One of the hardest struggles in my life was to face the realization that with the current laws in place, as a convicted felon I am blacklisted for the remainder of my existence. It was a devastating result of my selfish desires to fulfill a life of crime during my teenage years. There is no justification that I can offer to suppress my actions. I was only thinking about myself leading me to follow a deceived heart, a closed mind, and selfish ambitions.
Now a days, trying to become a productive citizen has its hurdles. The mere opportunity to vote is a major accomplishment that I have been fervently working towards. Job opportunities are scarce, even more when up against a citizen without a criminal record. Apartments turn my family down due to being a 'high-risk' resident. Luckily because my felonies are not drug related charges, I have the ability to go to college. Unfortunately, millions of Americans are refused acceptance to college due to felony drug convictions; so for this I am grateful.
Today I live a life of integrity in everything I do. Whether or not being transparent is required, I make it an obligation of right living to pursue integrity in my every service to those around me. Ive invited respectful and honorable friends to hold me accountable and encourage me to go beyond doing right but to meet the needs of those around me. I have guided my wife and my daughter to pursue the needs of others out of selfless service and in doing so have yielded a life of joy and blessing.
I am working with a group of dedicated people to bring freedom to captives, reform to reprobate minds, and hope to the hopeless. We are organizing a ministry whose purpose goes beyond just meeting the needs of people but to help all facets of their life. Our hope is to provide a foundation that can be passed on from generation to generation.
If you would like to help us keep people in front of bars rather then behind them, please contact me at: mfelch1981@gmail.com
One of the sad legacies of Ronald Reagan that Obama should reset with a new, smarter approach are so-called “tough on crime” policies that brought us mandatory sentencing, three-strikes, and a complete abandonment of rehabilitation. Now, America leads the world as the number one incarcerator of human beings. Most of those incarcerated are black and Latino men, and most of the crimes are for non-violent offenses such as drug possession, petty theft and burglaries associated with substance abuse and addiction.
Despite these lengthier sentences, most of these offenders are eventually released, and they are released without any effort to address the root causes that motivated them to commit the crimes for which they were incarcerated. After release, these ex-offenders become victims of employment discrimination and are unable to find work (70-90%) because of prejudice against them. Only five states currently have laws on the books that prohibit employment discrimination against ex-offenders- Hawaii, Kansas, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. As a consequence, over 70% recommit crimes within three years of being released from prison. In stark contrast to this result, in most European countries, over 70% of ex-offenders “never” commit another crime in their lifetime.
This must change!
If America really is concerned about “victims’ rights”, how can we encourage a result where ex-offenders are compelled to commit crimes to feed, clothe, and house themselves? For every new crime committed, there is a new victim, and there doesn’t appear to be much thought at all about lessoning the prospect of these new victims of crime.
Vengeance for vengeance sake, has no place in an advanced democratic country. Such vengeance merely creates a cycle of more, and more crime in which no one benefits. It costs us $37,000 a year to incarcerate each inmate, and most of this money is at the expense of other priorities like K-12 education. At 2.3 million inmates currently incarcerated in the US, that is $85 billion dollars “a year” for incarceration.
All major religions seem to understand the lunacy of this through spiritual principles of forgiveness and human redemption. Jesus was fond of helping outcasts such as lepers, prostitutes, and robbers on the cross. This social gospel of Jesus seems to have been lost in much of modern day Christianity that has been redefined by “judgment” as though we have evolved and become someone elses God.
Obama must reset this “tough on crime” legacy of Reagan with a new “smart on crime” policy. This smart on crime approach must not abandon punishment - as there should be some punishment for lawbreaking - but this punishment MUST be limited to the term of the sentence, and not be “punishment for life” as some sort of perpetual vengeance against those who commit crimes. A smarter approach must include state-of-the-art rehabilitation efforts while one is still in prison. This rehabilitation must continue upon release with supportive services for substance abuse and anger management.
It is also simply smarter to involve employers in rehabilitation efforts by providing a mix of carrots and sticks to hire ex-offenders. The carrots could be tax incentives for hiring “and” retaining ex-offenders. The sticks could be laws similar to the ones in the five states that currently prohibit employment discrimination against ex-offenders. These anti-discrimination efforts force employers to relate hiring decisions to the actual work performed, so if the crime is not rationally related to such work, discrimination is forbidden. Additional measures such as prohibiting criminal history questions on employment applications until a later stage in the hiring process where an applicant is deemed “otherwise qualified” would discourage screening out ex-offenders.
