Cugalabanza Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Curious to hear people’s thoughts on this. I think it’s the problem of hyper-incarceration rates in this country as related to the war on drugs. The so-called “prison industrial complex.” I happen to be pro-Obama overall, but I’m disappointed in what he and Gil Kerlikowske have failed to do on this issue. Seemed that early on they acknowledged the problem and vowed to approach it differently, but it’s been pure status quo since. Obviously, it’s an issue neither side wants to bring up, but even the media seems afraid to mention it. I would have loved to hear a question raised in one of the debates about it, but not even close. What’s the important issue that you feel should be talked about but isn’t? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 That's a great one that needs to be addressed, Gringo. It's really a sad state of affairs. The war on drugs has turned into one of our country's biggest employers. It's depressing as hell. And it ties into my biggest ignored issue: Our continued surrendering of civil liberties without due process. Drones over US airspace, the strengthening of the Patriot Act (instead of it's repeal), and continuation of unlawful wiretaps has shredded every single citizen's civil rights in the name of fighting an invisible boogyman called "terrorism". We've gone past the slippery slope and are now careening down the hill at a rapidly increasing speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Curious to hear people’s thoughts on this. I think it’s the problem of hyper-incarceration rates in this country as related to the war on drugs. The so-called “prison industrial complex.” I happen to be pro-Obama overall, but I’m disappointed in what he and Gil Kerlikowske have failed to do on this issue. Seemed that early on they acknowledged the problem and vowed to approach it differently, but it’s been pure status quo since. Obviously, it’s an issue neither side wants to bring up, but even the media seems afraid to mention it. I would have loved to hear a question raised in one of the debates about it, but not even close. What’s the important issue that you feel should be talked about but isn’t? Add that to the long list of problems they acknowledged four years ago that they have ignored the past four years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 Add that to the long list of problems they acknowledged four years ago that they have ignored the past four years. Great job not lettin' that one get by ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Add that to the long list of problems they acknowledged four years ago that they have ignored the past four years. I hear you, but what can they do? The privatized prison industry accounts for BILLIONS in our national economy. The prison cartel is as powerful as the oil cartels in this country. You can't fight them. You either play ball or you don't win elections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I hear you, but what can they do? The privatized prison industry accounts for BILLIONS in our national economy. The prison cartel is as powerful as the oil cartels in this country. You can't fight them. You either play ball or you don't win elections. I bet term limits would go a long way towards fixing that problem. As you correctly pointed out, politicians of all parties are more concerned with being electable instead of doing what is right or necessary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I bet term limits would go a long way towards fixing that problem. As you correctly pointed out, politicians of all parties are more concerned with being electable instead of doing what is right or necessary... I'm with you there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayman Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Drug war/other civil liberty issues, political reform, climate change, poverty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck_dodgers007 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Drug war/other civil liberty issues, political reform, climate change, poverty Your last two seem to have popular support for dealing with. Most people now see that climate change is real and seems to me that most people would support some form of public works. But nothing on either front... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosmicBills Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Your last two seem to have popular support for dealing with. Most people now see that climate change is real and seems to me that most people would support some form of public works. But nothing on either front... The issue isn't whether or not it's real. It's whether or not it's man-made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck_dodgers007 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 The issue isn't whether or not it's real. It's whether or not it's man-made. And I would guess that most people believe the majority of scientists who say it's man made Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 The issue isn't whether or not it's real. It's whether or not it's man-made. I think there's still debate going on about whether it's even real. It's real to me and there's as close as you can get to a consensus among climate scientists, but there's still a lot of people, including prominent politicians on the national stage, who insist that it is not happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanM.D. Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I bet term limits would go a long way towards fixing that problem. As you correctly pointed out, politicians of all parties are more concerned with being electable instead of doing what is right or necessary... I agree. They would be less likely to worry about their 'legacy' (errrr...electability) and more concerned about making the most of their 'short time' in Washington. The political parties, however, would still be 'in line' and that would blunt the effectiveness somewhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayman Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) Tort reform. This is more of a state issue. I agree. They would be less likely to worry about their 'legacy' (errrr...electability) and more concerned about making the most of their 'short time' in Washington. The political parties, however, would still be 'in line' and that would blunt the effectiveness somewhat. I agree that the political parties would still be "in line" and also there are positive effects to not having term limits. As much as Washington sucks, people do eventually get somewhat competent in specialized areas...it would be frustrating to those who must deal with government to have people they've worked with over the course of multiple sessions creating or refining things only to start over every 2, 4, or 6 years. Edited October 25, 2012 by TheNewBills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drnykterstein Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) Domestic spying programs Jon Stewart is the only interviewer I've seen that even asked Obama about this. He didn't really push the issue that hard though. Edited October 25, 2012 by conner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 The issue that I would most like to see the major party candidates address is the brutal supression of the rights of psychodelic frogs on the Internet. Dare I say, a war on Hypnotoads? That and the Federal Reserve and failed War on Drugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I hear you, but what can they do? The privatized prison industry accounts for BILLIONS in our national economy. The prison cartel is as powerful as the oil cartels in this country. You can't fight them. You either play ball or you don't win elections. There's no question we need to figure out a better solution for non-violent offenders. Locking them up only creates career criminals. But prisons are also big ticket budget items and states are eventually going to have to face up to their budget realities. I've read that prison populations are actually declining in many states. The issue isn't whether or not it's real. It's whether or not it's man-made. And whether it's out of the ordinary for our planet's normal warming and cooling cycles. And whether there's anything we can do about it even if it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/284051/real-prison-industry-jonah-goldberg# According to UCLA economist Lee E. Ohanian in a illuminating paper for The American, “America’s Public Sector Union Dilemma,” California’s corrections officers have exploited their monopoly labor power to push policies that will expand the prison population and, as a result, the demand for guards who just happen to be the best-paid corrections officers in the country. That’s why, contrary to what the Marxist sages would expect, they’ve successfully kept privately run prisons out of the state. Meanwhile, incarceration costs in the essentially bankrupt state are exploding. California spends $44,000 per inmate, compared with the national average of $28,000. A state prison nurse exploited overtime rules to earn $269,810 in one year. Also contrary to left-wing expectations, these policies have been implemented not so much by the hard-hearted captains of industry and their Republican lackeys, but by a Democrat-controlled state legislature lubricated with donations from a powerful public-sector union. The system is now up for much-needed reform thanks to a court order mandating that California fix the prison mess. Gov. Jerry Brown, whose 2010 gubernatorial campaign received more than $2 million from CCPOA, has been forced to figure something out. Still, I suppose I owe the folks in the clown car at least a small apology. They’re still nuts, but they’re right about the existence of a prison-industrial complex. They were just looking in the wrong direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 There isn't any question that public employee labor unions are collectively the biggest scam in American history and their existence is the most egregious example of politicians ignoring a huge threat to the country's well being. In states like CA and NY, it will take almost total fiscal collapse to force any meaningful change. In more (truly) progressive states that have kept the unions in check, actual reform on a range of government spending issues is still possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badasss Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 What about the gender gap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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