Whats wrong with people?!?

[Mrs. 2Lehner]

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/197907/20110815/7-year-old-boy-beheaded-decapitated-killed-murder-louisiana-head-body.htm

[68GTO]

The restated question should be, what's wrong with society that we no longer call bad behavior what it is and we no longer punish bad behavior?

Mental anguish. Insanity defenses. I was an abused child...I did not know better. He looked at me funny. It's rich people's fault. I wanted to go dancing and not be encumbered by finding a sitter for my 3 year old. I needed his ipod...

There was a time when something called "SHAME" was employed. There was a time when the threat of "wait until I tell your parents what you have been up to" made a difference. We have become too permissive and passive. We no longer prosecute crimes - allowing "first time offenders and repeat offenders of minor crimes" to get away with slaps on the wrist. We have a system of government programs that reward non-participation in workforce.

My take - get parents to take responsibility for their children, return to a focus on the family unit where one has two parents, drastically reduce government programs that have failed society, remake those that are deemed valuable (few), prosecute crimes harshly the FIRST time.

There will always be ne'erdowells, but our society (we) need to stand up and not take the bad behavior.

[N8Dogg98]

Jesus Christ, What an awful story

I'll never understand how some people can harm others who are unable to defend themselves. I can understand the feeling of frustration, for example, when a baby won't stop crying, but when it starts to get to you put the damn kid down and walk away for a few minutes to cool off.

That's quite a brutal and violent action to take out on a kid who is MR...

[Max Power]

There was a time when something called "SHAME" was employed. There was a time when the threat of "wait until I tell your parents what you have been up to" made a difference. We have become too permissive and passive. We no longer prosecute crimes - allowing "first time offenders and repeat offenders of minor crimes" to get away with slaps on the wrist. We have a system of government programs that reward non-participation in workforce.

My take - get parents to take responsibility for their children, return to a focus on the family unit where one has two parents, drastically reduce government programs that have failed society, remake those that are deemed valuable (few), prosecute crimes harshly the FIRST time.

We don't disagree on this one much, but I have a couple of questions for your 30,000 foot stump speech.

1. When coming down hard, where do we put em? We already have by far the highest incarceration rate in the world, and building more prisons will cost more and more tax dollars which nobody will approve.

2. How do you force 2 parent families on people? Feel good billboards? Church groups at a church they never attend?

[sinSStr]

Jesus Christ.

[68GTO]

We don't disagree on this one much, but I have a couple of questions for your 30,000 foot stump speech.

1. When coming down hard, where do we put em? We already have by far the highest incarceration rate in the world, and building more prisons will cost more and more tax dollars which nobody will approve.

2. How do you force 2 parent families on people? Feel good billboards? Church groups at a church they never attend?

<Brace for unexpected comments from me>
Change drug policy in US. I don't suggest 100% for legalization as I don't think it's a good thing; however, one would be hard-pressed to argue with the results of the "war on drugs" and what that has done to prison populations. Changes that can be made now to make prison less of an acceptable outcome:

1. Apply laws that already exist on the books and the punishments called for offenses. Punish the first time, everytime.
2. Remove comforts - prison is about depriving one of rights, specifically freedoms, not of protections. No ipods. No TV. No posters on walls. replace this with libraries. Reduce "gymnasiums" at prisons.
3. Return to work prisons (think chain gangs) where prisoners are pushed via tough, physically demanding, punishing work - not abused, but pushed to work hard - every day. Make prison a place that is dreaded.
4. As for the two-parent families, this is a goal not something that one can mandate. It is analyzing the situation and drawing conclusions. this is a byproduct of "modern" (post 60's) society. LBJ severely harmed this country with his "great society" vision. This is about encouragement. It is about refusing to reward abberant behavior (child out of wedlock - we're not paying for you).

[S40Monster]

Are all people named Jeremiah Wright crazy?

[Max Power]

<Brace for unexpected comments from me>
Change drug policy in US. I don't suggest 100% for legalization as I don't think it's a good thing; however, one would be hard-pressed to argue with the results of the "war on drugs" and what that has done to prison populations. Changes that can be made now to make prison less of an acceptable outcome:

1. Apply laws that already exist on the books and the punishments called for offenses. Punish the first time, everytime.
2. Remove comforts - prison is about depriving one of rights, specifically freedoms, not of protections. No ipods. No TV. No posters on walls. replace this with libraries. Reduce "gymnasiums" at prisons.
3. Return to work prisons (think chain gangs) where prisoners are pushed via tough, physically demanding, punishing work - not abused, but pushed to work hard - every day. Make prison a place that is dreaded.
4. As for the two-parent families, this is a goal not something that one can mandate. It is analyzing the situation and drawing conclusions. this is a byproduct of "modern" (post 60's) society. LBJ severely harmed this country with his "great society" vision. This is about encouragement. It is about refusing to reward abberant behavior (child out of wedlock - we're not paying for you).

Fair points. I think we should take everyone who is in prison for weed and just set them free. That would free up some space, but maybe not enough. We should legalize and tax it. This isn't the 50s anymore, and we know the earth isn't flat.