Without this smarter approach, we are simply encouraging more crime, more victims, and more extraordinary fiscal irresponsibility in paying for the incarceration of those who could be tax-paying productive members of American society. As we attempt to pay for healthcare, education and other priorities, the time is now for “smart on crime” policies.
Dear Mr. President,
I guess that acceleration of an existing trajectory is certainly a form of REAL CHANGE. But I don't know if that is the kind of change that the people who elected you had in mind.
Just to spell it out in idiot-proof terms: you cannot borrow your way out of a crisis of debt. Consuming more than you produce is unsustainable. Spending more than you make is unsustainable. Unsustainable means that at some point there will be a crisis / crash / default. The Piper is always paid, as they say.
You are clearly not an idiot and these simple principles must be as obvious to you as they are to me. So what do you personally gain from pursuing a course that cannot but make the inevitable crash worse and worse; that cannot but cause untold suffering for millions of Americans who are busting their butts to live a common, decent life? Real suffering for real people. Really. Who gains from your acceleration of the existing path toward economic armageddon?
I want to believe, Mr. President. I want to hope. I love your foreign policy rhetoric. I love your willingness to verbally step up to the plate and take responsibility. But there is the talk, and there is the walk. So far, the talk is A+, but the walk is a solid F.
Man up, Mr. President. You cannot solve the very real economic crisis we are facing by continuing down the same path with the same players. CLEAN HOUSE. Get rid of those guys: Summers, Geithner, Bernanke -- the whole Wall St. banking crew who took us here in the first place -- and set a new course altogether. Not an acceleration down the same course; that's the wrong form of change. Turn left, or turn right, or put on the brakes. When you are crashing, the accelerator is not your friend.
Yours sincerely,
Bob Job (has no job)
Torture is an international and US crime.
Does the United States want to be or look like the street thug, an international bully, or an international criminal to alienate allies, used for propaganda to recruit terrorists and increase terrorism?
Or
Does the Unites States stand for Justice, with the justification to go after international criminals where ever they hide, with the support of allies and the international community?
It’s become a depressingly predictable event. Every few months, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), a branch of the US Department of Justice, releases new figures showing that the US prison and jail population has grown yet again and has reached a new all-time high. The latest statistics, released last week, show that as of June 30, 2008, more than 2.3 million people were behind bars in this country — an increase of almost 20 percent just since 2000. This gives the United States an incarceration rate of 762 per 100,000 residents - the highest rate in the world, dwarfing those of other democracies like Great Britain (152 per 100,000), Canada (116), and Japan (63).
The aforementioned is quoted from an article appearing within the Huffington Post, entitled: “Prison Nation” and authored by David C. Fathi. This ever increasing prison population demands immediate action as to “why” our country is producing so many incarcerated individuals within our society and “how” can prevent this increasing trend of penalized peoples.
Mr. Fathi’s article also sites:
Of course incarceration doesn’t affect everyone equally. Black men in the United States are 6.6 times more likely than white men to be incarcerated. More than 10 percent of all black males ages 25 to 39 were in prison or jail as of June 30, 2008. And a 2006 BJS study showed that prisons and jails have become the new asylums, with more than half of all prisoners suffering from mental health problems like major depression and psychotic disorders.It wasn’t always like this. For much of the 20th century, the US incarceration rate remained fairly stable. It began to climb sharply in the late 1970s, as a result of policy changes like mandatory minimum sentencing and the widespread abolition of parole. In the 1980s and 1990s, the “war on drugs” and “three strikes” laws fueled further growth. More people were going to prison, and staying there for longer periods of time. By 2004, the incarcerated population was six times what it had been in 1972.Contrary to popular belief, the growing prison population has little or nothing to do with an increase in crime. In fact, crime rates fell steadily between 1991 and 2006, eventually reaching levels not seen since the 1960s. Yet the incarceration rate increased by more than 50 percent in that same period. It’s clear, then, that political choice, not crime, has given the United States its massive prison and jail population.
