I'm glad we can agree! I also think that -- balancing our strenghts and weaknesses and looking at other countries in the world -- this country is clearly and by far the best. Do we have agreement on that point also?
We agree on this point.
My prescription for lower crime is for more of the same things that made this country great in the first place, like more limited government and more individual freedom
Now on this point we do not agree. One of the big problems this country is facing is the judicial system which is giving license to be anything for anybody in the name of individual freedom. What may be good for you may not be good for the nation as a whole but our activist judges don't care about the nation as a whole. And this I see as a major problem which will not soon turn around, if it ever does.
Your comments are well-stated -- thought provoking.
Since we're trying to find some common ground here, could I suggest that the enemy we both dislike is moral relativism -- that wishy-washy attitude that nothing is really right or really wrong?
I hate that attitude. I hate when it's used to excuse crime here at home, or terrorism or tyranny abroad. I don't believe we need more freedom for criminals to excuse their crimes -- I think we need more freedom for good people (who know the difference between right and wrong) to protect themselves against the bad guys.