America, where we have decades of evidence that says X doesn't work, so that means we need to double down.
America, where we have decades of evidence that says X doesn't work, so that means we need to double down.
Datsun310Guy wrote: The weekend is here - let's see how Chicago does and how the chief of police survives. They burned out the last one.
They were not killed. They died of natural causes. The ME will find that their pulmonary systems failed to deliver sufficient oxygen to their brain from a natural loss of function in no way caused or assisted by blood loss due to a bullet wound.
I wish this was a callous joke making light of the situation but given past results it is likely. The ME has to do their part to keep the murder rate down.
Boost_Crazy wrote: In reply to Xceler8x: Plea bargaining? Plea bargaining helps the criminal. It is an admittance to guilt of a lesser charge, in exchange for lighter punishment. Plea bargaining reduces sentences. Are you implying that are prisons are full of innocent people who agreed to plead guilty?
Plea bargains are what public defenders do for their clients. Get a real attorney like rich people who "beat the system". Yes, I know this is not true in every case.
nocones wrote: They were not killed. They died of natural causes...
I am pretty sure they were diagnosed with Terminal Kinetic Energy Poisoning.
PHeller wrote: On that note, why is it so damn hard to get on a government job building roads or other necessary infrastructure? You'd think there should be some law that says if you're building a government funded project, that you need to accept all able bodied (pass a physical) workers and adjust your pay scale as necessary. We need to find some way of putting people to work, even if its less efficient.
I think you'd be surprised and disappointed with who shows up for your offer. City jobs used to be hard to get. People could come in with no experience and learn a trade and with hard work move up the ladder and make a nice living.
Our drivers top out at about $28 an hour, get good health insurance and a good rate, and a pension. As long as you have a basic drivers license, pass a physical and a drug test we train you and get you your bus license. You would think as bad as the economy is now there would be lines out the door. A few months ago when the last test was out I tried to get some kids I know to take it. They hang out on the street most of the day, some of them work part time here and there but are generally good kids. None of them were interested in a job that expects them to show up everyday. Generally the first question they ask is if they really have to work 5 days, and what happens if they don't. Then they talk money, and often how strict is the drug testing.
If they do take the job a lot of them walk once they find out they will be working nights, weekends, ect. Most of our new hires now are older people or new immigrants who think they won the lottery since we only work them five days a week.
spitfirebill wrote:Boost_Crazy wrote: In reply to Xceler8x: Plea bargaining? Plea bargaining helps the criminal. It is an admittance to guilt of a lesser charge, in exchange for lighter punishment. Plea bargaining reduces sentences. Are you implying that are prisons are full of innocent people who agreed to plead guilty?Plea bargains are what public defenders do for their clients. Get a real attorney like rich people who "beat the system". Yes, I know this is not true in every case.
Plea bargains are also what prosecutors use to "persuade" clients to accept something when they know there is a reasonable chance of losing in court because they don't have a strong enough case.
I'll bet there is more than one innocent guy serving time because he was afraid of serving "real" time and couldn't afford a "real" attorney so he signed that paper.
It's bad ju-ju all around.
In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:
I don't approve of plea bargains.......period.
yamaha wrote: I am a firm believer of making them all work to pay for the expenses caused by THEIR actions. Its a two pronged attempt to instill a strong work ethic and personal responsibility.
I applaud the idea with a standing ovation. Unfortunately, it's a lesson that will be lost on almost all of the offenders. The lesson that will be ingrained permanently is this: The Man forces me to work and keeps all my berking money. Berk that E36M3.
In reply to Duke:
Some will think that, and those are probably the ones we need to drop off on an abandoned island somewhere(Johnston Atoll comes to mind).....but if they are getting money they've worked towards when they get out, and luxuries while in, wouldn't you think the majority would actually work for it. Plus, the more active you make them, the less likely they are to be violent.
The current system of "If we don't get what we want, we have the ACLU sue you until we do" 
yamaha wrote: Some will think that, and those are probably the ones we need to drop off on an abandoned island somewhere(Johnston Atoll comes to mind).....
Didn't the British call that Australia? History lesson so that we don't forgot the lessons of the past.
yamaha wrote: The current system of "If we don't get what we want, we have the ACLU sue you until we do"
The ACLU, much like the Quakers, have been on the right side of history more often than not. More light history reading just in case you want to know.
In reply to Xceler8x:
My point was not that the Johnston Atoll was remote, it was more along the lines of its smaller than most small town airports and irradiated........
I cannot help if they didn't bother to teach geography/history when you were in high school(See, I can be an shiny happy person citing wiki sources too
) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnston_atoll
As far as the aclu, it was a joke. But still, I want to know who successfully argued that "Common comforts" included cable.
I have not verified the truthfulness of the following statement. I really don't care if it's true or not. It made me laugh.
Toyman01 wrote: I have not verified the truthfulness of the following statement. I really don't care if it's true or not. It made me laugh.
Just goes to show how useless local gun laws are. It's an argument for stricter Federal gun laws if I ever saw one.