Of course incarceration doesn’t affect everyone equally. Black men in the United States are 6.6 times more likely than white men to be incarcerated. More than 10 percent of all black males ages 25 to 39 were in prison or jail as of June 30, 2008. And a 2006 BJS study showed that prisons and jails have become the new asylums, with more than half of all prisoners suffering from mental health problems like major depression and psychotic disorders.
It wasn’t always like this. For much of the 20th century, the US incarceration rate remained fairly stable. It began to climb sharply in the late 1970s, as a result of policy changes like mandatory minimum sentencing and the widespread abolition of parole. In the 1980s and 1990s, the “war on drugs” and “three strikes” laws fueled further growth. More people were going to prison, and staying there for longer periods of time. By 2004, the incarcerated population was six times what it had been in 1972.
Contrary to popular belief, the growing prison population has little or nothing to do with an increase in crime. In fact, crime rates fell steadily between 1991 and 2006, eventually reaching levels not seen since the 1960s. Yet the incarceration rate increased by more than 50 percent in that same period. It’s clear, then, that political choice, not crime, has given the United States its massive prison and jail population.
As you can read, our past political environment seems to account for these numbers and hopefully will begin to decrease once attention is directed by our President to these alarming statistics.
Our dysfunctional criminal justice system has been a long time in the making, and no one should have any illusions that it will be fixed overnight. But a National Criminal Justice Commission would be an important first step toward ending our shameful status as the world’s leading prison nation.
The following video presents Janet Reno, former Attorney General in the Clinton Administration presenting her views on concerns within our present day legal system.
Janet Reno: Improving the Legal System
Additional postings regarding this topic and others may be found here:
The fact of the matter is that all extremist groups have been observed, not merely for the last few months or even years, but for decades, in order to assess the degree of threat each group might - or might not - pose. Yes, there were abuses of this process, the most notable being J. Edgar Hoover's actions regarding Martin Luther King, however, I've not seen that there has been *any* consistent policy of "shying away from" groups of one or another political ideology - what matters is whether a group poses a threat to the populace and/or members of the Government. One of the *fastest* ways to gain the immediate attention of the FBI (and most likely the Secret Service as well) is to make public threats against the President's life or well-being. This has been the case for as long as there was any government organization dedicated to the security of the President and the People.
So, why should anyone really care if extemists complain about this attention? Frankly, attention, ANY sort of attention, is precisely what many of them want, and the majority are satisfied with having their conspiracy theories "proven" by such attention. That is not opinion; that is fact. For a small minority, however, violent action remains the main goal, and this small minority is the threat that warrants investigation.
The only thing the mystifies me is, Why do the media outlets feel so compelled to air the irrational paranoia of people who refuse to accept that there are consequences for actions such as threatening the life of ANY President, or such as committing or even promoting public violence? If someone commits a robbery, and is arrested and tried, that’s considered Justice. If your neighbor threatens to kill you, that is a crime and he can be arrested and tried for it, and the is considered Justice. So why do people imagine they can threaten the life of a duly-elected President or other member of the government, or threaten to harm random members of the general populace, and be permitted to do whatever their free-floating anger desires, yet have a free pass to do so, merely because they claim these threats, or violent actions against individuals, are "political protest"? The plain fact is that some crimes are simply that: crimes. We have the Right to Freedom of Association and Freedom of Assembly, and to engage in peaceful political protest. But threats, beatings, destruction of property, and other personal crimes are simply that: crimes.
Today I presented to Walgreens Pharmacy the following message....'I have three main complaints... 1) When I come to buy Crest Toothpaste you have everything but the regular 8oz "classic" Crest....this freshens my breath, comes out of the tube easily, and causes me to hunt and hunt....wasting my time and forcing me to come away with a very dissatisfying product... and makes me register my complaint.... 2) When I try to buy Old Spice Deoderant, I instead get some gargage "endurance" product....no longer the "classic"....3) When I contacted Vicks about a product which was very helpful to immediately stop dreadful coughing spells common to old people...Vicks Formula 44D Cough Drops (which you no longer carry)....they said they stopped making them in 1991.......'