Given that states with the death penalty have no lower murder rate than without the death penalty, I find that any fear of reprisal proposal to be based more on theory than reality. Although I would like to see prison life changed. I see it as an opportunity for a segment of the manufacturing base, where assembly line positions can be granted as a reward for good behavior, vocational skills are taught, and the cost of incarceration can be somewhat offset by goods produced. Sadly, that would put government in the free market sector to some extent, but hey, every theory has loopholes, right?

Two parent families? Good luck. That starts at home.

[N8Dogg98]

Fair points. I think we should take everyone who is in prison for weed and just set them free. That would free up some space, but maybe not enough. We should legalize and tax it. This isn't the 50s anymore, and we know the earth isn't flat.

Do you think it would be a good idea to legalize and tax all drugs?

Given that states with the death penalty have no lower murder rate than without the death penalty, I find that any fear of reprisal proposal to be based more on theory than reality. Although I would like to see prison life changed. I see it as an opportunity for a segment of the manufacturing base, where assembly line positions can be granted as a reward for good behavior, vocational skills are taught, and the cost of incarceration can be somewhat offset by goods produced. Sadly, that would put government in the free market sector to some extent, but hey, every theory has loopholes, right?

The problem with this is suppose a manufacturing company decides they can get a better deal paying for prison labor than they would get by hiring free citizens. Afterall they likely wouldn't have to comply with the same labor laws and certainly wouldn't have to provide benefits. With unemployment already high, I don't think this is a very worthwhile solution.

What I do think would be worthwhile, is if the government used inmates to do government work (which they already do to some degree). Cleaning up highways for example.

Two parent families? Good luck. That starts at home.

No kidding.

My wife is a school teacher in a low income neighborhood and some of the stories out of her classroom are terrible.

One of the students in her class last year experienced something truly horiffic. The kids parents were separated, but his mom had let the dad live in the basement because the guy lost his job. Well he found out that she had another boyfriend, he flipped out, and beat her to death with a baseball bat in their bedroom while the kids were outside the door listening. He then placed her under the bed matress, lit the bed on fire, and locked the 2 kids in the basement. At this point he called the mom's boyfriend and told him "you're next." Fortunately the boyfriend called the police and they were able to rescue the kids from the basement. I went with my wife to that funeral last year and it was the most depressing thing I've ever seen. The kid in my wife's class was only 10 years old and his mom was only 26.

The year before this she had a kid in her class whose mom and dad were arguing (kid watched this happen) and the dad shot the mom in the stomach and then proceeded to shoot himself in the head (he died obviously).

That same year she had a kid who was severely beaten by a belt, welts and marks across his arms and face. She filed a police report, and SS took the kids away from the parents for a weekend and gave them their son back after about 4 days.

I hear stories like these and the one in the link above and wonder WTF is going on in the world.

[bluchev]

fucking psycho's

[prostang92]

public flogging,,,,,,

[Max Power]

Do you think it would be a good idea to legalize and tax all drugs?

No, which is why I didn't say that.

The problem with this is suppose a manufacturing company decides they can get a better deal paying for prison labor than they would get by hiring free citizens. Afterall they likely wouldn't have to comply with the same labor laws and certainly wouldn't have to provide benefits. With unemployment already high, I don't think this is a very worthwhile solution.

What I do think would be worthwhile, is if the government used inmates to do government work (which they already do to some degree). Cleaning up highways for example.

Clearly it could work in some cases. I am not sure that any manufacturing interest could just "shop" for prison labor, free market style. I wasn't necessarily suggesting that. I just see a chance for a lot of useful labor and a way to subsidize costs.

[LES]

Two parent families? Good luck. That starts at home.

Most everything that has to do with right or wrong starts there. IMO.

[sinSStr]

One of the students in her class last year experienced something truly horiffic. The kids parents were separated, but his mom had let the dad live in the basement because the guy lost his job. Well he found out that she had another boyfriend, he flipped out, and beat her to death with a baseball bat in their bedroom while the kids were outside the door listening. He then placed her under the bed matress, lit the bed on fire, and locked the 2 kids in the basement. At this point he called the mom's boyfriend and told him "you're next." Fortunately the boyfriend called the police and they were able to rescue the kids from the basement. I went with my wife to that funeral last year and it was the most depressing thing I've ever seen. The kid in my wife's class was only 10 years old and his mom was only 26.

The year before this she had a kid in her class whose mom and dad were arguing (kid watched this happen) and the dad shot the mom in the stomach and then proceeded to shoot himself in the head (he died obviously).

That same year she had a kid who was severely beaten by a belt, welts and marks across his arms and face. She filed a police report, and SS took the kids away from the parents for a weekend and gave them their son back after about 4 days.

What. The. Fuck.

[N8Dogg98]

No, which is why I didn't say that.

I was just curious what your take on it was. Why would you support legalizing Marijuana and not other drugs?

Clearly it could work in some cases. I am not sure that any manufacturing interest could just "shop" for prison labor, free market style. I wasn't necessarily suggesting that. I just see a chance for a lot of useful labor and a way to subsidize costs.

I feel ya