Good news, only 25 shootings in Chicago this weekend. Most seem to be in just a couple of neighborhoods. My guess is that in whatever location, most of the shooting comes from a very small group of folks who are particularly motivated to aggressively manage, defend or try to take over a market.
oldtin wrote: Good news, only 25 shooting in Chicago this weekend. Most seem to be in just a couple of neighborhoods. My guess is that in whatever location, most of the shooting comes from a very small group of folks who are particularly motivated to aggressively manage, defend or try to take over a market.
No its the strict gun laws. Now that concealed carry is legal Chicago's 2014-2015 murder rate/shooting frequency will plummet.
Toyman01 wrote: I have not verified the truthfulness of the following statement. I really don't care if it's true or not. It made me laugh.
Detroit has no gun laws, Michigan in general is pretty relaxed.
In reply to oldtin:
Yea, the bulk of homicides have been and will mostly be gang related(even if all the witnesses say it wasn't)
In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:
spitfirebill wrote: Boost_Crazy wrote: In reply to Xceler8x: Plea bargaining? Plea bargaining helps the criminal. It is an admittance to guilt of a lesser charge, in exchange for lighter punishment. Plea bargaining reduces sentences. Are you implying that are prisons are full of innocent people who agreed to plead guilty? Plea bargains are what public defenders do for their clients. Get a real attorney like rich people who "beat the system". Yes, I know this is not true in every case. Plea bargains are also what prosecutors use to "persuade" clients to accept something when they know there is a reasonable chance of losing in court because they don't have a strong enough case. I'll bet there is more than one innocent guy serving time because he was afraid of serving "real" time and couldn't afford a "real" attorney so he signed that paper. It's bad ju-ju all around.
I believe you guys have got it backwards. The quality of the defense lawyer does make a difference. The better the lawyer, the more likely a guilty person gets off, or a reduced sentence. It does not make innocent people plead guilty. I personally do not like plea bargaining. I believe suspects should be tried for the crimes for which they are accused. Here is a little refresher on what it takes to be convicted...
1) A crime is committed. 2) The crime is reported. 3) The investigation leads to a suspect. 4) The suspect is apprehended. 5) The district attorney concludes that there is enough evidence to prosecute. 6) The case goes to trial. 7) A jury of 12 citizens must all agree to convict. Not the Prosecutor. Not the judge. 12 strangers need to be unanimous. Try to get 12 people to agree on ANYTHING, it's not easy. 8) The defendant is sentenced, and frequently avoids prison.
It is very, very hard to get sent to prison. You need to earn it. As is should be. Our system is biased heavily to the defense, because we believe that it's better let 1000 guilty people go free rather then convict an innocent man. If a person still manages to end up in prison, they belong there.
In reply to Boost_Crazy:
If its so hard to get sent to prison in the USA, why do we have the highest incarceration rate on earth?
Now, if you're a rich and preferably white person, then its pretty damn hard to get sent to prison.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: In reply to Boost_Crazy: If its so hard to get sent to prison in the USA, why do we have the highest incarceration rate on earth? Now, if you're a rich and preferably white person, then its pretty damn hard to get sent to prison.
Because the Prison Complex benefits from the War on Drugs.
In reply to Kenny_McCormic:
In reply to Boost_Crazy: If its so hard to get sent to prison in the USA, why do we have the highest incarceration rate on earth? Now, if you're a rich and preferably white person, then its pretty damn hard to get sent to prison.
Because we have a lot of people who commit crimes. It is hard to get sent to prison. No one knows this better then the criminals. People who have proven that they already make poor decisions are willing to take more risk because there it less chance of going to jail. Rarely does one go to prison the first time they commit a crime. They get away with it. But then they continue to commit crimes until they are caught. If they quit while they were ahead, our jails would be empty. But they don't. And many continue the pattern after prison. The more lenient a society is on crime, the more crime it will have. How many we have in prison is irrelevant. The question you should ask is what percentage of people who commit crimes go to prison. As for the rich white guy, I am confused as to why you bring this up. You said that you want less people in prison. Have you changed your mind, and now want more people in prison, as long as they are rich and white? While I agree that criminals should go to jail, I don't think race or socioeconomic status should be a factor. Justice is blind, right? However, if you are saying that we should give poor people of color a pass when they commit crimes, I'd have to disagree.
In reply to Boost_Crazy:
You're using something called circular logic. You have to ask yourself WHY people keep going to prison, WHY are they committing crimes. Not "Prisons are full of criminals because there a lot of criminals in prison".
Rich white people are far more likely statistically speaking to get away with various crimes, there is a definite inequality there.
z31maniac wrote:Kenny_McCormic wrote: In reply to Boost_Crazy: If its so hard to get sent to prison in the USA, why do we have the highest incarceration rate on earth? Now, if you're a rich and preferably white person, then its pretty damn hard to get sent to prison.Because the Prison Complex benefits from the War on Drugs.
But we're winning the war on drugs! Praise the Lord and pass the bong!
(Funny, but not quite SFW musical content linked above.)
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