When Russia (the old Soviet Union) did surgery.....they packed a body in ice water in place of anesthia......China uses accupuncture in place of anesthia......they have 1 Billion people and spend a much reduced % of Gross Domestic Product on health care......people in the know go to South East Asia to have excellent care and low cost surgery from a hospital there....China also handles crime in a very efficient way (marketing spare body parts after the execution) quickly dispatching antisocial behavorialists in a cost effective way of "crime fighting" which they do not tolerate.....it is no wonder the Swat people in Packistan have rejected our form of laws.......slow, expensive Criminal Justice parctices.....whereas Great Britian serves to determine the truth of the matter by their defense and prosecution attornies, not so the two sides of our "justice" system......for example, the many legislatures in the US may create a law saying three copies of a piece of pornography is illegal.....while creating dysfunctional sexual performance requiring "medical care"
Underground archicture reduces the heating and cooling bills for our citizens....something the many Public Utilities Commission of the various states could do....but do the opposite....guaranteeing a minimum of 10% or more "profit" to interested parties....our housing Deeds of Trust and Mortgages in other states could restore the economy by buldozing blighted neighborhoods......forcing reconstruction and a return to stop the hemoraging of lost counties, states, and federal tax base.......
Idol young people who have delayed educations, inadequate educations, and difficulty finding jobs are expected to delay marrying and having families. This fights biology as a persons most fertile period is in their late teens and early 20s. We need to analyze and deal with these facts.
Personally as a pediatrician, I found the highest teen birth rates in three groups. 1. Teens in distressed families (drug addict or absent parents [not single moms], poverty where parents are working 2-3 jobs, overextended and therefore technically absent and rich parents with unsupervised kids); 2. Teens in very religious families relying on abstinence, that wouldn't talk about sex, leaving kids to figure it out on their own (these kids constantly were super rebellious); and 3. idol teens who had no hobbies except hanging out with friends and who had self-esteem problems such that they would do anything to appear popular.
The saddest case that is a commentary on how we talk but don't help distressed teens and families was an eighth grade girl who told me she purposely got pregnant because she wanted someone to "love her." She had lived mainly on the streets taking care of herself in South Carolina (the bible belt) where social services were inadequate to help her. Her parents were unavailable. The churches, schools, and social services viewed her as important and worthwhile as a dead dog. What do you expect! Three girls in her class were pregnant that year.
Until we promote individual worth; provide adequate eduation so that kids are motivated to learn and therefore kept busy with self motivation(our high school education is like a junior high education in most civilized countries - teachers are in general miserably undertrained); teach kids the value of being involved with others and with activities such as the arts, volunteering, involvement with government and social services, gardening, sports without a goal of being a major leager; teach that community and family is more important than self and instant gratification or material goods; promote a village atmosphere where people in one small neighborhood or a few blocks in a city know each other, meet regularly with each other (difficult with two jobs and long commutes) and help each other (70 % of Americans don't know their neighbors); make real job training and jobs available to young men and women; reform laws so that like in Europe women can stay home with a child the first two years of life and still have a job available and career available when they return to work, we will make no progress in regards to teen births or abortions.
We need to shift our priorities and donations to the REAL problems that result in teen pregnancies and abortions. If we simply fight about ideology nothing will be accomplished. United We Stand, Divided We Fall. Perhaps it is time to agree to disagree on ideology and work together on issues that we all agree upon!
The benefits would be enormous. We would not just deal with teen pregnancies and reduce abortions, we would reduce crime and increase our countries productivity saving huge amounts of money and rebuilding our economy.
Jobless Hit with Bank Fees on Unemployment Benefits By CHRISTOPHER LEONARD, AP Business Writer
For hundreds of thousands of workers losing their jobs during the recession, there's a new twist to their financial pain: Even as they're collecting unemployment benefits, they're paying bank fees just to get access to their money.
Thirty states have struck such deals with banks that include Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., JP Morgan Chase and US Bancorp, an Associated Press review of the agreements found. All the programs carry fees, and in several states the unemployed have no choice but to use the debit cards. Some banks even charge overdraft fees of up to $20 — even though they could decline charges for more than what's on the card.
"It's a racket. It's a scam," said Rachel Davis, a 38-year-old dental technician from St. Louis who was laid off in October. Davis was given a MasterCard issued through Central Bank of Jefferson City and recently paid $6 to make two $40 withdrawals.
