Great idea! I’ve even got a name for it. We’ll call it “The Police.” I’m sure there might be some naming rights issues to clear up with Sting, but I like the cut of your jib mister; let’s get this rolling.
Trouble is, this “Police” thing isn’t working, not even as well as the “health care” thing. I mean, it can’t go on like this. Clearly, the police thing is broken and something has to be done. And who better to take over and make everything right than the U.S. government, eh?
Yeah! Power to the people! Right on! Let’s all toke up and fuck in the mud! 
You’ve convinced me. I’m all for personal responsibility now. Let’s disband the police and if you get mugged, it’s on you to hire a private investigator to catch the perp.
Thank you for clearing up my thinking. I don’t know what got into me.
You know, I never came back to this thread until now. For all you know, that was a friend of mine who was killed.
No, no, no! You don’t understand! It isn’t that we should break up the police; it’s that we should create new U.S. government agencies to watch over us and make sure that we all are safe as we go about our daily business and sleep snug in our beds at night. It’s the only solution. I mean, after all, if the government isn’t going to protect us and provide for all our needs, who is?
But … but … the police are paid for from my taxes. It’s a Nanny State!!
You’ve got me confused again Uncle Starvie. Tell me about the unicorn farts in the '50’s again. Take back from the abyss.
Yes, the police are paid for from your taxes but it isn’t enough! Don’t you understand? More people are murdered each year than die from no health care! It’s intolerable! The system is broken and evil! Fucking cops make MONEY from supposedly protecting us, and YET more people die each year from murder than from no health care. PLEASE, BIG DADDY, MAKE IT STOP!
Stop the presses. Only slightly more people die each year from being violently killed by criminals that cops are trying to stop than people who die from getting an infection that they can’t afford to treat.
This is obviously proof that EvilObamaCommuNaziSocialize Medicine is evil … thread-shat in a thread about a shooting in Las Vegas, I might add.
Just trying to keep things in perspective, mon frere, just trying to keep things in perspective.
Dali’s perspective?
No, surrealism has no home in realism; thus it’s the liberal way.
ETA: Still, that mofo was a hell of a painter!
Y’know, I’m gonna be all mean and serious here, and point out that NO, it is not the responsibility of the police to protect you. It’s true that preventing crime is one of the goals of the criminal justice system, but the responsibility of the police is to mostly to deal with crime after it happens or as it happens, and only to some degree to discourage future crimes.