. Make sure you are getting roughly 21.5k from them.

Huge trucks make sense as work vehicles when the job requires that you haul or tow huge amounts of heavy equipment or materials. That is a pretty small percentage of the population. Lifted vehicles make sense if you need to go off-roading. Only way a huge lifted truck is reasonable is if you need to off-road with thousands of pounds of materials and equipment.

I can’t imagine many people have any real need for that. Non compact trucks shild require an additional license, and be taxed very heavily or require extra expensive registrations with the ability to write most of that off come tax season for people who’s work requires it.

Bob in accounting does not need a lifted F450. Bob in accounting is a huge hazard to everyone else on the road every time he drives it to work and back home and to gym 2 times a week.

They don’t mean the underside.

They mean smooth on the inside. The bottom as In where tu out your food to cook.

You are not wrong to not care about sex and romantic relationships. If that is how you are happy. And I mean truly happy. Not lying to yourself because the grapes are sour anyways. Then there is nothing wrong with it. We are all wired In different way and enjoy different things.

Having said that, you are the minority.

Humans by design seek sex and romantic intimacy. The vast majority of people place a lot of importance on it. It’s not just about the physical act or the pleasure of it, it’s the intimacy, the trust, the closeness. It’s being able to be truly exposed and vulnerable, and having your partner be just as exposed and vulnerable. It’s being able to give pleasure and accept pleasure. Our brains become flooded with feel good chemicals. Humans are typically wired to want sex.

My point is, no one should judge you or look down on you for living the way you want. Some people will, but they are ass hats and you should ignore them. But In the same way you should understand that most people get A LOT out of sex, especially good sex.

It’s not a dumb talking point at all. The wait times are massively important as they are your actual access to said healthcare.

You do not have access to any healthcare if the wait times are so long that by the time you see the doctor you are iether recovered or dead.

The issue with wait times are multifaceted and can’t be fixed by switching to a different payment scheme. It has to do with hospital admin that cut costs at every opportunity. It has to do with the ACGMEs stranglehold on the amount of new doctors getting a medical licence comming in. It has to do with how few doctors are going into the lower paying specialties.

Wait times are different depending on the area, the procedure, and necessity but they are also so what based on luck.

Go into an ER because of a heart attack on a slow night and you get immediate treatment. Go in with the same issue on a busy night when they just had 3 GSWs dropped of at the ER doors, a cardiac arrest In progress, a CVA, and 5 psychs all in the ER right now. Not to mention a handful of incoming ambulances, and you will get the same treatment but much slower.

You spend a few hours in triage then finally get a room inside. Another twenty minutes before a nurse sees you. Another hour before a doctor. They run an EKG and labs in the meanwhile. You are having an NSTEMI.

After you get out of the ER. You spend a day in a hospital room for observation. They didn’t really do anything but you are feeling a bit better on your own. They tell you, you need to go to a cardiologist.

The hospital tried to find you one to transfer you there directly, but no cardiologist within 250 miles has any opening so they spend a few days looking and nothing comes up. You get discharged. You still need to see a cardiologist.

You call around and find which ones are covered by your insurence. You call their offices and they say they are booked out for 4 months. But you can be put on a wait list. There are only 20 other people on the wait-list before you. Maybe you will get lucky.

You where not lucky. 4 months later you finally get seen by the cardiologist. They discover that you now have left sided heart failure which could have been avoided if you just saw them sooner and got a stent placed. Now you are diagnosed with CHF which you will struggle with for the rest of your life.

Now you have to get regular checkup with your primary care provider but also with th cardiologist to keep an eye on things. You make sure to call 4 months in advance because that’s how far out they are booking appointments right now.

You have an appointment comming up in only a month, but your realy not feeling well. You are worried that it’s your heart again. You can’t seem to catch your breath and your body feels slow and heavy. You call your primary care doctor and they say, no we can’t see you. You have to go to the ER. You go to the ER. They run an EKG and basic labs. Everything comes back ok. Your ER doc says nothing I can do, go see your cardiologist.

You call your cardiologist and they say appointment in 3 months but if it gets worse, go to the ER. You call your Primary care and ask if they can move your appointment up. They say no. And they canceled your next appointment when you called because you where going to the ER so they figured you didn’t need it. The slot has already been given to someone else. But they will squeeze you in asap. Appintmet set a month from now.

This is the cycle that people live and die in.

Time matters. In an emergency, but also in routine daily care. Sure everyone makes appointment, but the problem is there are no open appointments for months.

If I get the flu and want to see my primary care provider to get diagnosed and get some antivirals it will be at minimum 2 weeks before I can see her. That’s the closest appointment. By then I don’t have the flu anymore and it’s pointless. What if I was old and unhealthy and that flu nearly killed me? Now I go to the ER and tie up emergency resources all because I could not get in to see my normal doctor.