The banks say their programs offer convenience. They also provide at least one way to tap the money at no charge, such as using a single free withdrawal to get all the cash at once from a bank teller. But the banks benefit from human nature, as people end up treating the cards like all the other plastic in their wallets.
The fees are raising questions from lawmakers who just recently voted to infuse banks with taxpayer money to keep them afloat.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., a member of the House Financial Services Committee, said the situation points to "yet another example of how we need to regulate the ways in which banks charge overdraft and other fees."
"Banks, particularly ones that have received federal help, should not be imposing endless fees and charges on the unemployed in this time of economic crisis," said Maloney, who has written a bill to require that consumers be notified at the point of sale if they're about to incur overdraft fees.
Some banks, depending on the agreement negotiated with each state, also make money on the interest they earn after the state deposits the money and before it's spent. The banks and credit card companies also get roughly 1 to 3 percent off the top of each transaction made with the cards.
Neither banks nor credit card companies will say how much money they are making off the programs, or what proportion of the revenue comes from user versus merchant fees or interest. It's difficult to estimate the profits because they depend on how often recipients use their cards and where they use them.
But the potential is clear.
In Missouri, for instance, 94,883 people claimed unemployment benefits through debit cards from Central Bank. Analysts say a recipient uses a card an average of six to 10 times a month. If each cardholder makes three withdrawals at an out-of-network ATM, at a fee of $1.75, the bank would collect nearly $500,000. If half of the cardholders also dial customer service three times in any given week (the first time is free; after that, it's 25 cents a call), the bank's revenue would jump to more than $521,000. That would yield $6.3 million a year.
Rachel Storch, a Democratic state representative, received a wave of complaints about the fees from autoworkers laid off from a suburban St. Louis Chrysler plant. She recently urged Gov. Jay Nixon to review the state's contract with Central Bank with an eye toward reducing the fees."I think the contract is unfair and potentially illegal to unemployment recipients," she said.Central Bank did not return two messages seeking comment.
Glenn Campbell, a spokesman for Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., said the congressman would support a review of the debit card programs nationwide.
Another 10 states — including the unemployment hot spots of California, Florida and South Carolina — are considering such programs or have signed contracts. The remainder still use traditional checks or direct deposit.
With the national unemployment rate now at 7.6 percent, the market for bank-issued unemployment cards is booming. In 2003, states paid only $4 million of unemployment insurance through debit cards. By 2007, it had ballooned to $2.8 billion, and by 2010 it will likely rise to $10.5 billion, according to a study conducted by Mercator Advisory Group, a financial industry consulting firm.
The economic stimulus plan signed by President Barack Obama this week will increase federal unemployment benefits by $40 billion this year. Subsequently, there will be more money from which banks can collect fees. The U.S. Department of Labor allows the fees as long as states create a way for recipients to get their money for free, spokeswoman Suzy Bohnert said."Beyond that, the individual decides how to manage his drawdowns using the debit card," she said in an e-mail.
A typical contract looks like the agreement between Citigroup and the state of Kansas, which took effect in November. The state expects to save $300,000 a year by wiring payments to Citigroup instead of printing and mailing checks.
Citigroup's bill to the state: zero. The bank collects its revenue from fees paid by merchants and the unemployed.
"If you use your card the right way, you're not going to pay fees at all," said Paul Simpson, Citigroup's global head of public sector, health care and wholesale cards.
But that's not always practical.
Arthur Santa-Maria, a laid-off engineer who lives just outside Albuquerque, N.M., said he didn't pay any fees the first time he was laid off, for several months in 2007. His unemployment benefits were paid by paper checks. He found a new job last year but was laid off again last fall.
This time, he was issued a Bank of America debit card — a "prepaid" card in industry lingo — but he was surprised to learn he had to pay fees to get his money. He asked the bank to waive them. It said no. That's when Santa-Maria called back to ask how to check his account online. He logged on and saw that the call cost him a half dollar. To avoid more fees, Santa-Maria found a Bank of America ATM at a strip mall and withdrew $80 at no charge. When he got back to his car, he decided to take out the rest of his money — $250 — and deposit it in his bank account.Afterward, Santa-Maria logged on to his account and saw a charge of $1.50 for two withdrawals in one day.
"They're trying to use my money to make money," Santa-Maria said. "I just see banks trying to make that 50 cents or a buck and a half when I should be given the service for free."New Mexico authorities bargained with Bank of America to get lower fees for unemployment recipients, said Carrie Moritomo, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Workforce Solutions. The state saves up to $1.5 million annually by switching from checks to debit cards.
Bank of America spokeswoman Britney Sheehan pointed out that the fees charged in New Mexico are similar to those charged in the 29 other states with unemployment debit cards. The bank believes "the fee schedule is reasonable and consistent with similar programs," she said.Banks could issue unemployment debit cards with no fees for cardholders, but that would likely mean that states would have to pay more of the administrative costs, said Mark Harrington, director of marketing for Citigroup's prepaid card services. If a state demanded no cardholder fees and could pay the difference, Citigroup might enter such a contract.
"We would be open to that," Harrington said. "We're not looking to structure any programs where we would lose money, but we're definitely flexible."
Simpson noted that the cards can save money for jobless workers who have no bank accounts. In the past, these people had to use corner check-cashing shops that charged fees as high as 2 percent, or $6 for a $300 check. Now, they can swipe their cards at McDonald's, Wal-Mart or elsewhere for free.
Kenna Gortler, a laid-off paper mill worker in Oregon, said her union is advising members to avoid the debit cards and sign up to get their benefits through direct deposit. More than 300 of her fellow workers have lost their jobs at the mill in the last three months, and horror stories about ATM fees and overdraft charges are starting to filter back to others who are just now signing up for their benefits.
"It's discouraging," Gortler said. "People have limited funds and they don't need to be giving money to the banks. They need to be keeping that money to feed their families and pay bills."
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/bank_fees_jobless_benefits
Jobless Benefit Fees: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/president/gGxhrn
Dear Mr. President: Greetings to you in your new office of the 44th President of these United States. I welcome you and your cabinet wholeheartedly, and know that you will serve the people well.Mr. President, I am - along with many others like me - much distressed over the current economic situations. I am happy to see and to know that you stand firmly committed to correcting and alleviating these vast problems. As your website offers the chance for a citizen as myself to come forward with ideas in regards to the many problems which beset our great country, I would like, herewith, to offer my own comments:In regards to the economy, which is uppermost in everyone's minds, I feel that the current bail-out package can best be applied in helping everyone get back on track by dispersing some of the funds to the many businesses which are in danger of going under, along with the usual stimulus packages for renters and homeowners. Likewise, new business start-ups will do much to lighten the economic darkness that threatens to envelop us all, as it will give many people the financial support they are direly in need of, as well as help our country to recover its financial strength and viability. Of course, we must be careful not to 'spread the wealth' to those who will only abuse it for their own purposes; corporate heads will be waiting, eager to snatch away monies that others desperately need so that they can continue to finance their high-living lifestyle; I have no doubt you will prevent this from occurring.It is true that 'we' can all claim responsibility in some part for our present situation; however, as someone who is 'out there in the trenches' among the people, seeing and experiencing 'real-life' encounters, I can strongly state that a good deal of this problem is worsened by the explosion of the illegal alien component within our cities. As a female with a mixed African-American heritage (Portugese, Native American x3, Irish, Scottish, Jewish (and perhaps even Chinese - from the name FOY), and African, I am one who does not like to think in terms of 'ethnicity'. However, I have noticed vast problems with the Latino, and other, illegal immigration from everything to the loss of jobs, to the overwhelming taxing of our government programs - put in place as a TEMPORARY assistance for those who need it, but now being rapidly drained by illegals who have descended on these programs with a vengence and are rapidly exhausting available funds and help.
I realize my most may be unpopular - and I do not wish to single out any particuler person or group - and my post may perhaps, likewise, be observed by some as ascerbic; however, I feel I must express my feelings and thoughts on this matter. Which is, that many illegals come here (illegally) and obtain jobs in the private sectors - some by the theft of others' ID/Social Security numbers - and then bring in their other relatives to these same jobs, low-paying or otherwise, which then become housed with latinos and no other ethnic group, excepting Asians or their white employers and supervisors. This is rapidly happening all over California -- the major work force here is Latino. This is not because no other ethnic group wants to work in these jobs, but because job forces, inspired by paying low wages to unqualified workers so that their 'bottom line' can be sustained, or so that they can make 1000% profit, prefer hiring illegals over paying real wages for qualified workers. I, myself, have experienced this problem since 2003, and even lost several temporary assignments which were slated to become permanent jobs when, due to the maliciousness of Latinos - illegals or otherwise - who were working there in the same office I worked at, found myself ousted out of a good job just so that my Latino 'brethern' could bring in their own people. Although I can type up to 95 words per minute and have substantial employment history, I was not able to secure a job for quite some time, even as a File Clerk! Yet, everywhere I looked there were throngs of latino men and women, many placed in jobs that they were not qualified or suited for -- some of whom could barely speak English! This practice is unfair on BOTH sides of the coin, to illegals and natives, but still continues to this day.
Another rank problem that is sinking our economy and country faster then the Titanic is the practice of private industry outsourcing good jobs overseas and out of the country. Once upon a time, Mr. President, all U.S. products proudly bore the tag MADE IN AMERICA; now, due to private sector interests and politics, that can rarely be said. We must put our wonderful country back on track, Mr. President, and quicklyl halt the practice of outsourcing jobs out of our country; thereafter we must refinance our country in the manner of support for business, which has built this country into a once-great state. I firmly believe that it can begin its return to greatness, but immediate actions must be taken.
Dear Mr. President-
Today is an historic date in American history. I know you are busy doing everything that you can.
I know also that you have so very many things that must be done, that it boggles the mind.
I would like to make a humble suggestion, regarding, the previous administration...
The news organizations all speculate, and often, about what you will, or will not do, with regard to the crimes committed by your predicessor.
I must suggest that you consider STRONGLY creating a bi-partisan committee that will investigate all crimes, by whom ever is responsible, and take the strongest actions possible - including jail time, if that is what is warranted.
Nobody should be "above the law", and; the only way to insure that our allies, and the world, see that America is sincere, is to NOT let those who broke the law (American law, and International law), get away with it.
This is my opinion, worthless maybe, but; hopefully you'll consider it.
Sincerely, as always,
-Roger Mukai-
Truth commissions worked in South Africa to encourage confession, resolve mysteries, increase transparency, resolve conflicts, decrease corruption, reduce bias and discrimination, and allowed the country to get beyond conflict, to forgive, to accept the past, and to move on in a more honest, united and open manner.
Would this not work in the United States. We should begin a pilot project run by US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald in C[r]ook County.
Everyone is invited to view and join:Crime Solutions Workgroup
Blog: Crime Solutions Workgroup
CDP and 24-hour Schedulinghttp://ourpresidency.ning.com/profiles/blogs/citizen-development-programHuman Traffickinghttp://ourpresidency.ning.com/profiles/blogs/human-traffickingPrison Issueshttp://ourpresidency.ning.com/profiles/blogs/prison-issuesCrime/Terror Networks & Mappinghttp://ourpresidency.ning.com/profiles/blogs/crimeterror-networksUSAPs (Black Projects)http://www.ourpresidency.com/profiles/blogs/usaps-black-projects"...technology...not under government control or any type of high level control."Edgar Mitchell, astronaut
Our Presidency.ning.com http://www.ourpresidency.ning.com/
Putting people back to work is not going to fix the economy, when people have a common goal all over the country and all around world something wonderful happens we come in unity to fix every problem that we have. I want to let everyone know there is a project called The Venus Project you can watch the video on this post. I have a petition for 3,000,000 signatures for this project to become the forefront of all projects and to be funded and seriously considered a s a solution to all our problems not just in our country but around the world.
IF you all still love that monetary system and still believe we can keep patching this system up over and over and belive it will stay fixed your wrong. The monetary system will collapse no matter what Obama and Joe Biden does. You can't fix a system that can't be fixed. You must replace it with a new system, and that will be A resource based system. The Venus project is one of the most innovative ideas that has come out and you will know why from the videos i'm going to post. I would rather work my but off for a common of all mankind to make life better than to work my but off just to pay my bills and pay off more debt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YM1gjz7LYg&feature=channel
This is video 1 watch 2-5 on youtube, very important so important that i don't know how long this post will stay up on here. They might take this down
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Blog: Crime Solutions and Related Issues
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Victor G. Jackson
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Please consider a jobs program for organizations to design and implement programs to re-integrate, provide mental health care, provide drug abuse treatment, provide family therapy, and supervise ex-cons and to train and employ ex-cons. > 600,000 convicts are released every year and this is growing due to the failed policy of the last 30 years to be "tough on crime." What good does it do to squash prisoners like a bug, destroy their families, destroy their health, destroy their future career potential, and fail to provide even an iota of rehabilitation? Part of our economic problem is that we are destroying and wasting so much human potential. If we employed these people and the prisons guards and employees, as well as reduce the number of prisoners in half with alternative sentencing for non-violent criminals, drug abuse treatment, and mental health care - our workforce that pays taxes and contributes to society will grow at an astonishing rate (including ex-cons, ex - prison employees, and their families who were living on the dole) and our productivity will increase.
Please give your creative suggestions about how to achieve this. Think outside the box! Be inovative!
The whole concept of punishment in America is warped. Historically it amounted to simply time in hell. From a prisoner’s point of view the torture (beatings, rape, psychological abuse, inadequate food, lack of medical care - pain, limb loss, death) was equal if not worse than losing what you left behind. The reality is that those that are poor often lose job, savings, house, all possessions, family (divorces are common), and children even for short sentences. The wealthy have only lost a little time and then come back and resurrect their life using their money.
For a while prisons had some element of rehabilitation. Now there is very little - beautician training for women and furniture building for men. They are run by incompetent, ignorant, patronage workers and profiteers. As our leaders have been so inept that small town America has lost most industry, we built prisons in a lot of small towns to provide jobs. If you build too many prisons, you have to fill them. You have to give excessive sentences, no rehabilitation so prison becomes a revolving door, and abuse the law (police etc.) in arresting the innocent and using prisons as mental health warehouses and warehouses for the addicted.
There are very few of these officials who give a damn, let alone know anything useful. The politicians and policy makers are so far from the factory floor of reality in America that hope for realistic and helpful policies is dim.
The main thing prisoners learn right now is hate for the system, for the police, for the courts, for the guards and officials. Abuse of prisoners leads to this viscious cycle. I’m just really surprised that the body count of officers, lawyers, and judges isn’t higher.
The second thing they learn is how to be better criminals. When you return to society without a job, with stigma, having lost everything - what do you think most do! All of you are naive if you think prison has ANY element of justice.
Justice to me is not just punishment - it is rehabilitation so that society can welcome the prisoner back into society as a productive citizen. There is none of this - been there and I’m innocent!
The answer to me is to limit the number of lawyers in Congress and legislatures to 49% of the total and to appoint two non-lawyers to the U.S. Supreme Court, and every State Supreme Court in the land. Heh! I’m ready for the job!
I respectfully find the concept of the “comparative nature of punishment” to be irrelevant. What is punishment? Should it be pure retribution on one extreme or should it be analyzing the danger to society from the offender and the motivation, strengths, weaknesses, and rehabilitation potential of the offender, and then making a plan to transform the offender to a productive citizen, and if need be confining him or restricting his liberty in some way for the protection of society, at the other extreme? There is a little of this in theory in the practice of criminal law today, but none in reality. At least in C[r]ook County Illinois, presentence reports go into a big black hole and emotion and passion of the prosecutor, as well as political corruption determine sentencing.
Comparing unpunished “baseline condition” to “worst, punished condition” as Prof. Kolber suggests only deals with retribution. This is only half of the equation.
I wonder if we are asking the right questions. Is excessive imprisonment and forced poverty and destruction of offenders family, along with the costs this brings to society the answer to crime? I don’t think so, but this is the present system of “justice” in America today.
Let’s rethink “punishment”, think out of the box, start at ground zero and bring reality and rationality back into “justice.” What about mental health care, treating addiction as a disease, restorative justice, community service, education, and removing corruption and politics from the equation? I see a lot of lip service about this in Illinois, talking the talk, but no walking the walk.
From the Blog: Sentencing Law and Policy: A comment -
Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Sep 15, 2008 12:52:42 AM
What is the obsession with squashing every convict like a bug? To what end?
This country needs to learn that not everyone needs to go to jail for 20+ years and lose everything they’ve ever known, accomplished, saved or done.
